A couple of weeks ago, as I passed an apartment building down the street from where I live, I saw a familiar brand name on a box near the trash cans: Progresso.
I eat a lot of Progresso soup. On nights when I stay home it’s one of my most common meals (well, that and peanut butter). I’m not very diligent about cooking, so it’s an easy way to feed myself.
Something about seeing the Progresso brand name on this box made me walk over and check it out. And there, next to the trash, was a gold mine of unopened cans of Progresso soup. I couldn’t believe it! Two unopened eight-packs of soup and four loose cans.
Naturally, I picked it all up and lugged it home.
OK, I know it’s kind of gross to pick up food that was next to someone’s trash. But this is canned soup -- what could be wrong with it? I checked online to make sure there was no product recall or anything like that, and it seems fine.
A can of Progresso at my grocery store costs about $3. So by my calculations, I found about $60 worth of soup that night. I’ve eaten five of the cans and I’m not dead yet.
I’m exercising my inner “freegan”!
(Photo: E. 28th Street, Jan. 2008)
well done! prepackaged food is open season in my book. can you imagine a world without peanut butter?
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely not. Peanut butter is, bar none, my FAVORITE food!
ReplyDeletewow what a find!!
ReplyDeleteI always keep an eye out for treasure on the tree lawns around where I live! you never know. hey: reduce, reuse, recycle!!
steve, there's a little something most eekellent awaiting for you at the mouse!
I'd definitely lug that home! Progresso makes good products.
ReplyDeletepeanut butter is still my staple. I can eat it for breakfast. I ate peanut butter sandwiches almost every day when I was in school, and all thru college. I wonder how many sandwiches that adds up to? Peanut butter Clif Bars.. good thing I don't have a nut allergy. I'd just cry.
I trashpicked all of the time in Manhattan--you find great stuff--books especially.
ReplyDeleteDennis LOVES going through the trash!
ReplyDeleteI'm with you on this Steve. If the cans look okay and are not way out of date, I'm eating it.
ReplyDeleteWhen I was stuck in my cubicle I always have a dozen or so cans of Progresso Minestrone or Garden Vegetable stashed in a file cabinet.
Dennis likes soup with meat in it.
ReplyDelete