When I was a girl growing up, I cannot once ever remember either my mum or my grandma wasting food.
Anything we didn't eat at one meal was leftovers (剩菜). I can remember my grandma making a huge pot of potatoes. We would all eat until we were full enough, but there were always about half of the potatoes leftover. A few days later, Grandma would take those potatoes out of the fridge, boil some noodles, add some vegetables and mix them all together. And I also remember when I watched my mum fry bacon (煎培根) for us in the mornings, she would always take the oil carefully and pour it into a bottle. Then she would use it later to add flavor to so many other dishes. I was an adult before I realized that potatoes didn't actually taste like bacon!
I learned their lessons well, and after I grew up, I tried to never waste food myself. I always planned the week's meals ahead of time and only bought what was on my shopping list so that nothing went to waste. Every meal went into our stomachs and any leftovers were later eaten by either myself my boys, my husband or my dogs. To me, throwing food into the bin was just wrong.
However, when it comes to living, there are no leftovers. Life is just like a feast. Each moment that you don't live is lost forever. Life cannot be saved or stored. Each day is a fresh beginning. Live each moment of your life to the fullest, then.
