Vancouver's food culture is no joke - the abundance, variety and accessibility of different cuisines available here is phenomnenal, and simply irresistible to those of us who can't help but take advantage several times a week. Eating out with friends, buying lunch at work and ordering take-out for cozy-time with the couch are all common and favourite activities for most of us. But if you're like me, you probably feel that same small pang of guilt each time you stuff yet another Styrofoam container or greasy paper take-away bag in the garbage. We love our food and we love our food to go, but at what cost?
Sample Tiffin, photo courtesy TheTiffinProject.com
Enter the Tiffin Project, the brainchild of Hunter J. Moyes, local chef and food activist, who is absolutely passionate about creating meaningful change in Vancouver's food system through this beautifully simple equation: reduced waste + support for local farmers = win-win for all. Inspired by the cost and environment saving potential of these light-weight reusable metal containers (that have been used for decades in many parts of the world for cheap and efficient food delivery) Moyes' project aims to reinject the money generated from it back into the local food system.
Infographic How-to, from TheTiffinProject.com
Due to the economy-sensitive nature of the industry, restaurants often cannot afford to buy local produce and balance their delicate margins. Imported produce is currently substantially cheaper than those from local farmers, but they bear a much heavier carbon footprint, and do little in stimulating other areas of local business as buying locally would. The Tiffin Project aims to leverage that cost difference for partner restaurants, while actively involving the food-loving public whose simple act of purchasing these durable, reusable containers results in both saving the environment by eliminating container waste and savings at participating establishments.
Infographic, from TheTiffinProject.com
Restaurant partners so far include:
Nuba
Noodle Box
Curry 2 U
Edible Canada
Harvest Union
Stock Market
and Tacofino
Soon to join the movement are:
Fable
W2 Media Cafe
Calabash Bistro
the Whip
and Vij's Rangoli & Railway Express.
Seriously.
Two sizes of tiffins are available for purchase online and in-store (currently available at Curry 2 U, the Waldorf Hotel, and Noodle Box locations). These air-tight containers hold a lot of food and are sturdy as heck. For a chance to win a free tiffin, try out the food of participating restaurants, or just to learn more about the project and meet like-minded local food movement advocates and activists, head down to the Downtown location of the Noodle Box tonight for the Tiffin Project's Official Launch Party. Good food for good people working towards a common good. Pretty sure that these three goods equal one more reason why Vancouver is awesome.
Links:
Follow the Tiffin Project and Hunter on Twitter
