Is Sharing Food Frugal?
What I’m meaning is sharing at, say, work pretty much on an everyday basis… not the once-a-week or once-a-month potluck everyone is used too.
In many cultures it is considered a mark of hospitality and friendship to share food… and considered an insult to refuse such an offer. This can make life a tiny bit difficult for those trying to diet!
It happens that a good number of my co-workers are from Latin or Caribbean countries with all the diverse ethnic backgrounds and customs they encompass… we even have some from Morocco and one from Ethiopia…. and sharing of food seems to be more or less a custom in all of them.
Most of the time if you even glance at the food it’s “Would you like some?” and before you can answer food is scooped onto your plate.
The guys from Morocco who are unable to eat now during the day because of Ramadan go to a nearby Mosque after dark where free food is passed out after the last prayers of the day and they have been bringing lots of it back to the office to share… this is even encouraged by the Mosque… and a lot of the food is spectacular.
Is the sharing considered frugal? Probably not in a strict dollars and cents sense.
What I have noticed is that I tend now to spend a little more on the fixings for lunch either by preparing more than I would normally bring or by preparing something a little fancier… like needing a slightly more expensive cut of meat, say, chicken legs instead of chicken wings or special spices… (though Lord knows some of the things they bring in are absolutely delicious and are made of things regular Americans won’t touch… Pig lips or pig ears anyone? Greasy if you must know!
What I do get is a chance to try all sorts of different foods… without making a full recipe at home in order to find out I don’t like it OR spending $10-$15 at an ethnic restaurant to learn the same lesson… or learn other ways of cooking a staple… the Sindhi Biryani Chicken and Rice from the (primarily Pakistani-Indian) Mosque is great and I’ve since found the spice mixture in the Middle Eastern Market so I can try my hand at my own.
And I get the benefits of Socializing with my friends and co-workers… almost like a party at work everyday… much better than taking a sandwich and sitting on a bench by myself.
I’m only spending a couple of more bucks per week, probably less than $5, and while it’s not exactly frugal in a money sense the payoff for the little extra you spend is worth way more than the money.
Do you get the chance to “share food” at work?
If you did get the chance to do it on a semi-daily basis would the benefits outweigh the extra cost?
Photo credit: stock.xchng.
While I agree sharing food at work CAN be frugal, sometimes it isn’t. Like when you become known for having a partner who makes excellent food- and others contribute by bringing in a bag of chips and calling it fair. My partner makes a really awesome tortellini salad and co-workers at my old job wanted her to make it all the time. It was a fairly expensive dish to make when all the fixings were involved. It got to where I stood up and just asked others to chip in if they wanted certain things made. My partner became the de-facto caterer by my speaking up. 😉
I agree with Diva Jean – sharing isn’t frugal if one person’s contribution is pop and paper plates, and your contribution is the main dish. It’s a frequent problem with potlucks – someone is always the looser who says “I’ll bring chips.” Boo!
I agree with Diva Jean and Serena on the part about someone always being the slacker at potlucks though I seem to be fairly lucky in that not being the case where I work.
Chips and the usual “American” snacks aren’t seen very often while lots of different rice dishes seem to be…I guess it helps that I love rice…LOL. The emphasis seems to be on foods that they would eat if they were home for dinner with their families. Since we work Second and thru Graveyard shifts I guess it also takes the place of being with them.
Diva Jean your partners luck at becoming the “caterer” is great. One of our managers used to own a Deli in New York City so once in a while we all chip in and have him do something “special” or someone will say they would like to bring a ham or something so everyone will again chip in.
While the whole enterprise is not frugal in a money sense though its still worthwhile.
I could share snacks, but my lunch is MY lunch.
I think the number one benefit of sharing food is that you build community and have a chance to try new foods and spend time with friends and family. I ALSO think that sharing food can be frugal. If you think about it, a common money saving tip when cooking is to cook in bulk and prepare meals that can serve as leftovers. If the food you prepare for a potluck can serve several people AND have leftovers, you’ve gotten the best of both worlds!