Waste Not, Want Not

To my three year old son, fine dining means peanut butter sandwiches (no crust), rotini noodles (hold the sauce) and as much milk as he can drink (slightly warmed in the microwave). Some goldfish crackers as an appetizer and a few M&Ms as a dessert round out the meal for him.

For the sake of the other patrons as well as our own sanity, my wife and I have pretty much put "fine dining" on hold for the next couple of years, at least when we are accompanied by our children. Then we discovered the all-you-can-eat (or, politically more correct, all-you-care-to-eat) pizza buffet. Not only is it incredibly affordable for adults, children up to 3 years old eat for free. Since our son added cheese pizza to his diet, we have frequented the local establishment on an almost weekly basis.

We would like to take the opportunity to teach our kids that even when you are confronted with 17 different types of pizza as well as a selection of pastas and a salad bar, you should carefully consider how much you will actually be able to eat before you heap food on your plate. Each time we walk in there, we are saddened by the abandoned tables with piles of plates with food on them or, in one case, a huge pile of left-over pizza crusts. In this day and age of tight budgets, and high gasoline and food prices, isn't it important that we all do our part to be more mindful of waste? When did it become acceptable to just throw away food like that?

I am sure the restaurant still makes a profit; after all, they wouldn't be in business otherwise. It would just be nice if people could set a better example for their (and our!) children, and improve their own health in the process.