The Economics of Gumbo and Alternative Energy

You are all probably wondering what the hell is he talking about. As an avid chef and someone who just happens to be pretty curious, I started doing some research about Gumbo and its history. You see, before we had fast food, Costco, Whole Foods Market, and maxed-out credit cards, people had to make do. In the South, families would prepare meals and keep the leftovers for Gumbo. Gumbo essentially is a stew of leftovers to make use of what was on hand.

As a society, here in the US, we have a knack for doing what we want when we want to. We go where we please, eat what we like, and consume. The current state of alternative energy solutions and policy is somewhat scattered for many reasons. We in the US do not do a good job of making use of what is on hand. There is a lot of talk about using corn for ethanol and that we should recycle more and use compact fluorescent bulbs and the like. Has anyone thought of using what we consume or throw away? We let much go to waste.

In my travels throughout Asia, I realized people are more creative in their methods of transportation, cooking, and eating. What I am getting at here is that they find ways to use goods and materials to their maximum utilization. Take seafood for example. In the US, we order Fillet of (Pick your fish). In Asia, they have fillet, and then they find 10 other uses for the rest of the fish. Historically, this has been out of economic necessity. We have been so programmed to accept waste as a norm, that we have taken for granted the impact our acceptance has cost us, both in terms of $$$ and resources. Gumbo is a classic example of utilization through necessity. It is a concoction of the the most basic on-hand ingredients:

Butter or Oil or Lard

Flour of any kind

Any kind of Vegetables

Whatever meat/fish/chicken you have leftover

The lessons taught by Gumbo and its history can go a long way in educating us on the future. If we could find a better way to utilize the things we already have and consume on a daily basis, we would be less concerned about issues such as the upcoming (Corn) Ethanol vs. Food/Feed war brewing in out nation's Midwest. Lest we forget that the Brazilians don't have much corn and they seem to be doing fairly well on the alternative fuel front. Just my two cents...

And yes, I can also cook Gumbo.