Food Reduction at Home

Article by Peyton Alch Graphic by Jaidyn Holt

As Trinity students load french fries onto their plates, many seem to overlook the growing pile of fries on the fl oor. Something that seems like no big deal is actually a huge source of food waste for the Grille. Food Director and Head Chef Christopher Behrens estimates that around 5 pounds of fries are wasted every day from falling on the fl oor alone.

At the Trinity Prep Grille, there is a huge variety of food that students can get every day. An estimated number of 400 students go in and out everyday. However, oftentimes a lot of the food goes to waste. Behrens believes that food waste is an important problem. Along with the Grille staff , Behrens works hard to be conscious of how much food they make and order each week.

“We usually utilize everything for diff erent aspects,” Behrens said. “We make sure to use extra food in creative ways. For example, we use Fridays as a day to ‘clean out the fridge,’ where we use any leftover food from the week. is helps us reduce our weekly food waste.” roughout his years as a chef, Behrens has learned how to manage food waste in the kitchen. He has fi gured out how to order food for each week without ordering too much.

“ e longer I’ve worked here the easier it is to work out how much food to get for the week,” Behrens said. “We use production records to help us determine how much food we will need to order. ese records help us reduce the amount of food waste we produce by having a set number.”

One of the main issues that the Grille faces regarding food waste is portion control. Many times, students will take more than they will actually eat and in turn, end up wasting a lot of food.

“I think we are consumer-oriented,” Behrens said. “Everybody wants bigger portions, and many times when they have so much food, they don’t eat all of it. Reducing portion sizes can help prevent food waste.”

Portion sizes are not only an issue in the workplace, but in the household too. People fi nd themselves buying too much food, and then eventually getting rid of it. According to Recycle Track Systems Incorporated, the United States produces 1.4 billion tons of food waste every year, 43% of that food waste coming from households.

One way to reduce household food waste is by composting. Composting is a method of decomposing waste materials to make it into a natural fertilizer. Biology teacher Bryan Moretz is an avid composter, who has been composting on and off for around 25 years.

“I started composting with my father — he was an avid gardener,” Moretz said. “For me, composting means that I’m able to take those leftover foods and essentially put them back into the environment.”

Composting has a huge impact on the reduction of food waste. e United States Environmental Protection Agency estimated that 2.6 million tons of food was composted in 2018, which is around 4.1% of wasted food.

“Composting means less waste in landfi lls,”

Moretz said. “We try to conserve as much as we can. If we take waste material like fruits, plants, and organic substances and put it back into the soil, we’re making sure that we don’t fi ll more landfi lls over a longer period of time.” Composting isn’t the only way to help reduce food waste. ere are numerous ways to reduce personal food waste that require little eff ort. Awareness is a big step. It’s important to think about things like how much food you are taking, or how throwing away a full plate might be harmful. “It’s always easier to add more than take it away,” Behrens said. “We always encourage students to come back for seconds rather than get way too much and never fi nish it.” While there are so many ways to easily reduce personal food waste, why aren’t more order each week. people aware of it? A study from JAHR bio-

“We usually utilize everything for diff erent ethics states that people don’t see food as something valuable, but as a given that’s accessible. Food waste due to excessive consumption by households is becoming more prevalent as the where we use any leftover food from the week. amount of food produced has brought society is helps us reduce our weekly food waste.” to a point where food is being taken for grant roughout his years as a chef, Behrens ed in many developed countries. has learned how to manage food waste in the e more food waste is being produced in kitchen. He has fi gured out how to order food households, the more it is impacting people for each week without ordering too much. who don’t have regular access to food. Accord-

“ e longer I’ve worked here the easier it is ing to the World Food Program USA, mass to work out how much food to get for the food waste is one of the main causes of worldweek,” Behrens said. “We use production wide hunger. records to help us determine how much “So many people are going hungry because food we will need to order. ese re- of [food waste],” Behrens said. “I know you cords help us reduce the amount of can’t solve all of the world’s problems, but it food waste we produce by hav- helps to be conscious of things like that. Coning a set number.” tributing to an already big problem when you can help is just hurtful. It really is.”

One way to reduce household food waste is by composting. Composting is a method of decomposing waste materials to make it into a natural fertilizer. Biology teacher Bryan Moretz is an avid composter, who has been composting on and off for around 25 years.

“I started composting with my father — he was an avid gardener,” Moretz said. “For me, composting means that I’m able to take those leftover foods and essentially put them back into the environment.”

Composting has a huge impact on the reduction of food waste. e United States Environmental Protection Agency estimated that 2.6 million tons of food was composted in 2018, which is around 4.1% of wasted food.

“Composting means less waste in landfi lls,” people aware of it? A study from JAHR bioethics states that people don’t see food as something valuable, but as a given that’s accessible.

Food waste due to excessive consumption by households is becoming more prevalent as the amount of food produced has brought society to a point where food is being taken for granted in many developed countries. e more food waste is being produced in households, the more it is impacting people who don’t have regular access to food. According to the World Food Program USA, mass food waste is one of the main causes of worldwide hunger.

“So many people are going hungry because of [food waste],” Behrens said. “I know you can’t solve all of the world’s problems, but it helps to be conscious of things like that. Contributing to an already big problem when you can help is just hurtful. It really is.”

Students and faculty travel and taste unique foods

Article by Angel Zheng Graphic by Jaidyn Holt

During a trip to Italy, history teacher William Milsten pulls up to the side of a road. He sees an old lady holding a big plastic tub full of giant balls of buff alo mozzarella in bags fi lled with water. Milsten tries one, squeezing the juice out of the fresh, soft mozzarella ball as he bites into it.

“It’s so fresh and delicious … juice runs out like milk,” Milsten said. is is one instance of the unique food cultures found in diff erent parts of the world. For most of us, food is one of the most notable memories we have of a trip to a diff erent country. Not only is it a crucial source of nourishment, but each country in the world possesses certain meals distinct to their region and culture, making food all the more signifi cant to recall. Beyond the American borders, there are a wide variety of cuisines and dishes that often surprise foreign tourists.

One of the most popular countries to visit in northern Europe is Iceland. A traditional Icelandic food is Hákarl, a type of fermented meat from the Greenland shark. e reason for fermentation is that the meat of Greenland sharks are toxic, so fermentation is needed to make it safe to consume. Milsten visited Reykjavík, the capital of Iceland, and described his experience with this unique treat.

“It’s really chewy, like a piece of rubber,” Milsten said. “It’s nasty … almost like rotting sour.”

Aside from marine animals, a country that utilizes wild land mammals is Norway. Norway’s cuisine involves a more traditional method of cooking,] and hunting for game meats is common. is is especially true since more than 500,000 people in Norway are registered in the Norwegian hunting register. Milsten recounts his experience in Norway, where he tried reindeer.

“It was like a little steak, but it tasted way diff erent … very full fl avor, very rich,” Milsten said.

Northern Europe’s cuisine is more fi lling and higher in calories compared to southern Europe due to the contrast in climate, according to English teacher Steven Garnett. e colder weather calls for more energy to be obtained from food sources. Meat helps solve this problem, making it a staple in these northern countries.

During Garnett’s visit to northern Europe, he tried a dish called schnitzel, which is a thin slice of meat commonly breaded and fried before serving. He stated that it was boneless and tasted like “lightly fried American chicken.”

“It was also kind of very fi lling … but the fact that it’s so thin is kind of interesting,” Garnett said.

Hungary is located in central Europe, and typically features food heavy on dairy, cheese, and meat. e people of Hungary often refer to themselves as a “nation of soup eaters,” and their cuisine refl ects this idea in the form of goulash, one of the national dishes of Hungary. Garnett encountered this famous dish during his visit to the country.

“[Goulash is] a stew heavy on meat and potatoes and the seasoning paprika … it was ubiquitous,” Garnett said.

As you travel southeast of Europe, you will reach Greece, a country made up of over 6,000 beautiful islands. Milsten has travelled to Mykonos, Greece, where he discovered the scrumptious squid ink pasta. What makes this dish unique is that the pasta is colored licorice black from the squid ink.

“It actually has a little tiny bit of a metallic taste to it,” Milsten said. “But that’s not why it was good. It was the sauce that they put on it.”

Not only is meat and starchy ingredients the primary cuisine in Europe, but it is also the staple in Central America along with corn, beans, and squash. However, fi nancial stability isn’t evenly distributed, impacting food options for the poorer population. During Garnett’s trip to Panama, he had meals with good hearted local people working on a church construction. He recalls a particular food that stood out to him.

“Ketchup on white bread was a sandwich,” Garnett said. “ e least nutritious bread in the world with ketchup … was a normal lunch food.” e northern part of South America features Colombia. Known for their world- famous coff ee, Colombia is also home to many exotic fruits such as pitaya (dragon fruit), guanábana (soursop), mangostino (mangosteen), and the country’s beloved maracuyá (yellow passion fruit). Eighth grader Maiori Butz remembers an assortment of fruits at a hotel in Colombia, where she tasted the maracuya.

“It was sweet and sour and really easy to eat,” Butz said. “I had one for breakfast every day.”

Another exotic fruit in Colombia is the Lulo, an orange fruit with the inside resembling a green tomato. Eighth grader Brooke Kalmanson recalls trying the juice of a Lulo at a traditional Colombian restaurant.

“It’s sort of like a passionfruit … a little bit more sour than what a kiwi would taste like,” Kalmanson said.

In the west part of South America, you will fi nd Peru. An interesting staple in Peru is the cuy (pronounced “kwee”), also known as Guinea pigs. Not only is the cuy a native animal to the country, but is also in the Peruvian diet for millenia. Kalmanson tasted the unique dish during her travels.

“People would come out [of a little store] with the guinea pigs on a stick,” Kalmanson said. “I tried guinea pigs where it wasn’t on a stick, … and surprisingly, it just tastes like chicken.” Despite the variance in cuisines that countries outside of America presents, it’s important to note that these unique foods are a normal part of their culture. Most of these dishes date back to the past, so it’s deeply rooted in tradition. e next time you travel to a foreign country, it’s a good idea to try dishes you haven’t seen before. You might fi nd it delicious!

FROM THE SILVER SCREEN

Article by Maddie Peckham Graphic by Sarah Lin

The box office, the concession stand, popcorn, slushies. Even the lines you wait in leading up to the movie are special. Whether you know what you’re going to see or deciding as you work your way up to the window, there’s a build-up that’s unparalleled.

Then, you work your way to concessions, sparking another excited discussion.

And then, finally, to your seat. The trailers, the opening credits, and then the movie. Every twist and turn is a shared experience, and not just with who you went with. The whole crowd, every row, every person shares each moment, start to finish. When a fan favorite character makes a return right in the nick of time, the crowd bursts into a collective cheer. Or when a hated villain isn’t actually dead, a gasp of surprise. Every scene is a communal experience.

But with so many streaming services skipping the box office and going straight to streaming, will this shared experience disappear?

“We have big film premieres for a reason: to get all the people into one theater so they can enjoy it all together,” senior TPS Film Fest president and filmmaker Isabel Tongson said. “I especially love the audience’s reactions.”

Disney+, which has seen a surge of popularity over the last couple of years, has also increased its localized releases. These streaming-only releases have faced fan frustration and even legal backlash from actors because of their new release tactics. Some films, like the Pixar movie “Luca,” have been released on streaming only, entirely skipping the box office. While “Luca” was successful on Disney’s service, people who don’t have Disney+ were unable to see it. Disney also plans to release its upcoming animated film “Turning Red” on Disney+ as well.

Although the increase in stream-only releases began as a response to COVID-19 safety concerns, it shouldn’t become a permanent practice. Currently, with many theaters and states rolling back their mask mandates and other requirements and precautions, not everyone can take the risk to watch movies in theaters, even with the rollout of vaccines and boosters. Slowly, life is becoming more normal for some, but not all, people. In terms of entertainment, on the other hand, will so many changes mean that there will be nothing left from a time before?

Movie theaters are suffering right now; attendance is low when COVID-19 cases are high, and if there are no movies released in theaters, there are no moviegoers. In 2019, prior to the pandemic, a total of 1.28 billion tickets were sold, according to Numbers.com. In 2020, however, a total of just over 223 million tickets were sold, a whopping 1.05 billion less than 2019. Movie theaters in 2021 fared a little better, with no full lockdown and the vaccine becoming more available. 2021 had a total of 498 million tickets sold — still 729 million less than 2019.

Streaming isn’t entirely bad by any stretch. Movies which would not have had the opportunity to have a large theater release, and thus probably not be widely released at all, have turned to streaming. This has allowed for a wider range of films to be produced in recent years. High-risk individuals who may not be in good health have still been able to experience new releases without waiting the traditional amount of time between theatrical releases and streaming releases. Nevertheless, companies releasing these movies via streaming services aren’t protecting your health; they’re protecting their revenue. Companies and studios spend millions releasing a film in theaters.

movie posters from IMDB

TO THE SMALL SCREEN

Between advertising and getting people in the doors, along with paying cast, crew, and distributors, even small releases can burn a hole in the studio’s pocket. But for huge companies like Disney, this isn’t as much of a problem — they know people will go. Owning huge franchises and fan favorites allows them to take gambles other studios can’t when it comes to theater attendance. With a volatile theater environment because of the pandemic, a movie almost needs to be a sure success for a box office release. They still need to advertise and cut deals, but at the end of the day, with how many characters Disney owns the rights to, and the staunch loyalty to Disney, it can be almost guaranteed people will watch. Of course, there are mitigating factors of a pandemic right now. But Disney isn’t necessarily releasing on its own platform so fans don’t contract COVID-19. Skipping the box office puts more profit in the pocket for them. It costs roughly $35 million (on average, according to Investopedia) for marketing and distribution. When studios skip the box office, cut out distribution, and just foot the marketing bill, it’s one less price to pay, and that much more profit it in the pocket.

While the big studios are laughing to the bank, the actors and actresses are waiting empty-handed for their cuts that aren’t coming. Contracts with fineprint explain that how much these actors will make depends on box office release success. If the movie is a dual-release, like seen with “Black Widow,” the actors are seeing a significant deficit in what they take home. Along with contracts directly leaving actors out of money, the movies themselves are taking a huge hit. Movies that have limited releases in theaters and then switch to streaming only have also suffered artistically. Other films that are released in theaters and have a streaming release a couple weeks later are replaced quickly in theaters with movies that are completely theater-only releases. The result of this is some fans missing the in-theater experience and then they have to go to the streaming release anyway. Many fans complained that viewing “Dune” at home was anticlimactic. Theaters are designed to show movies with a big scale like “Dune.” They have the equipment; the massive speakers and subwoofers,

a large screen to show those huge panoramic scenes of a new planet. Most people don’t have the at-home system to cater to these movies, and the first impression the movie leaves is less than what it’s meant to be. The experience altogether suffers. “I watch movies with my family at home and almost everybody’s going to be on their phone and not enjoy the movie anyway,” Trinity fellow Chris Newman said. “And there’s much less of this mindful experience.” The experience of viewing is completely changed by at-home viewing. “I hit that pause button so many times and so the flow of the narrative, that kind of emoTICKETS TICKETS tional arc sometimes gets disrupted,” English teacher and TPS Film Fest faculty sponsor Steve Krueger said. The constant whirlwind of distraction at home disrupts the viewing experience. In theaters, you’re almost guaranteed an uninterrupted viewing experience. If movies switch

CLOSED entirely to streaming, some people will never get the experience. The film community is suffering and will continue to suffer as long as streaming takes the biggest cuts of profit and fail to cater to the community. There will be no more packed theaters or communal gasps at a big plot twist. It’ll just be more of the new normal; alone, at home, inside again. No outing, no overly expensive fresh popcorn, just you. For a society who wants to get back to normal so badly, we’re doing ourselves a disservice by killing all of our traditions and shared experiences. “But what you miss from the movie theater experience, is the before and after thinking about ‘oh, I can’t wait to go see Spider-Man when it comes out,’” Newman said. “And then you’re talking about it in the car on the way there. The anticipation is building, [and] there’s this whole experiential thing. [There’s this] participation, [this] reflection. I think it all boils down to mindfulness.”