Thursday, April 19, 2007

It was the tofu that done her in

Oh dear. Only two days in, and I've already fallen off the bandwagon.

Yesterday was fine - I hit the local organic green grocer and got heaps of lovely fresh veggies, then popped on by the organic bakery for a loaf of rye, which came in a paper bag. So far, so good. The only hiccup was not being able to get any milk in a glass bottle at the supermarket, but they assured me that it would be in the next day, and we still had some milk left at home.

So for dinner I made a lovely rustic veggie and pasta soup with bread on the side, and we all toddled off happily to bed with full contented bellies.

This morning I went back to the supermarket, keen to get my milk and some ingredients for a dinner party we're hosting tomorrow night. Just to explain about the milk: milk in plastic is obviously out, as is milk in cardboard. I’ve done a bit research, and cardboard milk containers are created from something known as liquid paperboard, which has a thin layer of plastic on the inside. So glass it is. Heavy, yet nostalgic.

Alas and alack, the supermarket hadn't received their delivery of milk, and won't be getting it until tomorrow. Eeeek! So no milky cups of tea for me today - I'll have to save the dregs for Grumbles to have for her breakfast cereal and drink tomorrow morning, and she'll just have to survive with water for the rest of the time. Speaking of caffiene, we're out of coffee, and unless I can find some pre-ground beans in a paper bag, I'll have to be coffee free for the next month as well, as all the instant varieties have plastic somewhere on the packaging (usually the lids). Coffee free? This is getting much harder than I thought. How many days left? 29?!?

I also bombed out on the dessert ingredients - I'd planned on making a cheesecake. After all, Philly cheese comes in a cardboard box with foil on the inside, so it's safe. Too easy, right? Stupid me forgot, though, that the biscuits for the biscuit base all come in plastic packaging. ARRRRRRGGH! I could have made a batch of biscuits, then broken them up for the base, but I felt that was just getting ridiculous, so I'll be making a rhubarb and apple cake instead, topped with dollops of sweetened marscapone cheese at a handsome $7.64 a glass jar. Gulp. The things I do for people with newborns, I tells ya.

After the dessert debacle, I caved in and bought some smoked tofu, which, of course, came in plastic. The shame. I'm sorry, I know it was pathetic to fall off the wagon so early on in the piece, but we need our protein and the whole milk/biscuit situation left me demoralised. Bad eco-warrior!

6 comments:

  1. Anonymous1:44 pm

    I've not seen milk in glass bottles in the supermarket, or maybe i've just not looked for them. About the coffee, why don't you go to a place that grinds them but take your own container or paper bag?
    I think you're doing great even if you did cave in and buy tofu in plastic.

    ReplyDelete
  2. What a fantastic experiment! I'm looking forward to reading about the rest of the challenge. Don't be too hard on yourself - by avoiding meat, you're already doing a huge amount to improve the planet :)

    ReplyDelete
  3. Nichola, you can buy milk from Elgaar dairy which comes in glass at the following locations:

    http://www.elgaarfarm.com.au/Products/Victorian%20stockists.htm

    ReplyDelete
  4. Not sure which side of town you live on, but Jasper Coffee on Brunswick St is a good stop, and you can buy BIG paper bags of coffee (beans or ground). Lots of delis seem to sell Jasper ground coffee too.

    ReplyDelete
  5. I think you've done incredibly well so far...just this morning (as I poured milk on porridge) I thought about your challenge and wondered what you were going to do about milk - I didn't realise you can still get it in glass.
    Stick with it...please... it's going to make fascinating reading!

    ReplyDelete
  6. The fact you're constantly aware, thinking, and battling must make up for the minor tofu issue.

    And forewarned is forearmed - you can't know everything on your 2nd day now, can you ?

    It's a learning CURVE.

    ReplyDelete

Leave a comment! Make my day!

Note: only a member of this blog may post a comment.