[ExI] News Flash!

[spike at rainier66.com]

From: spike at rainier66.com <spike at rainier66.com> 



>.  In reality I was spending the day collecting donated food and hauling it
to the local charity, in accordance with the exhortation of Second Hezekiah
chapter 97 verse 82: "Verily I say unto thee, feed the hungry, clothe the
naked, do so in that order if she is hot.".

 

 

Something interesting happened today.  We went out soliciting food donations
last weekend, then this weekend we took the scouts out to collect the
donations.  The drill is to haul it back to the local food pantry and
donated clothing closet, but then the big job begins.  They end up getting a
lotta stuff that is past the best by date, and aaaaallllll of that must be
discarded.  For reasons I don't understand. the food pantry is not allowed
to GIVE AWAY food which is past the best by date, which makes ZERO sense to
me, ZERO.  Even if it is BEST by some arbitrary date, it is still GOOD by
some later date.  

 

There is a local grocery store which buys up deeply discounted lots, failed
marketing experiments, oddball stuff, plenty of stuff that is past its best
by date still on the shelves, because it is OK to SELL stuff past the best
by date, but not OK to GIVE the damn stuff away.  Oy vey.

 

So. why do I get stirred over that, you may well ask.  Because a bunch of
those little cans of albacore (the 5 ounce cans (PERFECT on salty crackers
for long days hiking up in the local hills (because fish punches so far
above its weight in food value per gram (but is kinda pricy (but I buy it
anyway (ja that stuff)))))) were donated today, a biiiig heavy box of them,
which I cheerfully accepted realizing those 72 cans of albacore would cost
200 bucks.  Come to find out. it was a few weeks beyond its best by date,
not expiration, because probably everyone here knows you can eat canned
foods for 3 to 5 years past that best by date and scarcely notice the
difference, particularly if one had covid a few months ago and STILL can't
really taste much of anything.

 

By the cruelty of the rules as written, the food pantry isn't allowed to
give it away if it is past the best by date, and they can't sell it either
because they aren't licensed to sell food at that place.  Donated food
either hasta be given away or discarded, and this was slightly past its
peak, so every can of that marvelous stuff, 72 cans. went into the dumpster.
I told the lady who runs the place: Meh, rules schmools, just look over that
way, I'll grab the box, life is good.  

 

But she wouldn't have it.  She offered younger cans of tuna, but I wouldn't
have it, because then a person who can't afford it wouldn't get whatever I
took.  So. no albacore for the old Spikester.

 

Sheesh.

 

BillK, is Britain any more sane than this place?  Any homes for sale in your
neighborhood?

 

spike

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