Welcome! Eat Green, Eat With Conscious, Be Happy

I had the idea to create this blog since I arrived to the United States for the first time in August 2010. As part of the culture shock of being in another country and learning its language, its culture, and its social norms, I was surprised and disappointed by the amount of waste, especially plastic, of disposable, one-use, to-go containers, that are produced all day long, especially related with food: coffee, lunch, dinner, juice, etc. I discovered very soon that the idea of a country that prides itself on its recycling was one of many falsehoods of the American way of life. It might be true that the US recycles more, but it also wastes more. Maybe it is better to say that they separate the garbage, but recycling is a reality only for 20% of all their waste, except for California where 70% of the waste is recycled. 

One of the first procedures I forced myself to remember anytime I went to buy food or a drink was to say "to stay, in a mug, please." Otherwise I received my beverage in a disposable container. It was even more surprising and discouraging to be in a place with plenty of seats and tables but that was unable to serve food on a real plate or beverages in a mug. That happened in Dauphin Island years ago, the restaurant didn't have any plates or mugs, only the disposable ones, even though it was clearly not a "to go" business. Sometimes nice restaurants fail you after ordering your food because you receive plastic utensils or plastic glasses and mostly everywhere paper napkins (that before were trees!)

So, I think there is an ethical way to approach the consumption of food that implies the evaluation of the businesses not only in relation to the quality of the food and the service, but also in relation to the environmental impact it will have on our planet. Because even though these businesses believe that they are saving money on employees, time, and supplies, that cost doesn’t really disappear, it just gets passed along to the Earth that will require 500 years to break down the containers.

So, this blog will comment about food, focusing on the flavor but especially on its green consciousness. This will be based on the follow criteria: 

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4 leaves: All green

This is the perfect score, it means nothing in that restaurant is one-use only, not even the napkins or the to-go containers in case you don’t finish your food.  

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3 leaves: Great but you can do better

It means a generally eco-friendly restaurant but it used one to three disposable items. Napkins, to-go containers, and straws are the most common culprits, even in some fancy places.   

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2 leaves: Green by chance. 

This restaurant has probably never thought about the impact that it is causing to the environment. So we will see several items of one-use only, such as plates, plasticware, glasses, dressings, plus the ones mentioned in the upper level, napkins, straws, to-go containers, and bags. This place bills nature on behalf of their customers and the items that are reusable, between one and three, are probably just because of aesthetic, practical or budgeting consideration but not by choice. 

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1 leaf: Not green at all

It means that almost everything in this restaurant is plastic and one-use only, including the tablecloth. But maybe they are able to give you a non-disposable option in at least one item.   

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0 leaves: Not green option

This place is just to-go food and does not have the option to eat green. It may be a cheap and very tasty place to eat but it is necessary to consider the impact on nature. I do not recommend going here unless you are starving or you are unemployed and have no money but even then, try not to.

I will comment about one restaurant every week, so you can always find a good recommendation for the next week. I will mostly review restaurants that are all green but sometimes I will comment on others too. Hope you enjoy reading it.