Have you ever go to grocery shopping and buy a lot of things
on whim? When you got home you put them all in refrigerator, then after
busy-week attacks you can’t actually finish cooking them all, then the next
time you check it, it was already spoiled? Then without a second thought, you
just throw it into your trash bin, because you still prefer to not ruin your
body with spoiled foods even though you feel so sorry about it? Have you experience
such things? So did I!
Starting living on my own in a new place is definitely a new
challenge for me. Cooking is also something completely new thing when I started
living in Japan. When I was in Indonesia, my cooking skill sticks to noodles
and fried rice! No more than that! Anyway, we can easily find warteg,
nasi uduk/nasi kuning besides main road or even abang bakso comes frequently in
front of our home with rather a cheap price. But, that way of living is
definitely INAPPLICABLE in Japan. Having meal outside every day is also not an
answer as well… it’s too expensive for a poor student like me :”(
Since last year, I started my challenge to make less waste
and realized that I need to fix my lifestyle which usually ends up being
wasteful. Overwhelmed with a lot of things in my mind, I realized that all I
need to do is making an exact action and contribution. Here, I will share my
little tips on how to start a mindful grocery shopping!
1. Arming yourself with grocery list
By making this, you are sure about what you want to make for
the whole week. You can just write in a scrap of paper or make a note in your
smartphone. In that way, you won’t forget something to buy. When you get home,
put your vegetables properly, so they can stay fresh and live longer.
2. Find unpackaged one if possible
One thing I find very wasteful in grocery shopping is
plastic packaging. Especially here in Japan, it’s quite difficult to find
unpackaged vegetables as they care about hygienity sooo much! To prevent that,
I always prefer buying ingredients I can buy unpackaged and bring my cloth bags
or net bags to wrap everything. Locally grown products are the best perishables
source. Bulk store also a good resource when you have one around your home!
Unfortunately, buying bulk is a little bit difficult choice in Japan since it’s
so rare here. Saaad…
3. Be creative with the limited ingredients!
As you are limited to buy minimum things with no packaging,
you can actually be creative with it! My food doesn’t actually stick to menu I
want to make, but I make food from what I can find unpackaged. I prefer for
simple ingredients food that doesn’t require any special skills. Recently,
I am also reducing my meat consumption, because finding unpackaged meat is
definitely impossible here.
4. Make your own! Why not?
Who doesn’t like mayonnaise? But, do you know what
mayonnaise is made by? Literally, you just need 3 ingredients to make it! Last month, I tried made my own mayonnaise, but I couldn’t get the flavor I
want. But I will definitely keep doing trial and error until I find my own
kyuupi* (*Japanese company specialized in making mayonnaise). How about fruit
jam? Maybe just fruit (of your choice) and sugar, isn’t it? How about yogurt?
Google it and make your kitchen into your laboratory experiment! :D When you’re
fond of gardening, you can always grow something in your back yard too!
Sure, completely eliminating plastics from our life is
(still) impossible as we rely on them in many ways. Sometimes, I crave for
potato chip in packaging and still buying that. Sometimes, I still want to make
cakes that require cream cheese or sour cream in packaging. Or sometimes, when
I am in rush, I find onigiri sold in convenience store as my best meal alternative! All I can do is
controlling my craving to the lowest level. Yes! Making #lowimpactmovement by
consuming products with less plastic packaging is certainly possible. It’s all
our choice.
I know I am not an expert about this topic either. I am just
a new learner who still struggling learning how to reduce my own waste. So, if
you have more tips about mindful grocery shopping, I’d love to hear that! <3
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