Lessons My Father Taught Me: 03

Do not waste.

That's pretty self-explanitory. If ever there was a piece of rotting cheese or a soft fruit, my dad would ream anyone for attempting to throw it out instead of scraping off the bad part or cooking or washing away what others feel cannot be scraped, cooked, or washed away.

We went out for lunch this weekend, and just as the waiter was taking away the appetizer plate, my dad snatched up the parsley garnish. The waiter smiled because it is not normal for people to eat even edible garnishes. My dad, however, always eats the parsley, or the radish flower, or the lettuce cup, or the whatever, as long as it's edible.

As a result, this has made me a complete crumb-crazy person. I either eat all of my food, or I am sure to take it home and eat it later. Leftovers DO NOT ROT in my fridge (unless they are not mine or they were really not super tasty), and if by chance they do, I labor over the decision to trash them for maybe 15 minutes.