While doing some grocery shopping one day, I realized I had spent close to 30 minutes just in the produce section, meticulously(细致地，一丝不苟地) choosing the best-looking apples, bananas that were ripe but not spotted and ears of corn with perfectly neat rows of kernels(谷粒). However, I bet I'm not the only one that rejects the slightest imperfections in fruits and vegetables.
I've also seen how my pursuit of perfect produce has influenced my children. When I pack their lunches, I make sure I include fleshy tomatoes, crisp blueberries, and cucumbers without any scratches. But one day when my daughter refused to eat a pear that was turning slightly brown, I knew I had to change my way. I realized I was unconsciously teaching my children to accept society's standards of perfection and that these perceptions could have a disastrous impact on our environment.
In the US, up to 40 percent of food is wasted every year. Most of this waste ends up in landfills that creates dangerous greenhouse gases. Around 20 percent of food waste is produced directly at the farm, for the so-called "ugly" food may not meet certain standards set by grocery stores, though the food is still perfectly consumable.
On a recent night in San Francisco, I attended a dinner party to raise awareness about this growing problem. It was the brainchild of food waste activist Josh Treuhaft, which was an intimate gathering of 16 people dinning on a table made from recycle wood. The chef, Pesha Perlsweig, prepared a six-course meal with food, which was purchased from Imperfect Produce that specifically sells "ugly" fruit and vegetables. The organic twisted carrots or knobbly sweet potatoes can be bought at this market for 30 to 50 percent of the price.
I was blown away by Perlsweig's creative, delicious dishes made from the "ugly" food. Before each dish, Persweig offered guests tips on how we can reduce our food waste. For example, if you cut off the end of a limp carrot and place it in water, it will become firm again.
After the evening's dinner, I became inspired to rethink the way I shopped for and consumed food, and to accept the imperfect. Though looking ugly, the food contains no less nutrition than normal food. Furthermore, it's cheap at the price. My actions inspired my daughter to think differently as well. One morning, while she was helping prepare her school lunch, I noticed her choosing a handful of cherry tomatoes with slight flaws. "They're special," she said.
I'm hoping that these small changes in our perception can make a big difference to our world.
