What is it, you must be wondering? Garbage. That's what it is. No seriously. Aside from being the obvious, a plastic bowl, it has a very special purpose. It's a garbage bowl. You know, a place where you put your food scrap garbage. Duh! How it differs from everyother plastic, glass or ceramic bowl you have in your kitchen is that, this one - only this one, is designated for your garbage. The others simply won't work. Or at least that is how Rachel Ray is dishing it up.Now God bless Rachel Ray. I love her. I really do. She's witty, she's entertaining, and she is the best for sharing her easy to prepare, delicious meals, but this is riduculous. It's more than ridiculous. It's wasteful. In more ways than one. I'm not trying to say this like I'm up on my soapbox judging (I apologize if this post offends anyone that may be the owner of this product), because I too certainly am guilty of making silly splurges that in the moment seem like I cannot live without, but at least l later recognize my gluttony and either return it, or store my guilt in a place where it can easily be accessed the next time I find myself standing in front of another wasteful product.
Maybe it's a result of my time here in Guatemala and having to live with less, but I really feel so much better knowing that I don't have tons of excess stuff. Yes, we have a whole storage unit back on Colfax Ave. stuffed full of "stuff" but even before moving all of our things into that unit, we did a lot of clearing out and it felt soooooo good.
Ben likes to say that I am gatherer by nature. If we were cave people he would be the hunter and I would be the gatherer. I think that is most women, actually. Plus paired with my natural disposion to gather, the fact that am obsessive about decorating (and good deals), and you've got a dangerous end result - lots of stuff laying around for future projects. It's a hazard of the profession (or hobby for me). But I seriously am trying to be much more aware of my affinity toward things, much more now than I used to be. Actually it is one of the biggest fears that I have about returning to life back in the States. It's so easy to get caught up in the materialism and I am completely susceptible to it.
Now back to that Garbage bowl. I agree that it is handy to have a designated bowl for your compost scraps. So necessary that you need to go out and buy one (especially one that costs $30)? That is to be debated. For me, it's a no. Especially considering the price and material.
Our world is already sooooooo polluted by plastic (which is what Rachel's melamine bowl really is) that I can't condone the purchase of more junk plastic. I love Guatemala - even more than I love Rachel Ray, but this country is a plastic wasteland. Everything here is plastic and most of it is cheap, breakable, junk plastic. It makes me sad to see the beautiful natural environment cluttered with trash - mostly plastics.
My second major issue with this bowl is the hefty pricetag. $30. Did you know that $30 can feed a family here for a month? Did you know that you can become a guiding sponsor of a child through Common Hope for $30 a month and the cost of his/her education will be covered as well as social work and medical coverage for his/her entire family? Think about that the next time you find yourself debating a silly purchase. Your money can definitely be better spent.
Sorry Rachel, your cookbooks are worth my money, but your Garbage Bowl is not.
*To find out more about sponsoring a child through Common Hope, click here.
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