One of the least sustainable practices in China is the amount of food waste. At every major meal at restaurants, the rule of thumb is to order the same number of dishes as there are people at the table, +1. It is an ancient rule of hospitality: a table empty of food means a stingy host. This sometimes leads to ridiculous scenarios, such as when a group finishes the food perfectly and everyone is full… and the host feels compelled to order another plate of noodles, which will remain untouched.

According to my sources, there isn’t even any kind of system in which the staff can eat the leftovers. It’s just all dumped. Apparently doggie bags are experiencing a new birth, but not enough to stem the tide, I fear.

This is a frequent topic of conversation in the dining hall, because I always instinctively eat everything on my plate, and it is goddamn delicious. The Chinese students I eat with often will insist on getting me more, even when I know it would be too much. I suspect this is the same symptom. We’re moving past it now, but I hope that there can be some changes in the future.

I don’t know what it would take. A state-level movement? A cultural… revolution? Whatever it is, the level of food waste is really unsustainable, even by western standards. I guess the argument could be made that we westerners waste just as much, just we waste it by eating it… but that’s a question for a different time.