Dumpster culture!

Post by **KeenRush** » Wed Feb 13, 2008 16:39

One'd think being an admin on a Keen board gives me a fat paycheck and the ability to dine in good restaurants. But the truth is different!!

That's right, I get no money!

And thus, let's just say I took two croissants from a dumpster today.

The story goes that I ate something in a cafeteria at university and went to throw my paper plate away, and noticed that "garg, there are perfectly good-looking croissants in here". They were still in their plastic packages, and looked good all the way. So I looked around quickly and suspiciously, nobody but two women were looking, so I put two croissants in my bag. I was perhaps needlessly 'wary', but not everyone might consider their trash public property -- I think it is, at least food that otherwise goes completely waste.

I've before too thought that I should try it out, but seems a good occasion came across. I'm going to try to find more goods from dumpsters for now on... And there should be a plenty.

So, any others here who have had similar things happening?

Oh, and they tasted very good, I think the reason they were thrown there was that they didn't match the ideal shape of croissant the public wants to buy, their ends had turned inwards a bit too much. Can you believe the vanity?

Well, good for me, the only problem now is that I should've taken more than two, they were so good.

ckguy · Post by **ckguy** » Wed Feb 13, 2008 18:53

KeenRush, your story just brightened my day.

I personally have not engaged in dumpster diving, though I have engaged in the more traditional 'steal utensils from the dining hall' and 'take packages of paper from the printer stations'. At some point I will hopefully have some plates and cups from the dining hall, too. (Cups should be pretty easy. For plates, I'll bring a plastic bag in my backpack, then when I'm done stick the plate in the plastic bag so I don't get food all over the inside of my backpack.

)

College: where you do your laundry as infrequently as possible, take out your trash when it smells, take advantage of all the free stuff you can, and hang out with cool people. Oh yeah, and learn stuff too.

Oh yeah, and "no one was around but two women"? And women don't count, right?

Well played, KR, well played. This might explain some things.

(*sigh* And this is coming from essentially a relationship virgin.

)

Post by **KeenRush** » Wed Feb 13, 2008 20:07

Hehe, good ideas CK Guy. Although I don't really care to get any utensils or such. Or maybe if I find them in dumpster...

And those women, they were around my age. Funny how that word somehow sounds old, but I can't use word girl anymore.

So; of course I don't mind them seeing what a true masculine old-fashioned hunter-gatherer I am.

Even if it probably looks more like some sick hermit eating waste...

I guess this is the academic world...

Malvineous · Post by **Malvineous** » Wed Feb 13, 2008 22:14

Heh, well you're not alone KR, I "dumpster dive" fairly often, but usually only for computer parts. Working at a large university means they tend to throw out a lot of decent hardware, and it doesn't bother me in the slightest poking around looking for anything worthwhile...and the rate at which things disappear makes it pretty obvious I'm not the only one

Whenever someone I know sees me digging through the rubbish they often make some joke about how bad our department's budget must be, if I'm forced to dig through dumpsters for more equipment

Commander Spleen · Post by **Commander Spleen** » Wed Feb 13, 2008 23:37

Rated: Funny (Insert picture of data cube here)

That's the genuine hobo spirit right there.

Malvineous wrote:I "dumpster dive" fairly often, but usually only for computer parts.

I've had to become more selective in the things I dive for these days. My place had become overrun with old computer parts that combined were so useful that I couldn't find the time to do anything with them. I've done away with a great deal so far, and there's another lot I'm gonna be listing on eBay soon. The important stuff remains, like my collection of Commodore machines and a few very fine DOS beasts.

ckguy · Post by **ckguy** » Thu Feb 14, 2008 0:08

Well, on the low end of this sort of thing, I snagged a cup at dinner tonight.

The plate's gonna be slightly trickier (i.e., require more balls).

Post by **xtraverse** » Thu Feb 14, 2008 20:14

haha I jack silverware from the dining places here lots :P

VikingBoyBilly · Post by **VikingBoyBilly** » Sat Feb 16, 2008 21:34

Oh wow now you're just like Ness from Earthbound! I wish I could be that cool.

And I steal fruit and desserts from the cafeteria and bring it home with me so I have a food supply. And, after I drink one of the bottled waters my dad bought me, I refill it at the cafeteria's water dispencer. Then after a few cycles, I fill these bottles with juice or milk, to go with my cereal in the weekend mornings when the caf doesn't open.

Once, in the morning, one of the ladies whose job it is to sit there and admit people into the cafeteria stopped me from taking the cheese danishes home with me and told me not to do it. So now I only steal food when it's not her shift, which really stinks because I love those morning danishes

And I hoarded chopsticks I took from a chinese restaraunt and use them to eat Marie Calender's fettucinni TV dinners.

ckguy · Post by **ckguy** » Sat Feb 16, 2008 22:09

Hmm, stealing silverware seems alright, but food ... well. You're a bad person.

VikingBoyBilly · Post by **VikingBoyBilly** » Sat Feb 16, 2008 22:38

CK Guy wrote:Hmm, stealing silverware seems alright, but food ... well. You're a bad person.

Yeah well, my college cafeteria system is sort of a buffet-type-thing. You enter with your schoolcard (which you can only use three times a day) which deposits the cash, and then you can just eat whatever you want and however much you want. But seriously, should it really be considered stealing? I thought the expression was "All you can eat", not "All you can eat here" >:

I guess you can call me a little piggy

ckguy · Post by **ckguy** » Sat Feb 16, 2008 22:42

Ah, a buffet, that changes things (a little). At my school you 'charge up' your dining plan account at the beginning of each term, then gradually use up the money as you buy stuff (like a debit card) -- it's not a buffet. So stealing food would definitely be questionable (=not cool) here.

Post by **KeenRush** » Sun Feb 17, 2008 9:26

I can see nothing wrong if it's buffet.

I remember once when I years ago was in some all-you-can-eat buffet place, some guys had those bags where one keeps hockey equipment, they had something plastic containers inside those and they filled those huge bags full of pizza and lemonade.

Hmmm, I'd say silverware and plates and such costs more to those places than food, CK Guy.

ckguy · Post by **ckguy** » Sun Feb 17, 2008 18:45

Yeah, but how often am I going to be stealing silver/plates/cups/whatever? Only a couple times. If someone were stealing food from a dining hall, how often would they do it? Probably pretty often, and I think it would add up to more than my plates, etc.

(Look at this philosophical discussion your post has generated!)

ckguy · Post by **ckguy** » Fri Feb 22, 2008 19:27

Update:

SUCCESS!

I am now one genuine ceramic plate richer.

(Note to impressionable people: Theft Is Wrong.)

DaVince · Post by **DaVince** » Sat Feb 23, 2008 14:27

I got my earlier PCs and upgrades for them from dumpsters.