About eco warrior friend.

[lastqueenofscotland]

Before I get accused of single handedly ruining the planet, I’m very conscious of environmental issues, went vegan, try to avoid single use plastics, no children etc.
Went for dinner last night with a friend who is quite militant about the environment. And their new huge thing is food waste.

There were 4 of us round, all adults with appetites. (I’d run 10k beforehand and had skipped my usual post run snack) when we got there he was cooking and I know I can be a glutton but it was literally fuck all
I think everyone got about 2 tablespoons of rice and a similar amount of curry. He wanted there to be no possibility that there would be any left and therefore thrown away.
It was delicious but literally took up a fifth of a plate. One of the other ladies there jokingly said “is there a war on, what’s with the rations” to which he got very offended and went off on one a bit about consumption and waste etc.
AIBU to think this is a bit weird/ott
(Waits for mumsnet to come on and say everything more than a teaspoon of rice is gluttony)

No that really is just rude. You don’t invite guests round and send them home hungry! I think he messed up and was just making excuses!

Blimey

I'd have gone home via chippy and asked if anyone wanted to join me

I'd have said thanks for the starter and ask where's the rest and go for a takeaway on the way home. His excuse is pathetic.

It all sounds so joyless martyering (sp) yourself is not going to save the planet it is just going to make folk misersble I would have had to say something

That's really rude. If you are conscious of waste then let people serve themselves, as generally they'll only take what they'll eat, and plan to have any left overs for lunch or dinner the next day.

Leaving people hungry doesn't combat waste. There's nothing eco warrior in two meals being cooked because everyone is hungry after the first one!

She sounds like a right miserable creature OP. I agree when MrsJayy

It's very OTT of him. The least he could have done was made extra and put some in a tupperware dish in the fridge if it wasn't wanted by guests.

I hate it when people say they are putting on food, and you get there and there is nothing. I've had to stop off at McDonalds on the way home before because of situations like this.

Blimey, has he never heard you can freeze leftovers? What awful hosting.

Wow your friend could have fed you all normal size portions, and if there was any leftover could have saved them for themselves for an evening snack or to eat for their next meal..there wouldn't have been any waste and none of you would have gone home hungry..

Next time you are all with this friend as a group (or even with this friend individually)..every time they get militant about eco stuff...nod, smile and then change the subject...if they eventually ask why you /everyone else is changing the subject, say they are like a broken record with this eco stuff, they are telling you all the same thing over and over again every time you see them and you aren't stupid, you only need to be told once, so you all would.now like to discuss something new for a change

When I cook something like a curry I tend to cook a larger than necessary amount, let people serve themselves and freeze left overs, it means a quick ping in the microwave rather than full on cooking for a later meal, surely that's better for the environment?

But the great thing about curry is that it tastes even better the next day.

He could definitely have given you all more food. Don't go round again for dinner without eating first !

Hideous manners. If you invite people to your house to eat you should be ashamed to see them leave hungry. Forcing your virtuous political opinion upon your guests is as bad. Invite him back for bread and water or, better still, don't return the invitation, tell me him you can't accommodate his standards.

It sounds like they are trying to "out do" everybody 1 person goes vegan well i need to serve miniscule dinners to prove I am the better planet rescuer, give it a few months and you will all be licking dust because at least dust has no airmiles and is sustainable.

Definitely more eco friendly to cook a big batch using one lot of fuel then reheat it for a future meal. Smugly tell him he's got it wrong. Fair enough grudgingly I say, as not really to serve small portions initially but in this case there needs to be seconds on offer

Oh Sarah that gave me the heave late mil used to eat left overs off plates the thought of it

What’s wrong with eating leftovers? I think your friend messed up the portion sizes and didn’t cook enough so was using that as an excuse. Agree with pp - sounds like a pretty joyless existence in any case.

Has he got issues with food in general?

You haven't had children to save the environment? Crikey, if we don't starve to death from the small portions sounds like we'll be wiped out anyway!

Eating leftover food off other peoples plates is minging all that saliva

Man sounds like a twat - and a bad host. Dont go over there again without having eaten first!

Why wouldn't they just make plenty and have it for lunch the next day if there was any leftover?

Really odd, surely its better for the environment to batch cook and eat leftovers. It would have been chippy on the way home for me!

Remind your friend, that he had guests who left hungry, so as well as the fuel he used, you all had to go home and make yet more food, using more resources. Even if you only made a slice of bread and butter when you got home, that bread had been baked and used fuel, the wheat harvested by machinery using yet more fuel yada yada yada, he has inadvertently more than doubled the carbon footprint of what could have been an environmentally balanced meal, it’s now an eco disaster!

Then next time he invites you to supper, tell him you couldn’t justify the impact of one of his ‘ecomeals’ on the planet!

Cooking big batches of curry is always going to be more environmentally sound than cooking tiny batches. Every half decent housewife knows that.