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October 19, 2010
Sex Advice From Freegans
Q: Does a potential romantic partner of yours have to be a freegan? A: No, but they have to be down with eating food from the trash.
By Amanda Green
Mo, 24
What's the best reason to date a freegan?
Most freegans are both resourceful and adventurous. They have an ability to adapt and find the good in situations that are otherwise just a dump.
How can I pick up a freegan?
Try cruising your local dumpsters and alleyways. Stop shopping in stores and start checking out the local anti-capitalist scene where you live. Frequently, anarchists and other radicals are freegans, or they know some.
Does a potential romantic partner of yours have to be a freegan?
My potential romantic partners have to be vegan or freegan or really tolerant of the freegan/vegan lifestyle. Anyone who gets grossed out at the idea of eating trash or making out in a dumpster will probably never be my primary partner.
What's your idea of the perfect freegan date?
The perfect freegan date would be a combination of scavenging and then enjoying the spoils of the scavenge. Ideally, we’d would have a bike with a bike trailer or a tandem bike to take dumpstering. When we’d get to the dumpster, it would be full of smoothies and vegan sausage and pasta. That would get us hot. After some hot making out on a pile of tortilla chips in the dumpster, we’d have hot, sweaty, nasty sex.
If "the dumpster diver" was a sex position, how would that position work?
If the dumpster diver was a sex position, it would involve the person being penetrated while bent over and out of the dumpster door. The person doing the penetrating (note that gender has nothing to do with these roles, folks — strap-ons are awesome) is inside the dumpster and fucks the other person from behind. It's a hot position, because the dumpster opening gives both people the leverage they need to get their pleasure how they want it.
My new boyfriend recently asked me to share my email password. When I told him I didn't think it was necessary, he said I either don't trust him or I'm trying to hide something. It's neither of those reasons! What should I do? Is it normal for couples to share passwords?
Your new boyfriend is trying to manipulate you into feeling guilt over something totally reasonable. It’s not normal for couples to share passwords, and it’s not okay that he’s trying to convince you to reveal that private information. I would be highly suspicious of this person. Especially if he’s a new boyfriend. I would break up with him.
I've gone on a few dates with this girl, and I really see the possibility of a relationship. My only concern is that I haven't told her I'm bisexual and that I've mostly been with guys before. How do I tell her without upsetting her or even worse, making her think I should just be with a dude?
The best way to communicate is simply to communicate. Let her know at some private time that you are bisexual and have mostly been with guys. She has a right to know, and you have a right to date someone who is okay with that. Better to cut your losses now than waste time on an unhealthy relationship that will fall apart down the line.
I'm really attracted to one of my co-workers. We recently got drunk at a work event and hooked up. I didn't know he was seeing someone else — at the same company. I'm pretty sure his other work hookup knows or suspects something. What's the least awkward way to clear the air?
I would talk to the person you hooked up with. Let him know that you did not know he was involved with someone else, and that you would not have hooked up with him had you known. If he seems upset and apologetic, I would leave it at that. If he is being a jerk and not telling his partner because he wants to get away with it, I would go and tell his partner so she understands the situation. The main problem with cheating is that it exposes people to the risk of STDs without their consent. Because of situations like these, I’m a huge proponent of polyamory and good communication.
I'm about to enter a long-distance relationship — my girlfriend's moving away in two weeks. Do you have any advice for keeping the love alive from opposite coasts?
Polyamory. Don't try to be monogamous long distance. It rarely, if ever, works.
Commentarium (76 Comments)
A polyamorous dumpster diver, that's who you want to bring home to mom.
I wouldn't eat food out of the trash, but I think most of their advice is pretty good.
Their advice is pretty good, but I can't help but see privileged white kids who try to make eating trash into some cool lifestyle choice.
Freegans: Stealing resources from homeless guys who actually need it since whenever the fuck they graduated from NYU.
@Me, Mo and her cohorts constantly have free food available to ALL their neighbors setting out front of their house. They also cook and serve 50 to 150 homeless people every Sunday. What do you do troll???
I don't buy freeganism as "stealing from homeless people." I don't think most people would use food from the trash, period. Is anyone taking it and using it a bad thing?
As long as these guys use hand sanitizer, I'm down!
@Joe: I'd have to agree with you for most "freegans". But as I know Mo, Eric, and Kayla all personally, I'd have to say your point is relevant for one of them definitely, another maybe half the time, and the other not at all, as far as I can tell.
I'd make fun of them, but having worked in food service I've seen how much perfectly good food is tossed out and wasted.
I'm sorry, I don't get it. Are these the people that used to be called bums? Are you telling me that eating out of the trash is a fucking lifestyle choice?!
"Are you telling me that eating out of the trash is a fucking lifestyle choice?!" Yeah, it's a choice, and so is throwing out a crate of day-old, perfectly edible baked goods. I'd never eat out of the trash myself, and snicker at those who do by choice, but again, there is so much goddamn waste in this country it's ridiculous. Insert "there are starving children in Africa" comment here...
If you're so pissed off about capitalism, then stop being a whiny bitch and hold off on the piercings and tattoos and buy a plane ticket to a third world country where you can really feel homeless, you stupid hipsters.
Joe is right... It is privileged white kids that think they are "cool" by making such lifestyle choices. That Mo girl is about the nastiest looking thing I have seen in some time... Please stay in the dumpster, you seem to all belong there.
They might be stupid scene kids, but if they make bums starve cause its cool to eat out of dumpsters, I'm all for it.
One difference between these folks and hoarders is that one gets covered on nerve.com, the other has a TV show on TLC.
Alright, who hacked foxnews.com and secretly sent all their commenters here? Fess up!
"They also cook and serve 50 to 150 homeless people every Sunday." - well, at that rate, there will be no homeless people left in no time!
Otherwise, whatever. We all have our quirks. They aren't hurting anyone. And they make life more interesting.
instead of a thoughtful insightful essay on this lifestyle, we get this piffle. bah!
The "dumpster diver" smells like a UTI waiting to happen. Literally. Do these kids just walk around with intravenous antibiotics or what...?
Short documentary about freegans in NYC:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VOEF75VwAtY
Yeah they're privileged white kids but look at the food! Never gotten sick from dumpster diving, not once. And the big point people here seem to be missing: TONS OF REALLY DELICIOUS FREE FOOD BEING THROWN AWAY. C'mon!
Freegans get points for be resourceful...same with squatters. However, I think growing/raising your own food is way more sexy.
@ bearman33 - I don't date folks who still need approval from their mommy.
@ Moops - You know what I'm talking about! Now just imagine that at a Dunkin' Donuts.
@ bc - Sure! So much gets thrown out unneccassarily that we just scoop it up. Some places donate food that's going to the Food Bank or Food Not Bombs or other places, but a lot realize that free food cuts into their profit margin. I started dumpster diving right around when the recession hit because it made sense to me, and yeah, I ended up unable to pay for a place to live. I keep dumpstering now because hell, free food! A lot of it is fruits and veggies they just consider "not pretty enough to sell," or fresh-baked bread that is now a day old, or egg cartons where one or two have cracked. You don't lose your sense when you climb into a dumpster!
@ Z - I'd be crying into a big box of free chocolates if I only cared about what some random asshole racist on the internet hadda say about me. Have fun paying for food for the rest of your life!
@ SD - Don't worry, we're not coming out of the dumpsters any time soon! Just be careful of attending public events, sometimes the trash diving at the fair (funnel cake!!) is just as tempting...
@ jr - I love gardening, too! Right now mine's growing greens, radishes, carrots, garlic, herbs, and all sorts of wonderful stuff this time of year! We also have an orchard in the works (just learned about tree grafting - mad tree science is so cool!), and do guerilla farming of vacant lots for the folks in our neighborhood. We approach anti-capitalism from many angles!
Being freegan isn't about avoiding accountability or understanding of white or class privilege. Its about using resources in smarter ways.
Also, it would be pretty silly if all we were was freegan. But we have a lot more going on than just some small consumer/anti-consumer lifestyle choice. Check it out at http://www.thewingnutrva.wordpress.com
It's still trash. And unrefrigerated. Ever heard of MRSA? Oh, or the new, antibiotic resistant strain, LRSA? C. difficile? Good luck with those when your loins are on fire.
Freegans are like dung beetles. I wouldn't want to cuddle with one, but they exist because of my waste. I definitely appreciate the symbiotic relationship.
The best thing about these features is how the "craziest"/least traditional people always have the sanest relationship advice.
I keep waiting for the 'Sex Advice From People Drinking Miller Lite At Nondescript Sports Bars,' which, if the pattern holds, will be a total shitshow.
the question was sex position, not scenario.
I would bet that some freegans might eat healthier than those who buy food... Think about it: It's the produce that's getting tossed, not the junk food which could sit on a shelf for years. Eating a caveman style diet of perishable foods is extremely healthy.
Why are there all these conservative fogeys posting on nerve, like "them darn kinds belong in the trash" jeesh you sound like my grandpa.
That being said... Yay repurposing wasted goods!
@Eric - Trust me, I will have fun paying for my food for the rest of my life, and not picking up strange diseases along the way. Also, I hardly said anything that was racist, so have fun eating your free box of chocolates. I hope you get dysentery.
YES! Freegans are sexy! And come in many shapes, sizes and political persuasions (ok, they tend to be on the left. or the RIGHT as I call it).
fregans are hot and i think their advice is up to par, here is also some nice one night stand advice i picked up on the way http://onenightstandaffair.com/one-night-stand
I seen this article about an affair and wanted some advise about stuff like this as well. http://www.onenightstandaffair.com/one-night-stand/2010/10/my-love-affair/
Their is nothing sexier than being smart enough to never have to pay for food. This has inspired me to try and find some freegans in my area and start taking advantage of all the waste that is created in the city.
I find it deeply amusing that some commentators have accused those who show discomfort at the freegan lifestyle conservative Fox news pundits. I really don't think being uncomfortable with eating garbage is the same as supporting free-market capitalism or social conservatism, but maybe I missed a day at my indoctrination center. Look, I worked for two years in a restaurant and a lot of food gets thrown away, but it get mixed with the kinds of noxious shit that made me scrub my arms vigorously at the end of each shit. Call dumpster diving "repurposing" or other cute buzz words if you want, but you're digging for food out of filth. If you're not doing it out of genuine desperation, you may want to reconsider your philosophy if it gives you a sense of self-righteousness out of engaging in such base behavior.
Get a job and grow up!
Also, you notice how young these kids are? How clearly healthy and affluent they are? They don't look much like the people who you really see eating all their meals out of trash cans.
@joe- You don't sift through pre-cooked food usually. It's mostly grocery stores and bakeries.
@anty- "And unrefrigerated..." Most freegans know when the food goes out, and most supermarkets have trash pick ups same night. Food usually goes unrefrigerated for a total of two, at most three hours if you 'shop' then go home. Frozen foods stay that long too. And we use our judgement. Does that food look bad? Toss it!
As for the educated white kid critique, that holds for about half of the people I see at dumpsters here in NYC (full disclosure: myself included) but most of the people I know who dumpster are also deeply involved in other kinds of food advocacy/charity work.
The offended and angry tone of many of these commenters assume confuses me: it's better for perfectly good food to be thrown away than for people (affluent or not, white or not, young or not) to actually eat it? Isn't it more offensive for affluent young white people to live lives of excessive consumption and waste? Isn't the whole problem with affluent young white people that they are so belligerently un-aware of the negative effect their affluent consumption has on the world?
I think whowashere has a point: People know that it's not a mainstream thing to eat out of the trash. Why get upset if someone does? At least the food isn't wasted. It's not like they're stealing it. And if most freegans know what they're doing and won't get sick or food poisoning, then let them do it.
@joe I think the reason people thought the harsh words of some commentators sounded like Fox News wasn't neccesarily about the content, but about the close-minded attitude and unnecessary hatred towards a lifestyle that strives to reduce waste! All you haters need to get over yourselves, if you don't like it then don't do it and fuck off. Don't insult these people just because they want to live their lives differently and strive to do good. Also cheers to whowashere and imnofreegan but... finally some rational logic in this thread..
p.s. @Mo Fuck what that douche SD said, you're smokin'!
Met the kids,and they are real.If you can't deal with a reality that doesn't include folks that at least try and explore their world,STOP BREATHING MY AIR!
@josh "Mo and her cohorts constantly have free food available to ALL their neighbors setting out front of their house." Do the neighbors know where the food comes from? Do the poor people they feed know where the food is from? If not, this just further oppresses the poor by serving them food from the trash. Disrespectful. If they want to eat dumpster food - that's fine. But, to serve or offer dumpster dining to anyone unknowingly....it's just wrong.
I agree that it would be questionable not to tell them where the food came from. But c'mon, you don't "oppress" people by feeding them for free, let alone feeding them from the same dish you're also eating.
(dish as in "meal", not dish as in "come nibble on my mustard greens and saliva")
I understand the instinctual aversion to eating food from the garbage, I felt it the first time my friends took me dumpstering. But when you see the amazing array of yummy (and perfectly 'good') food that goes into the bins behind the supermarket you can't resist. It helps that where I live, all the produce goes into its own bin, so it's not full of nastiness.
What's with the hating on freegans? I think it has something to do with the confronting fact that it is possible to get what you need without participating in the capitalist economy. This is obviously threatening to the average person who has been brainwashed since infancy to believe that material consumption is the way to happiness.
People are also so damn squeamish about food when in actuality, food service is always little and a bit disgusting. I've worked at a few restaurants in various cities that have good reps. The kitchens were not pristine if you know what I'm saying.
Next week it will be "Sex Advice From Cave Dwellers".
I will never eat from a dumpster, unless I have to. Anything is possible. I like shopping at grocery stores and eating at restaurants. Sue me. They like to scavenge. Cheers to them. Whatever. Totally harmless people who have formed a community. They thrive on the waste of capitalist. The waste has to come from somewhere, somehow. Seems to work for everyone. However, you cannot begrudge someone who MUST eat from a dumpster if they aspire to no longer do so. Can we please stop asserting superiority over one another over people who pay for food and people who don't? Oh, and to complete my thought, just as one of them may not date me, I may not date one of them.
While freegans aren't supporting food corporations by eating what they dispose, it seems that they still rely on them in consuming their waste. I don't want to attack the lifestyle, but I'd like it if someone could help me resolve what appears to be a paradox in freegan politics.
If your activity attracts hyper-excited critics calling you a 'privileged white kid pretending to be poor'...you may possibly be onto something.
Plus, that picture is making me horny.
"I don't want to attack the lifestyle, but I'd like it if someone could help me resolve what appears to be a paradox in freegan politics." — I suspect that most freegans would be delighted if there was no more food being wasted in garbage bins.
Have loved all your words, please keep on sending me these messages to me.best regards.
I am not surprised of some superficials and certainly hatred in some persons, but there is a lot of ignorance in this comments, because if you did it, (not only watch in the web), you know that there are tons of perfectible edible food going to waste only to support the other consumerist lifestyle part of this capitalist system, that is very destructive with the mother earth. It doesn't mother your race, what is the mean of only talk about "privileged white kids", mean that the other races don't have the right to fight for the planet in this "free country". That's mean it is not free if you offend the whole stereotyped american society Example: the nerd, the cheerleders, the football player, baseball player, the hot sexy girl, the jerks, even the poors don't have rights in this opulent society, even the queers have their rights, but not who thinks outside of square box of the Hollywood mind.
gofreegan used the term consumerist lifestyle and hollywood mind in one post. haha.
Most people are missing the point—which wasn't very coherently made by the clip—that not all freegans are dumpster-divers, and not all dumpster-divers are freegans. Some freegans grow their own food and sew their own clothes; it just happens that in New York City a huge amount of waste is generated, and freegans are happy to clean up.
Before I ever started dumpster-diving, I scavenged furniture and even clothes off the street. This is called survival; it's also a great way to beat the system. And it's true; it's far easier to get sick from restaurant food than from freegan food; you're not going to cook something that looks and smells bad.
freeganism is not only about don't support corporations, it's about sustainability and try to spent to a minimum level, so because of overhelming dispose of consumerist lifestyle we take advantage of this. Of course if you need something go to a store and you buy it. If overconsumtion decrese to reasonable level it is good for the earth and enviroment. Note: somebody point "waste" something that really is not a waste, maybe they name it years ago, for marketing reason, advertising reasons to call your attention for example.
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