Avoiding Plastic at the Grocery Store: Second Attempt
Tacos, tacos, tacos!! I went to the cozy Mexican grocery store near my house today and was pleased to remember that I can make these Mexican delights entirely plastic free. And now, I am full of tacos al pastor, and I'm very happy.
Tacos
For the tacos, I bought:
Meat
At the meat counter, I picked up some carne al pastor, as I mentioned, and a pound of deli ham. I had the guy at the meat counter wrap both things in paper, but I must say that it was a bit awkward. He definitely thought I was crazy for getting my stuff wrapped in paper, which I think is just strange. I mean, when did plastic become the norm for meat? It wasn't that long ago, was it?
Produce
Nothing too exciting here. I got a few heads of romaine, cabbage, limes, cilantro, and onion. I didn't put anything in produce bags.
Laughing Cow
I also bought some Laughing Cow Cheese, and it seems to be plastic free. Anyone have any input?
Shopping Guide
I updated my Guide, Everyday Products with Little or No Plastic Packaging, with the info I gathered today. Check it out for some tips on being more plastic-free-ish.
Tacos
For the tacos, I bought:
- tortillas, which I can get still warm and wrapped in wax paper in my neighborhood
- carne al pastor, a.k.a. pork. The stuff I bought was marinated, but it was dry enough that I could get it wrapped in paper
- cilantro, without a produce bag
- onion, without a produce bag
- a few limes, without a produce bag
Meat
At the meat counter, I picked up some carne al pastor, as I mentioned, and a pound of deli ham. I had the guy at the meat counter wrap both things in paper, but I must say that it was a bit awkward. He definitely thought I was crazy for getting my stuff wrapped in paper, which I think is just strange. I mean, when did plastic become the norm for meat? It wasn't that long ago, was it?
Produce
Nothing too exciting here. I got a few heads of romaine, cabbage, limes, cilantro, and onion. I didn't put anything in produce bags.
Laughing Cow
I also bought some Laughing Cow Cheese, and it seems to be plastic free. Anyone have any input?
Shopping Guide
I updated my Guide, Everyday Products with Little or No Plastic Packaging, with the info I gathered today. Check it out for some tips on being more plastic-free-ish.
Comments
My decision has been to eat local, organic, good quality cheese in moderation even though it comes in plastic. I think it's better for the environment over all than Laughing Cow. Remember, you don't have to make the exact same pledge that Envirowoman has made. And you don't have to follow any of my suggestions either. You can make any rules for yourself that you want.
And if you are able to find plastic-free cheese that is good quality and doesn't come loaded with some other type of packaging, I'm dying to hear about it. But also remember that waxed paper is made from petroleum, too, and also doesn't biodegrade very easily.
Kudos on the rest of your purchases. It's awesome that you can get fresh tortillas that are not wrapped in plastic. And come to think of it, I can too at the Mexican Restaurant near my house. I never thought of shopping at a restaurant, but I'm totally going to do that now when have a tortilla jones.
As for tortillas, I really love them, and it is really great that I can get them get them fresh, and I guess wax paper is at least better than plastic. Still, it stinks that wax paper doesn't biodegrade quickly.
As for eating local and organic, I've always shied away from that in the past because of the cost, but I think it's time to take the plunge and go for it. It obviously makes sense for me to do it now so I guess that means using less plastic is going to force me to eat healthier. That makes me happy.
Anyways, reducing my plastic consumption is indeed going to be difficult, and it's definitely going to take me a while to get the hang of it, and to learn everything I need to know. In the end, though, I think I'll make it through, but I'm pretty sure the only thing that will keep me going is the fact that I make my own bread and never have to worry about that.
As for tortillas if you have the time you can make your own. there is a Mexican blend of corn called maseca. If you can get it you just mix it with water and salt. the instructions are right there and NO PLASTIC!!
Keep up the good work. I do carbon sequestration and neutralization. I can tell you that of all things that you can do to help the enviroment, avoiding plastic is THE single must important. Kudos!!