Over Datum Eetclub 1

Shells and Crusts with Tinda van Smoorenburg

The first in our series of weekly dinner parties kicked off on Tuesday July 19th to a hungry crowd filling Mediamatic bank. It resulted in the successful resistance against the demonization of expired, but irresistibly good food, and a wake-up call for all those who religiously abide by expiration dates. Tinda van Smoorenburg joined us for the first edition. Cultural entrepreneur, anti food waste sympathizer, and living room restaurant master chef, Tinda improvised a delicious three-course dinner. Tinda transformed crusts, shells, and all kinds of produce destined for the overflowing landfills into the most scrumptious dishes.

22-04-2011 Cooking at Over Datum Eetclub 1 - It's fresh before, fresh after. Loads of food find an early end in the bin because we anxiously cling to best-before dates. Nonsense! It's time for solid pot this summer at Mediamatic. During the Over Datum Eetclub evenings in July and August we cook artful dishes with marginal, discarded food. See this page for all the attention the project got in the media. Interesting detail is that Albert Heijn sent us a letter and asked us to stop collecting food that was no longer allowed to be sold. Not… ina uhrig (de)

The Mediamatic Bank kitchen was overflowing with fruits, veggies, and herbs rescued from their impending doom in the trash bins and landfills of Amsterdam. The first of six Over Datum Eetclub dinners was an overwhelming success, with our guests, and fellow co-conspirators, enjoying a delicious improvised dinner.

Bordering on the line between legal and illegal, eating expired food and fishing through dumpsters is a personal act of resistance against the mass amounts of good food that gets irresponsibly wasted every year. We collected boxes full of fruits and vegetables from the trash bins at the Albert Cuyp market and asked the vendors nicely if they would give us the produce they were about to throw away. We also filled our bicycle baskets with herbs and berries donated by our local organic store.

Our guests rummaged through the depths of their fridges and raided the local grocery stores for food with 35%-off stickers that was about to expire. In addition to the list of ingredients provided by our chef (shrimp shells, stale white bread, vegetables, garlic, and onions) our guests scrounged up zeekraal, avocados, yogurt, chocolate, and even expired wine! Everyone worked together, chopping, peeling, and mixing in order to create this lovely menu for the night:

Starter:
Italian tomato bread soup
or
Portugese shrimp bread soup

Main:
Mashed sweet and white potatoes with red lentils, served with grilled vegetables and a selection of cheeses. Garnished with spring onions
or
Thai vegetable stir fry, garnished with peanuts, serundeng and fresh herbs

Dessert:
Mixed fruit salad with strawberry banana coulis. Garnished with a biscuit and chocolate curls

Dig through your fridge, make friends with your local market vendor, and resist against the tyranny of expiration dates at the next Over Datum Eetclub!

More information

Over the course of six Tuesdays, we’ll be taking a leap of faith and challenging the Food Safety Authority. Stop by for a free dinner made from expired produce. In return, help the chef stir, chop and mix. And make sure you bring at least one of the ingredients on the chef's grocery list.

Over Datum Eetclub takes place at Mediamatic BANK, Vijzelstraat 68. Doors open at 17:30, we’ll start at 18:oo. Entrance is free if you bring some expired groceries. To join our next dinner party, happening on July 26th, find out more information and sign up here!

This evening was the first out of six Over Datum Eetclub dinners. Over Datum Eetclub is part of the Pièce de Résistance exhibition.

More links to media coverage about the event can be found here.