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MedicineMan
07-15-2004, 05:50
Bumpkin's 2004
Appalachian Trail Journal

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Saturday, June 26, 2004
Destination: Harper's Ferry, W.V.
Starting Location: Washington, D.C.
Today's Miles: 0.00
Trip Miles: 0.00

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Start Washington Dc
Destination Harper's Ferry, W.Virginia
I have to admit that while I was eating I thought back to a hiking seminar I had attended last year. One of the speakers told us to always check out the leftover menu before ordering when we were at a restaurant. He explained that while walking through the tables to find a seat, always check out the food on plates left behind by others. As awful and uncivilized as that sounds to the majority of us, there are those that would be grateful to clean that leftover food off someone else's plate. There are those that it would be a matter of life and death to eat ...............


I found this on trailjournals while reading about a section coming up for us, can you believe someone in a hiking seminar would preach this?

Pencil Pusher
07-15-2004, 06:23
That's good advice. If you're hungry after eating at the diner with your bro, and he is ready to throw away a whole plate of fries, is it so objectionable to say, "Hey bro, can I have those?" No way, people do it all the time. Now all the hiking seminar instructor is doing is making the step from 'bro' to stranger. I think it's good advice, it's something I've thought of before too! (surprise, surprise)

MedicineMan
07-15-2004, 06:57
well maybe you know 'bro' and watched him eat while 'stranger' who left the resturant 20 min. earlier was digging his pinkee finger 2 inches up his nose or maybe had an itch somewhere down the back crack and didnt see the need to scrub his hands before fondling the fries... how 'bout a snot ball blown onto a pile of rolls that find their way to your table? it glistens just like butter... better yet a group of immigrants from Pakistan and while your chomping down their half-eaten burger your' inhaling enough bacilli to start the tuberculosis cycle.....ever wonder why salad bars have the sneeze shield? seems too obvious that this practice in resturants is removing the shield??

smokymtnsteve
07-15-2004, 08:44
having worked some comercial kitchens in the past,,,

eating strangers leftovers probably doesn't increase your infections risks too much over kitchen staffs handling of your food. In the last few years I have been eating at out less and less. ;)

in response to the original question...who would teach this..

doesn't the professor, Warren Doyle, teach this?

Streamweaver
07-15-2004, 12:32
Theres another looong winded thread about this very same thing on here somewhere . Streamweaver

Jack Tarlin
07-15-2004, 15:48
Pencil Pusher:

Query: Have you ever thru-hiked? I personally have trouble believing it.

Briefly, as this has been said before on this site: Grubbing food leavings off of strangers' plates is a very effective way of making all thru-hikers look like homeless, shiftless bums, and considering that a lot of folks view hikers this way already, this surely doesn't help matters much. And needless to say, in addition to looking horrible, hikers filling their bellies on "free" leftovers is hardly going to endear them---or any other future hikers---to the eating establishment in question. I can think of many restaurants on or near the Trail that are no longer hiker-friendly precisely because of behavior like this.
And mentioning how suculent these food items may be to much of the world's citizens is irrelevant: Thru-hikers aren't third-world peasants; they're generally middle and upper middle-class Americans who can afford a six month vacation. In short, if you can't afford to pay for a restaurant meal (and leave a tip too!) then you shouldn't go into the restaurant in the first place. The fact that such food items would be considered "treasure" in much of the world has no relevance; Hot Springs ain't Haiti.

For many non-hikers on the Trail, their interaction or observation of a single thru-hiker will become their means of judging ALL thru-hikers; if the one hiker they see is scraping leftovers off of a stranger's plate in order to save a few dollars, then this is how they're going to judge ALL hikers, including ones they see in their hometowns, ones they see trying to hitch a ride in the rain, etc. These are the folks who may be making decision later on regarding turning their church into a hiker hostel, or letting folks overnight in a town park or pavillion. In every community where hiker-friendly ideas like this are first suggested, there's always someone who's opposed to it, mainly because of their perceptions of hikers as vagrants and bums. When someone's first viewing of a hiker is to see some cheap lowlife effectively dumpster-diving while actually INSIDE a nice restaurant, this is hardly beneficial to the long-distance hiking community.

Any hiker that would behave like this doesn't give a damn about the men and women who are coming along after them and who may need these same services, services that may well not be so friendly to hikers after behavior like this. Hikers that behave like this in restaurants are cheap, thoughtless, and selfish.

And any Trail "educators" who repeatedly advocate behavior like this are even worse.

Blue Jay
07-15-2004, 16:36
I do it when I'm not hiking. It is not surprising that rich elitists would be opposed to simple, effective, recycling. To most people appearances mean everything. The simple fact is, good food, the most precious commodity on the planet, is going to waste and someone is stopping that from happening. Heavens, we cannot condone that. This, in a nutshell, is why the rest of the world recognizes Americans for what we are.

Pencil Pusher
07-15-2004, 17:51
Pencil Pusher:

Query: Have you ever thru-hiked? I personally have trouble believing it.

Believing what? Show me anywhere here or on any other board where I've claimed to have thru-hiked.

Jack Tarlin
07-15-2004, 18:27
P.Pusher:

Don't get your knickers in a twist; I never said you'd claimed to have thru-hiked.

On the contrary, considering the public behavior you advocated in your above post, it was clearly evident to me that you haven't, yet you still feel qualified and entitled about telling folks what constitutes proper and appropriate town behavior while hiking.

When I said I had trouble believing you'd thru-hiked, it was because I couldn't possibly understand why anyone who actually had spent serious time on the Trail as a long-distance hiker could posibly defend behavior so appalling. In short, I couldn't believe a genuine long-distance hiker who cared about the Trail community could possibly suggest or defend such idiotic behavior.

But to answer your question: No, you've never claimed to have thru-hiked, at least not to my knowledge. But such a claim wasn't necessary---it's patently obvious from your ignorance of Trail matters that you haven't.

But thanks for confirming it.

* * *

And to my dear friend Blue Jay:

So, because I think hikers shouldn't act like bums in restaurants, this makes me a "rich elitist".

People on this list who actually know me will find this comment amusing.

As well as ignorant and wrong.

smokymtnsteve
07-15-2004, 18:28
for middle and upper middle class citizens I sure hear Lots of thru-hikers complain about How Expensive they think things are. and trail towns are cheap.

Mags
07-15-2004, 18:37
I think what Jack is saying is that as hikers we really do need to represent our community as a whole.

Scooping up scraps at the local restaurant will not endear us to locals.

I was brought up to think that "wasting food is a sin", as Mom would put it.

But I was also brought up to act politely and keep in mind how my actions will effect other people. I would hate for locals to think of as nothing more than "homeless people with Goretex". :)

Pencil Pusher
07-15-2004, 18:52
P.Pusher:

Don't get your knickers in a twist; I never said you'd claimed to have thru-hiked.

On the contrary, considering the public behavior you advocated in your above post, it was clearly evident to me that you haven't, yet you still feel qualified and entitled about telling folks what constitutes proper and appropriate town behavior while hiking.

When I said I had trouble believing you'd thru-hiked, it was because I couldn't possibly understand why anyone who actually had spent serious time on the Trail as a long-distance hiker could posibly defend behavior so appalling. In short, I couldn't believe a genuine long-distance hiker who cared about the Trail community could possibly suggest or defend such idiotic behavior.

But to answer your question: No, you've never claimed to have thru-hiked, at least not to my knowledge. But such a claim wasn't necessary---it's patently obvious from your ignorance of Trail matters that you haven't.

But thanks for confirming it.


Confirming what? Jack, you are one weird hombre. I'll continue to type my opinions on hiking and such, without worrying about your approval. I know, I know, mom said otherwise, but I'm really feeling independent now that I've got my driver's permit.

Jack Tarlin
07-15-2004, 19:25
Confirming what?

Well for starters, confirming the fact that despite your astounding pile of 340-odd posts since you joined us just seven short weeks ago (that's something like seven a day), it's evident you don't know what you're talking about.

Needless to say, you don't need approval from me or anyone else before you post foolish things, but if you want people to respect your opinions you should perhaps post less, hike more, or at least get better informed before you act as an educator.

Nobody needs anyone's approval to post here, Pencil Pusher. People are free to write and comment as they please, and readers are welcome to judge posts on their own merits.

Or lack of them.

Your posts confirmed that despite the prolificacy of your contributions here, you're remarkably ill-informed of the realities of life on the trail, and in insisting of your right to comment on what constitutes acceptable behavior in Trail towns despite your admitted ignorance of such matters.....well, folks can decide for themselves what your opinion is worth.

It shouldn't take them very long to figure it out.

Oh, and as to the "weird hombre" remark, thanks. I've been called worse. What's REALLY weird, tho, is for someone who so obviously knows virtually nothing about a particular subject to remind folks seven times a day that this is so.

Now THAT's weird.

Pencil Pusher
07-15-2004, 19:45
...and in insisting of your right to comment on what constitutes acceptable behavior in Trail towns despite your admitted ignorance of such matters...
Okay dude, you know the drill, show me where. Don't worry, weird hombre was not an insult. Can we now piss on each other's shoes with the "I've hiked more miles than you" bs?

So I know you like to hide under the generalization umbrella, but if you'd kindly be a little more specific, I'm sure we could work out these differences in opinion. If I held you in a respected position, I would respect your opinion.

Pencil Pusher
07-15-2004, 19:47
One more post so I can reach your quoted 340 mark.:p

Jack Tarlin
07-15-2004, 19:58
Geez, this is tiresome.

I'm not comparing your mileage to mine. What I said was I thought it was a bit presumptuous of you to advocate behavior that anyone who's thru-hiked before knows is unacceptable and harmful.

Somebody said that they thought it was cool to scrape leftovers off of stranger's plates in order to save money and get extra food.

You immediately said that you thought this was "good advice".

The purpose of my posts was to state that virtually nobody who'd actually thru-hiked would think this is wise policy or good advice.

If you want to post so frequently, that's fine. Feel free. All I'm saying is that if you're going to do so, you might want to temper the forthrightness of your comments with a little more experience.

And you're mis-quoting me. I never said you'd posted 340 times; I said you had "340-odd" posts.

This means two things:

At the time, you'd posted approximately 340 times.

Oh, and now that you mention it, some of your posts are odd.

Have a nice day.

Pencil Pusher
07-15-2004, 20:08
Okay Jack, I catch your drift on ethics. You are correct in my thoughts on trail eating not being an appropriate and responsible level of advice to the hiking community.

Noggin
07-15-2004, 23:32
I would hate for locals to think of as nothing more than "homeless people with Goretex". :)
I kinda like that. A homeless bum in gortex (boots only). Sounds like my kinda life. :)

Noggin
07-15-2004, 23:36
Oh, and as to the "weird hombre" remark,
What's a hombre? One of them wide round Mexican hats that you pull over your eyes before taking a siesta? :banana

Noggin
07-15-2004, 23:41
You are correct in my thoughts on trail eating not being an appropriate and responsible level of advice to the hiking community.
I agree. We've only got so much trail and if everybody felt free to engage in trail eating instead of carrying their own food or going into town, in 30 years there would be precious little trail left. :-?

Lucinda
07-16-2004, 00:02
Personally I think the problem could be solved by the restaurants reducing the size of their portions. Downsize it!! Smaller portions, fewer leftovers. My British fiends who visit America are quite appalled by the size of the portions here. When we eat out, we usually end up sharing food. No wonder we've got an obesity problem here! We should really look at how the rest of the world eats.:o

Pencil Pusher
07-16-2004, 00:50
What's a hombre? One of them wide round Mexican hats that you pull over your eyes before taking a siesta? :bananaHey gringo, how about a sombrero?;)

ga>me>ak
07-16-2004, 07:29
In addition to eating strangers leftovers........here's another money saving tip

why not recycle toilet paper? after all, only one side has been used...

Blue Jay
07-16-2004, 10:13
Please the next time any of you are in a trail town talk to people who live there. Most openly enjoy having hikers around. The one they hate are the snooty rich hikers (not you Jack) who treat them like they are just the hired servants or those who get stinking drunk and act like idiots (again not you Jack). They are WELL aware of the extreme hunger hikers bring into town. People who provide food, really enjoy this type of hiker. They see hikers eating leftovers all the time. Many of you who don't see it because we avoid doing it around the nondirtbaggers. They usually could care less or are mildly amused. I'm serious, ask a few food service people. Hell, at Big Meadows, I went there two years in a row. The first year I gave a waiter $10 to funnel all the leftovers back to me. The second year I didn't even have to pay him he did it before I even ordered (which I of course did). He told me he loved meeting an american who was more like him, service people eat leftovers ALL the time. Rich hikers miss sooo much.

WalkinHome
07-16-2004, 11:26
Man, I can’t believe I am doing this (I try to stay out of these *****storms) but this one presses my buttons so here goes. This scavenging leftover food from a dining room is just plain wrong and disgusting. Is this one of those “generational” things? Can you say hepatitis or any number of easily communicable diseases? This is one step from dumpster diving. It does not matter whether the context is the AT or the real world. Asking someone from your own group “Hey, are you going to eat that?” is one thing but to canvass the entire dining room is another. Am I the only one that has seen it written on a menu “no sharing”? These diners are not in business to save the world with their portion size, it is their livelihood. To get to the lowest common denominator that is how they make money to live and continue to stay open.

There are some that work very hard to be good trail ambassadors, over tipping, making sure the hostel donation box has any money in it, helping out around the hostel with some of the chores even if it isn’t a work for stay etc. This scrounging for food does not help that cause. Let’s not try to justify this behavior with the altruistic “there are starving people in the world.” That didn’t work on us when we were kids (it was the fear of getting whacked that made us eat) and it is less relevant today.

BTW, you might want to ask the OWNER versus the wait staff whether this is OK. If they owner agrees, knock yourself out but just because you can, doesn’t mean you should. HYOH but leave some services “hiker friendly” for those “dreamers” that are following us out there. Let us pray.

A-Train
07-16-2004, 14:12
Hell, at Big Meadows, I went there two years in a row. The first year I gave a waiter $10 to funnel all the leftovers back to me. Rich hikers miss sooo much.


Why didn't you just use the 10 bucks towards some, um, clean and new food??

smokymtnsteve
07-16-2004, 14:32
Can you say hepatitis or any number of easily communicable diseases? .

can you say Vaccine???

you are more in danger from HEP from privys along the trail...

leeki pole
07-16-2004, 15:04
Now, about finishing those leftover beers and glasses of wine......:D

Jack Tarlin
07-16-2004, 16:17
Wow, this thread is a riot:

Lucinda told us "My British fiends who visit America are quite appalled by the size of the portions here."

Personally, I'm quite appalled that we even permit British fiends IN to America, never mind feeding them excessive portions.

Lucinda also said we should learn from what the rest of the world eats. Sorry, Lu, but I used to live in England, and I don't really think we have much to learn from British haute cuisine.......considering the horrifying things they eat over there, we should be thankful they elect to serve smaller portions.

And maybe if they ate better they wouldn't be fiends.

smokymtnsteve
07-16-2004, 16:22
In addition to eating strangers leftovers........here's another money saving tip

why not recycle toilet paper? after all, only one side has been used...


you can save your used TP ....drizzle with olive oil and use it as an excellent fire starter.. ;) recycle ..reuse..it's a better way ..meeting the solution to the throw-away pollution

Pencil Pusher
07-16-2004, 16:54
"Okay Dave, let me get the fire started. Here, ya' want any trail mix?"

No Steve, I do not want any of your trail mix;)

The Old Fhart
07-16-2004, 17:48
Hey, why wait for the paying customers to leave, go right over and ask them: “You’re not going to eat all that, are you?” So you get thrown out of a few restaurants, big deal. If this is such a great idea, why reserve table raiding for your hiking. Just go into your local diner when you’re not on the trail and raid tables there too, I’m sure the wait-staff won’t mind. Go to the local bakery thrift store and get the stuff they throw out or sell as hog feed. ----Yea, right.

I’m sure that if you did this around your hometown you would be viewed as a bum. Actually, you’d be giving bums a bad name. There are people that have to live like that and that is sad. To do this as a sport or to prove you’re the cheapest hiker on the trail goes beyond bad taste. It only proves you are so self-centered and inconsiderate of the hikers coming after you that you don’t give a damn what the town folks think of thru-hikers as a class of people. Your unbelievable bad conduct reflects on all hikers. The same inconsiderate behavior of being drunk at church hostels, not obeying the simple sensible rules at campgrounds, etc., had caused us to lose access to a number of establishments that once welcomed hikers. This crass activity of table raiding is just as bad and anyone who recommends this a way for thru-hikers to save money on a hike has no regard for fellow hikers or the businesses that help us on our hikes. Reread ALDHA’s “Endangered services Campaign” statement http://www.aldha.org/ethics.htm. No responsible person associated with thru-hiking would recommend this activity.

This all comes down to the age-old discussion of freedom and responsibility. All the discussion on Whiteblaze of giving back to the trail shows there are hikers that believe that the trail is an institution that is worth saving and you owe a debt to everyone, on and off the trail, that made you hike a success. Please don't act like a pig.

Blue Jay
07-17-2004, 07:34
Why didn't you just use the 10 bucks towards some, um, clean and new food??

I actually spend around $30 there because I love their food. It is very important to always buy food first, then go for the leftovers, sorry I didn't make that clear. All those who are worried about catching something from leftovers, DO NOT get a job in the food industry. You will soon learn the vast quantity of filth that you all have eaten every day of your lives, unless of course you are one of the few who grow, hunt and eat only their own food. I know this idea will not work for most prissy americans who also worry about shelter mice and kissing and drinking living water and antibacterial soap and on and on and on. It must truly suck to live in fear every day. Oh, and Old Fhart, I do go to several local supermarkets and bakerys and get expired food, thank you for bringing that up.

smokymtnsteve
07-17-2004, 13:25
"Okay Dave, let me get the fire started. Here, ya' want any trail mix?"

No Steve, I do not want any of your trail mix;)

I alcohol-gel my hands before getting into my gorp bag

and besides I wouldn't offer you any of my trail mix anyway :p

..so not to worry

Pencil Pusher
07-17-2004, 14:50
All those who are worried about catching something from leftovers, DO NOT get a job in the food industry. You will soon learn the vast quantity of filth that you all have eaten every day of your lives...
Repeating for effect...

Good point on buying food first, rather than walking in to a restaurant and pilfering the leftovers at leisure.

FatMan
07-17-2004, 15:14
I guess this is why I spend so little time in towns. There are very few hikers on the trail I find offensive. But once some of you hit the town my tollerance for your behavior wains. I can't even imagine where you come off thinking eating other restaurant patrons leftovers can be viewed as anything but gross behavior. I hope most of you are not serious. Oh, if you ask they may give it to you but I'm sure that you become the butt of every conversation they have for the rest of the day..."you won't believe what happened today at Joes Restaurant.......Those hikers are really gross".

C'mon guys. Act civilized so you don't give the town folks any more ammo for not supporting the hiking community.

Kozmic Zian
07-17-2004, 18:32
Yea......Very Simple. If you can't pay, don't play. KZ@:-?

Mala
07-17-2004, 19:40
KZ I am a Hobo Hiker and I am very offended by your remarks about me and my Hobo Hiker friends. At this time I will not set you straight. I will give someone else answer and take care of the light work.

Mala
07-17-2004, 19:42
Sorry for the bad grammar but I can't see very well, I just hope you are intelligent enough to figure it out.

Pencil Pusher
07-17-2004, 20:01
Sorry for the bad grammar but I can't see very well, I just hope you are intelligent enough to figure it out.
Surfing the internet for free, are we? Ah, the high-tech hobos of the 21st century...:rolleyes:

Mala
07-17-2004, 20:18
No free internet for me. I have a laptop and cell phone. As a matter of fact in "02 I was Mala, Hitek Hobo. There is a huge difference between a hobo and a bum. Bums give hobos a bad name. KZ was showing his ignorance of American history.

Pencil Pusher
07-17-2004, 20:43
I guess if you can call yourself a hobo, anyone can. In my Webster's New Century Dictionary, hobo is defined as: a migrant laborer; a tramp. Bum is defined as: a tramp; idle person. Tramp: a vagrant. Vagrant: a person who has no settled home, a tramp.

Please do tell about this American history.

Mala
07-17-2004, 21:03
hobo-migrant laborer. bum-idle person.

Like I said bums give hobos a bad name.

stranger
07-18-2004, 04:09
I think eating scraps off stranger's plates is pretty sad. Like stated earlier if you don't have the money to eat, in the quantity that you would like to eat, then maybe you shouldn't be there. Whether or not it's sanitary is another questions...and probably less important cause that is a personal choice.

Americans do not eat largely huge portions compaired to others. Sit down at Lone Star in Wellington New Zealand and check out those portions. Hit a Fish N Chips shop in NZ and see their portions, quite Large!! Plenty of fat lazy Kiwis here, don't kid yourself.

Eating scraps at restaurants left behind is embarassing to the AT community, I am glad I have never personally seen it, cause it wouldn't fly with me around. If you want to enjoy life's pleasures you have to work for them, not take what's left behind by others.

smokymtnsteve
07-18-2004, 08:43
knowing blue jay I don't think that it is a problem of him having enough money to eat as much as he would like most anywhere he would chose to eat, but rather an ethical and moral prespective of the extreme waste of food that happens here in the USA. ( money is not the issue)

this year AT Hiker "RAW not WAR" walked from Springer to Gaspe and he was attaining all his food from dumpsters behind grocery stores..he had been harassed by "authorities" for taking the thrown away food. his answer to them was that who was more "wrong"??? him for taking food that someone had thrown way because it wasn't perfect (he is a veggie-tarin) or the store/corporation for throwing the usable food (food that he considers is a gift from goddess) to be left to rot and be wasted.

"RAW not WAR" philosophy is that "civilization" has it backwards (hence his trail name) and he finds that reduction of the goddess gift being reduced to exchange/money or be left to waste and rot if not 'turned into money" to be quite wrong and "sinful" ..so who is more wrong the person throwing away precious food or a person who will/can use it for the purpose that goddess created it for?

http://www.stanslaughter.com/rnrpdf/rnrlyrgarbl.pdf

Brushy Sage
07-18-2004, 09:33
Now, about finishing those leftover beers and glasses of wine......:D


This reminds me of an experience back in the 1960s, when we were going through various struggles to bring integration of schools and public facilities. Four churches in my little community decided to have union services on the fifth Sundays. I was presiding at an integrated service at a Black Baptist church, and we were having communion. As the communion tray was being passed around, we were running out of wine/grape juice. The tray came to an old doctor (White man), and he couldn't find a full glass. So he chose one that had been used but not emptied. He didn't know who had used it: white, black, male, female, old, young. Didn't hurt him; he lived for quite a few years afterward.

Kozmic Zian
07-18-2004, 12:28
Yea.....Well .....If you wanna' play with the big dogs, ya' gotta' not worry so much about the vernacular. That never works. KZ@;)

Mala
07-18-2004, 13:09
if you would not have used upper case letters when you said ' hobo hikers' it makes a lot of difference because by using upper case letters you specifically picked out us Hobo Hikers as bums

. Have you ever met any of us, Hobo Hikers from Hell. I pattern my life after the original Hobo Hiker, Earl Schaffer. I have heard Earl call himself a Hobo Hiker. He has even written poems in that regard. William Douglas, Supreme Court Justice of the USA was a 2000 mile Hobo Hiker.

Check out www.earlschaffer.com for more Hobo Hiker poetry.

Pencil Pusher
07-18-2004, 15:05
Oh brother... do tell why these Hobo Hikers decided to add "from Hell" to their group's name.

Mala
07-18-2004, 15:27
I say it because I am a Viet Nam vet, as are others. You have to will ask Lone Wolf or Sawman for sure.

Pencil Pusher
07-18-2004, 15:33
Nevermind, I'm a moron.

Mala
07-18-2004, 15:59
Running with the big dogs now, LOL

Pencil Pusher
07-18-2004, 17:18
I'm running with the big dogs? Who are the big dogs?:-?

Kozmic Zian
07-18-2004, 18:42
Yea.....Well, good for you. Hope you have a nice Hike.KZ@;)

Mala
07-18-2004, 19:04
i said, "I pattern my life after Earl." Since when does that mean "equate to"

Mala
07-18-2004, 19:16
On second thought, I am going to heed my own advice and let someone else take care of the light work Good-bye

Pecan
07-18-2004, 19:23
Hehe, dumpster diving. Seems there would be easier ways of getting food on the trail. Was looking at the pecan trees today and they're coming along fine, pecans about medium size now. Doing good with all the rain this summer. Ever pick up a bunch of pecans in the fall then roast them, now that's good eating. Or just crack them fresh from the tree. Beats leftover table scraps and irate Waffle House managers, I'd think.

Kozmic Zian
07-18-2004, 20:26
Yea.............You tell um BJ......KZ@

Kozmic Zian
07-18-2004, 20:33
Yea.......Amen! Bro'. At least 'some' of us are still civilized. Got nothing to do with who's got how much money. You can be thrifty and still be civilized. Otherwise, why don't we all just waller down in the muck with the smegma, scum, and dumpster flem? Get real or make a squeal! KZ@:p

Kozmic Zian
07-18-2004, 20:41
Yea...... Noggin, Yuk, Yuk, Yuk! LOL, Gotta love it, folks!KZ@:D

smokymtnsteve
07-19-2004, 08:59
Nevermind, I'm a moron.

yea we already knew that

come over here sit by the fire..
..here you go want some trail mix? :D

Pencil Pusher
07-19-2004, 16:46
come over here sit by the fire..
..here you go want some trail mix? :D
Only if you'll hum me a purdy song:eek:

smokymtnsteve
07-19-2004, 17:02
Clean your plate..there are hungry children in china...(and the USA)

rumbler
07-19-2004, 19:41
[Steps on soapbox]

You know, instead of cleaning your plate for the starving kids in India you could choose to work an extra day a month and donate the earnings to your local soup kitchen. Or offer to feed a Boys/Girls Club for a day each month. You could begin or work for an organization that volunteers to pick up unsellable scrap food from supermarkets and distribute it to homeless shelters.

It is easy to talk a good chest-thumping morality, but it bears pointing out that successful restaurateurs, businessmen, and corporations across this great country donate millions of money and months of time - much of it their own in both cases - every year to feed, clothe and care for needy both here and abroad. Many use their productivity and success in capitalistic pursuits to fund an entire spectrum of good endeavors, although I expect many may not accept or appreciate this fact.

All due respect, I'll save my kudos for the folks who are actually working with their own time and funds to feed the less fortunate rather than for those who experience some moment of superiority for pursuing a sparse or vegan diet that still gives them enough calories to be comfortable without ever having to really know hunger.

Here is an idea: Let's get the entire WB community (that are not actually hiking at the time) to forego eating solids on Wednesdays. A day of fast, if you will. And we can all donate the money that would have gone to food for that day - either from restaurants or markets - to a charitable organization known for effectively channeling funds to the needy. I'll raise my hand for that effort. It would certainly be a more effective use of time and effort than arguing whether eating habits bestow some of us with an intrinsic morality. In terms that everyone on this board will understand, walking the walk will do far more than talking the walk.

And yes, if you go into a restaurant on the trail, be prepared to pay for your meal, be unubtrusive to the other diners, and leave a very generous tip. If you cannot do that, then be content fixing your own meal rather than relying on others to provide your meal for you. As Jack effectively put it, hikers are responsible for our own perceptions, and quite often we forget that what is acceptable in our thru-hiker conditions may not be easily overlooked by non-hikers. And we should respect that fact when we willingly choose to walk into their towns, businesses, and homes.

[/Steps off soapbox]

smokymtnsteve
07-19-2004, 19:51
like this organization that I have been affilated with for years

http://www.projectopenhand.org/

Blue Jay
07-20-2004, 09:25
[Steps on soapbox]

It is easy to talk a good chest-thumping morality...............And yes, if you go into a restaurant on the trail, be prepared to pay for your meal, be unubtrusive to the other diners, and leave a very generous tip. If you cannot do that, then be content fixing your own meal rather than relying on others to provide your meal for you. As Jack effectively put it, hikers are responsible for our own perceptions, and quite often we forget that what is acceptable in our thru-hiker conditions may not be easily overlooked by non-hikers. And we should respect that fact when we willingly choose to walk into their towns, businesses, and homes.

[/Steps off soapbox]

NO ONE, including the original journal entry, suggested not paying for a meal, bothering customers, or not leaving a generous tip. It is amazing how much some of you read your own fantasies and not the actual words on the screen.
This, like many things about thruhiking, such as yogiing or stealth camping, requires discretion. NO ONE, also stated it is mandatory. Hell, most hikers do not even talk to the locals, let alone become friends.

Lone Wolf
07-20-2004, 09:56
I eat off other plates. Discretely. No biggie.

smokymtnsteve
07-20-2004, 10:49
I eat off other plates. Discretely. No biggie.

discretely???you mean like grabbing french fries off other folks plates when they are not looking ;)

Jack Tarlin
07-20-2004, 11:17
Blue Jay mentioned how rare it is that thru-hikers become friends with locals.

I can assure him that scraping leftovers off of strangers plates in restaurants isn't going to make anyone a friend; it sure isn't going to be viewed well by the folks who run or own the restaurant. And as for "bothering" the customers, the last thing folks need to see while they're trying to enjoy a nice lunch with their families is some skinny, filthy, hairy, stinky guy furtively darting around the room scrounging food.

Oh, wait a minute. Apparently, according to you, if this is done discreetly, it's OK. By the same logic, sneaking five extra folks into your motel room and not telling the management is OK, too, as long as it's done discreetly. Or tresspassing on private property, or not paying an entrance fee or user fee is OK, too, as long as its done discreetly. Out of sight, outta mind, right?

The bottom line is that all of these things are wrong, and are potentially harmful to the thru-hiking community, and the fact that one is using discretion while mis-behaving is no excuse at all; it's pretty lame to say "My actions are OK, regardless of what they are, as long as nobody sees me doing it."

Using discretion when you're doing something that is wrong doesn't automatically make your behavior right; the very fact that you advise discretion here (i.e. that you suggest people not be seen or not be caught doing this sort of thing) is essentially an admission that you're doing something people wouldn't approve of. By telling people to be furtive and sneaky when they grab other people's leavings, you're acknowledging that this is wrong, and that one would be embarassed or regretful if one was seen doing it.

The fact remains that a restaurant is in business to provide meals and to sell food, period. It isn't a soup kitchen for the indigent, nor is it in the business of providing stuff for free for folks too cheap to pay the expected bill for what they consume. A restaurant is not an All-You-Can-Grab free buffet, where it's OK to sneak food into your mouth or pants pocket provided nobody sees you doing it. One's "discretion" while acting like a bum doesn't change anything----a cautious, sneaky, discrete bum is still a bum.

Lone Wolf
07-20-2004, 12:00
Taking food off a plate is not illegal or stealing. Ron and Deb, owners of the former Quincey's Pizza in Damascus, thought it was funny when Pirate and I would sit at the bar and stop the waitresses on the way to the kitchen with the leftovers from tables. We got all kinds of free chow that way. BURP!! :D

Lilred
07-20-2004, 13:19
I've worked in the restaurant business for 25 years. We had a busboy once that would eat food off of plates once he got to the busroom. Did it discreetly, but he was seen. He became the laughing stock of not only our restaurant, but all the restaurants in that particular area. Word spreads fast among employees. If you think for a second that people aren't laughing behind their hands at thru-hikers scavanging food, think again.

I agree with Jack. It is inappropriate and disgusting. And you can bet those employees are watching other thru-hikers to see if they'll do the same thing. I don't care how much money you've got in the bank, how much you spend at the restaurant, or how big a tip you leave a waitress, if you scavange off other people's leftover food, you are showing yourself to be acting like a bum.

icemanat95
07-20-2004, 13:31
The sharing of communal plates, cups, bowls, utensils etc. and finishing other people's food, recycling food from one patron to another, etc. are all major disease vectors, especially in the third (and second) world cultures. Bacteria especially thrive in food plates, viruses also survive well in warm, moist environments and then jump readily from person to person. So not sharing food is a practical consideration, especially as concerns about a new global outbreak of flu and other potentially life-threatening diseases rise. Not to mention the various hepatitis strains that are breaking out more often. It just doesn't make sense to open yourself up to additional illness vectors on a once-in-a-lifetime hike.

You want to do your bit to end world hunger? Ask for smaller portions in restaurants. Waste occurs because gluttons insist on massive portions that would feed two or even three people. Also, if you are ordering a meal that comes with items you don't intend to eat (like vegetables you don't like, or massive piles of potatoes or whatever), ask them to omit those items.

Everywhere in the world where there are strong concepts of public health and refined medical communities, communal food sharing is discouraged. The reason restaurants can't re-serve even untouched food in the US and many places abroad is because of public health regulations that prohibit this in an effort to prevent massive disease outbreaks. Shortcircuiting those regulations is not only rude, but potentially dangerous to your own health and the health of others.

And Warren Doyle's justification for these behaviors (in the seminars I have heard ) is simple frugality, not any particular concern for the poorly fed.

And truth be told, you coming along eating up someone else's leftovers only impacts the restaurants waste removal biull and rat population (maybe) not any third world starving children. You want to help them, take the money you would have spent on a thru-hike and give it to Save the Children or Christian Children's Fund or the United Way.

Blue Jay
07-21-2004, 08:07
Blue Jay mentioned how rare it is that thru-hikers become friends with locals..............And as for "bothering" the customers, the last thing folks need to see while they're trying to enjoy a nice lunch with their families is some skinny, filthy, hairy, stinky guy furtively darting around the room scrounging food.

Oh, wait a minute. Apparently, according to you, if this is done discreetly, it's OK. By the same logic, sneaking five extra folks into your motel room and not telling the management is OK, too, as long as it's done discreetly. Or tresspassing on private property, or not paying an entrance fee or user fee is OK, too, as long as its done discreetly. Out of sight, outta mind, right?


I was going to let you guys have the last word, but there are a few misconceptions I have to address. One, I am not skinny, filthy and stinky (and rarely hairy) when I do this. I carry clean town clothes and shower, and I rarely have my pack. Two, discretion and sneaking are two completely different concepts, like yogiing and begging. There is a difference between stealth camping and putting your tent up in someone's back yard. I'm sorry if you cannot or refuse to see differences. I know many of you see the world as black and white. As for disease, as I already mentioned your food supply is already severely contaminated prior to entering a service establishment (talk to a health department inspector sometime). Add to that improper dish washing, food handling without gloves during preparation (DO NOT look in kitchens) and you have been exposed every single day of your life to human pathogens. Your OK, you don't have to be scared.

JustHank
07-21-2004, 16:14
But not to hiking.

I've never thru-hiked, but I've spent a great deal of time on the Trail in GA and NC. In fact, I leave tomorrow to do "short" hike from Unicoi Gap to probably standing indian campground. Mrs. JH is going with me (for the first time). So, we'll see. . . :rolleyes:

I have to agree with Jack re the topic at hand. With more and more folks on the Trail now (relatively speaking), we really need to be more aware of the "outside" perception of hikers. While I usually don't stop in towns to rest (plan my hikes to take everything I need with me for the time I'm out), you never know what might happen. I have been helped more than once by absolute strangers. Can think of one time, in particular, where I hobbled down into Gooch Gap (near Suches, GA) with a badly sprained ankle - literally dragging my pack behind me. Some guys took pity on me and drove me into Suches.

I want that sort of help to be available for the next guy.

Kozmic Zian
07-21-2004, 16:28
Yea......My Two Cents.......The whole thing is like this, some people feel like because they're hiking on the Trail, and only going to be in a certain place for a short period of time, then moving on, never to return (they think), anything that they do is 'unobservable' and if even someone sees them, they'll be gone tomorrow, etc. So, what difference does it make? Too bad that what you and I do reflects on every other person coming down that Trail. That's the Reality. So, behave like adults on a mission, which is what we're supposed to be doing, right? Everything else will work itself out. You can't sneak food from plates left at another table, even 'discreetly', why, the waitress might think you're stealing tips too. Who needs that. Plus the sanitary factor, what if a person sneezed in their plate or put buggers in it. Yum, right? I guess it's like, HYOH, or something like that, right? Like some other members have stated in other posts, HYOH is fine until it begins to affect other hikers in a negative fashion. I believe that the kind of behavior that's been discussed on this thread is just that, negative to the Greater Hiking Community At Large. So, if you do 'scrounge' some food off of someone else's plate at a restaurant along the Trail, maybe your presence at the time and intimidating behavior wouldn't elicit any response at all from that places employees, but the poor next hiker slob that comes up the pike might not get the same reception, if you know where I'm coming from. KZ@:cool:

FatMan
07-21-2004, 17:52
Taking food off a plate is not illegal or stealing. Ron and Deb, owners of the former Quincey's Pizza in Damascus, thought it was funny when Pirate and I would sit at the bar and stop the waitresses on the way to the kitchen with the leftovers from tables. We got all kinds of free chow that way. BURP!! :DAs a veteran of the Restaurant Industry and an industry instructor in Food Safety and Health Codes I am quite sure that what you were doing is illegal. I can not speak for the Damascus City Health Regulations directly but I would really be shocked if it was allowable to have multiple patrons eat from the same plate. I do know that VA has solid state codes that all cities must follow. General Health Codes will not even let you add food to an existing serving plate for the same patron. You must bring a new plate to the table. Most restaurants have policies regarding sharing because if they allow it to go on without providing multiple dishes and separating the meal before one of the patrons touches it they are in violation of general health codes. This falls under the same provision as all AYCE buffets requiring new plates for each visit.

I am sure that Ron and Deb are probably not aware of the jeopardy you put them in. All it would take is for one patron who saw you to call the Health Dept. and I can assure you that Ron and Deb will not find any humor in it at all. Now that you know you might want to not put your friends Ron and Deb in jeopardy in the future.

If you doubt me, give the Damascus City Health Dept a call and ask them.

Kozmic Zian
07-21-2004, 20:46
Yea......Thanks for the legal aspects of this thread. That just about covers it for the 'leftover scroungers'......That entire idea is rather off-center and juvenile. Again.....it's the 'Ya' gotta' pay to play' duplicity that rules on the Trail. If you can't pay, get a job and work for a while, save some money up, and then you don't even have to entertain such thoughts. Just get up there, hike, meet nice folks, eat good in town, and enjoy the Trail. The rest is superfluous. KZ@:cool:

Kozmic Zian
07-21-2004, 20:46
Sorry, The server doubled my post.

weary
07-21-2004, 22:24
You want to do your bit to end world hunger? Ask for smaller portions in restaurants. Waste occurs because gluttons insist on massive portions that would feed two or even three people. Also, if you are ordering a meal that comes with items you don't intend to eat (like vegetables you don't like, or massive piles of potatoes or whatever), ask them to omit those items.
.

As the six of us were growing up in the 1930s depression, my mother would argue when urging us to eat everything on our plates, "eat your food, or the Chinese will starve."

The logic escapes me 65 years later, but the message remains. I can't bear to waste food. My kids complained until they escaped my control about eating another "concoction."

I would give my inlaws, who until they died a few years ago spent their summers in an apartment above my garage, fresh food from my garden. I would give them fresh summer squash and they would protest that they had some left over from a week ago.

I would protest that we had fresh stuff going to waste. They would reply, "we weren't brought up to waste food." My father-in-law was an engineer. He prided himself on using logic to control his life."

But for 25 years he prided himself on eating stale beans, peas, corn on the cob, cukes, and other garden products, while I gave away fresh stuff to people where I worked, and when that failed would dump it into the compost.

BTW. We had a family reunion Saturday at the Dolly Copp Campground in the shadow of the Presidentials where we spent two months every summer. My mother would pack us up as soon as school let out and we would live in a tent at Dolly Copp until school started. And age didn't matter. I was born in May and had my first camping experience six weeks later, and my first summit four years later.

It seemed to have worked. All six of us, mostly in our 70s, all in good health, plus a couple of score of spouses, significant others, children, grand children and great grandchildren showed up.

Weary

smokymtnsteve
07-21-2004, 23:00
As a veteran of the Restaurant Industry and an industry instructor in Food Safety and Health Codes I am quite sure that what you were doing is illegal. I can not speak for the Damascus City Health Regulations directly but I would really be shocked if it was allowable to have multiple patrons eat from the same plate. I do know that VA has solid state codes that all cities must follow. General Health Codes will not even let you add food to an existing serving plate for the same patron. You must bring a new plate to the table. Most restaurants have policies regarding sharing because if they allow it to go on without providing multiple dishes and separating the meal before one of the patrons touches it they are in violation of general health codes. This falls under the same provision as all AYCE buffets requiring new plates for each visit.

I am sure that Ron and Deb are probably not aware of the jeopardy you put them in. All it would take is for one patron who saw you to call the Health Dept. and I can assure you that Ron and Deb will not find any humor in it at all. Now that you know you might want to not put your friends Ron and Deb in jeopardy in the future.

If you doubt me, give the Damascus City Health Dept a call and ask them.


Here in atlanta ga we have these places called Ethiopian restaurants..where everyone orders at your table and they bring the food out on one large plate covered with spongy bread that you tear off and eat with your fingers..everybody eats off the same plate, thier are no knifes forks spoons or chopsticks,,,your fingers..you can't make that against the law.

Pencil Pusher
07-21-2004, 23:24
I'd tend to agree with LW also. DAMASCUS CITY HEALTH DEPARTMENT??? Aye carumba, that podunk (no offense, LW) town probably doesn't even have one! That sort of thing is probably handled by the county and I can't imagine they'd be as receptive towards out-of-towners. I doubt it's illegal, though it might be construed as such if you weren't a customer in there (pan handling or equivalent). You're not 'stealing' food because it has already been paid for. But it is very immoral and I would never stoop to such a level. I encourage all hikers to never do such a thing and be on their best behavior while representing the hiking community.

chomp
07-22-2004, 09:31
The real issue here is the negitive effect that eating leftover food will have on the establishments business. Forget all the other issues for a second. Most people find the idea of eating a strangers food disgusting. If you walk into an establishment and start eating off plates, you are almost certainly going to make some customer disgusted. These are the same customers that an establishment depends on for their lively hood. If enough hikers start doing this, eventually customers will take their business elsewhere to avoid viewing this behavior. That hurts the establishment.

So, in true Leave No Trace fashion, don't eat leftovers off strangers plates. It will disgust the "regular" customers and possibly hurt the business for the establishment that you are visiting.

grandview
12-08-2004, 03:15
I actually spend around $30 there because I love their food. It is very important to always buy food first, then go for the leftovers, sorry I didn't make that clear. All those who are worried about catching something from leftovers, DO NOT get a job in the food industry. You will soon learn the vast quantity of filth that you all have eaten every day of your lives, unless of course you are one of the few who grow, hunt and eat only their own food. I know this idea will not work for most prissy americans who also worry about shelter mice and kissing and drinking living water and antibacterial soap and on and on and on. It must truly suck to live in fear every day. Oh, and Old Fhart, I do go to several local supermarkets and bakerys and get expired food, thank you for bringing that up.

you ate 30 bucks worth of food and still had room for someone's leftovers?that's some impressive consumption.


i'd probably have to be hard pressed to dig in to someone's half eaten plate of grub...i guess we're all one bad day away from eating out of a dumpster but until that day comes, i think i'll do my ordering off the menu.

Ridge
04-29-2005, 03:31
I would like to say as the wife of a 95 thru-hiker that the habits he picked up in the aprox 2200 miles are possibly the nastiest, obnoxious known to womankind. I'll mention a few that he calls "trail law"

1. "never, but never, wash your socks"

2. "take a shower only when your hiker friends can no longer id you."

3. "Always eat any food left behind by women you would go to bed with, after all you gotta kiss her".

Just SICK,SICK, signed: discussed hikerwife ps: He may wish he hadn't given me his WB log-in info before its over. But as slow as they are hiking the PCT I'll be a widow.

Nean
04-29-2005, 12:34
I've gotten some good laughs out of this thread.:jump I'll never forget the 1st time I heard this advice; greenhorn, 3weeks into mt 1st hike and my trail hunger was coming on strong. We're sitting in Mr. Pizza in Gorham waiting for what seemed a loong time when my buddy tells me about Warrens ways. My mouth is waterin and stomach growling when I see the waitress across the room clearing the pans (one with 3 slices left) from a large group table. I beat her to the kitchen door and asked, you throwing that away!?! The look she gave me when she said, Noo, I'm putting it in a to go box, was bad enough. Then I had to walk by the large group, who overheard said exchange:datz I needed help getting back up into my chair after. Since then I'd be lyin if I said I NEVER snagged a frie but those were rare and I was discrete and I don't believe any harm was done. I'll agree bummin food does not improve the hikers image and generally not a good ideal.

Funny, just last night I'm talking to my friend in Shady and he tells me there was this guy in town the other day going around to all the churches asking for any supplies they could spare for a group of hikers he was taking up the trail. Panhandling from churches- wow.

LEGS
04-29-2005, 22:10
[HEY MAN, WHERE THE HELL DO YOU GET OFF WITH CALLING DAMASCUS A PODUNK TOWN. IT SEEMS YOU HAVE A HABIT OF PUTTING YOUR FOOT IN YOUR MOUTH WHEN YOU POST HERE. ITS APPARENT YOU DONT HAVE TO MUCH INTEREST IN HIKING. SO HOW CAN YOU LIVE 3000 MILES AWAY FROM ONE OF THE FINEST PLACES YOU'LL FIND ALONG THE A-T AND CALL IT PODUNK? IF YOU'VE NEVER BEEN THERE, I WOULD SUGGEST YOU VISIT SOMETIME BEFORE YOU GO TO CALLING IT NAMES. DAMASCUS IS A FINE TOWN AND VERY RECEPTIVE TO THE HIKING COMMUNITY AND I DON'T THINK WE NEED YOU ,BASHING OUR COMMUNITIES OR ANYTHING ELSE THAT HAPPENS HERE ON THE A-T. WHY DON'T YOU JUST GO FOR A LONG HIKE ON THE PCT AND LEARN A THING OR TWO ABOUT HIKING AND HOW THINGS WORK WITHIN THE HIKING COMMUNITY, THEN POST YOU COMMENTS ON A PCT MESSAGE BOARD. MAYBE THEY WILL FIND YOU AMUSING, BECAUSE WE SURE DON'T FIND YOU THAT WAY HERE. YOU ALWAYS HAVE A CUTE LITTLE REMARK OR REPLY THAT USUALLY CAUSE SOMEONE TO PICK YOU APART, YOU SEEM TO REVEL IN THIS TYPE OF BEHAVIOR. MOST OF US DON'T FIND YOU AMUSING AND WHEN YOU START MOUTHING OFF ABOUT PLACES ALONG THE TRAIL YOU HAVEN'T EVEN SEEN THEN I FOR ONE WILL BE QUICK TO REMIND YOU, THAT WE LOVE OUR TRAIL AND THE TOWNS WE VISIT WHEN WE HIKE IT, SO UNTIL YOU HIKE AND OR VISIT THESE PLACES I SUGGEST YOU REFRAIN FROM NAME CALLING. TALK ABOUT TRYING TO GIVE HIKERS A BAD NAME, THAT IS SURE WHAT YOUR DOING WITH THAT KIND OF TALK. DAMASCUS GOES OUT OF THIER WAY TO BE HELPFUL TO HIKERS, SO LEAVE THEM ALONE.
QUOTE=Pencil Pusher]I'd tend to agree with LW also. DAMASCUS CITY HEALTH DEPARTMENT??? Aye carumba, that podunk (no offense, LW) town probably doesn't even have one! That sort of thing is probably handled by the county and I can't imagine they'd be as receptive towards out-of-towners. I doubt it's illegal, though it might be construed as such if you weren't a customer in there (pan handling or equivalent). You're not 'stealing' food because it has already been paid for. But it is very immoral and I would never stoop to such a level. I encourage all hikers to never do such a thing and be on their best behavior while representing the hiking community.[/QUOTE]

The Old Fhart
04-29-2005, 22:20
Legs-"Podunk!!!!!"No one would actually say that! I think it was a mental lapse and he was talking about Pochuck Mountain in NJ. :D

Lone Wolf
04-30-2005, 09:26
PODUNK:a small isolated town, region or place that is regarded as unimportant.
That pretty much describes Damascus. No big deal Legs.

Nean
04-30-2005, 09:28
It's amusing to me how folks will jump on one little word, bash that person, then send them out to the other coast to hike. Why can"t we send them to the CDT- where there's a chance they will never come back?:rolleyes: I wasn't offended by podunk, I've never looked it up but took it to mean small, old fashioned. BTW, I loves Damascus!

Caleb
04-30-2005, 09:29
I've been hungry and poor too, but I can't imagine ever feeling like it's OK to scarf leftovers at a restaurant. I am typically inclined to do just the opposite..to be as respectful and appropriate as I possibly can..especially since I realize I probably look like a friggin ax murderer to locals when I come off the trail. You'd be surprised how far politeness and respect goes. here's two examples, both from the CDT:

once I walked into a campground in Co. where the caretaker was known to be hostile to thru-hikers for repeatedly using the water and picnic tables without asking/paying. I walked up to the fellow and explained my situation (i needed to recharge my cell phone). i offered to do some work in exchange for a recharge. While we were talking I picked up a broom and started sweeping his porch. Before you knew it, he had kicked on his generater and we were chatting like two peas in a pod.

Another time, i was Granby Co. to get resupplied and I knocked at a church to ask permission to pitch my tarp in the backyard. The minister was relieved I wasn't asking for more (like I said - after a few weeks on the trail I have a Charles Mansonish-thing going on) but he was more than happy to share his lawn with me (luxurous baby-grass). By nightfall I had restacked some wood, removed some trash from under the back stairs, and I had a nice bowl of bean soup and a half loaf of bread from the good folks inside.

Moral of the story is (my experience): Yogi or work YES, beg, borrow, steal or disrespect in anyway, NO. Scarfing leftovers, regardless of the health or legal implications, is a definite no-no. an absurd no-no

plodder
04-30-2005, 10:44
Legs must be half Mainer. I can say anything about this podunk, 20yrs behind place because I'm from here. Doesn't it chap my hide if someone from... says the state is backward etc. That nasal loudness is the worst. Strange mind-set, it's in the water.

LEGS
04-30-2005, 13:31
I KNOW ITS NOT THAT BIG OF A DEAL. BUT WHEN YA LIVE 3000 MILES AWAY THEN I THINK IT WOULD BE BEST TO LEAVE THINGS ALONE YOU KNOW NOTHING ABOUT. HE DESERVED ANY BASHING I GAVE HIM, HES JUST A PLAIN OL SMART ASS IMHO! AND WHO SAYS DAMASCUS ISN'T IMPORTANT, TELL THAT TO A FEW THOUSAND HIKERS! YOU LIVE THERE LW, YOU KNOW ITS A DAMN GOOD PLACE TO BE! SEE YA IN A FEW DAYS ! TAKE CARE MAN AND RIDE SAFE!!!!!!
PODUNK:a small isolated town, region or place that is regarded as unimportant.
That pretty much describes Damascus. No big deal Legs.

LEGS
04-30-2005, 13:38
DON'T HAVE TO SEND HIM OUT THERE, HE LIVES THERE AND KNOWS DAMN LITTLE ABOUT WHATS HAPPING HERE OR FROM THE LOOKS OF HIS POSTS VERY LITTLE ABOUT THE HIKING COMMUNITY ANYWHERE. GUESS HE'S JUST A PENCIL PUSHER THATS BORED IN HIS LITTLE CUBICLE AND LIKES TO SURF THE WEB AND STIR THINGS UP FOR HIS OWN ENJOYMENT. podunk!, DIDN'T BOTHER ME THAT MUCH, IT WAS JUST HIS MANNER OF SLURRING A GOOD HIKER TOWN LIKE DAMASCUS. SEE YA AT TRAILDAYS MAN, HIKE SAFE!

It's amusing to me how folks will jump on one little word, bash that person, then send them out to the other coast to hike. Why can"t we send them to the CDT- where there's a chance they will never come back?:rolleyes: I wasn't offended by podunk, I've never looked it up but took it to mean small, old fashioned. BTW, I loves Damascus!

Blue Jay
04-30-2005, 16:02
I've been hungry and poor too, but I can't imagine ever feeling like it's OK to scarf leftovers at a restaurant. I am typically inclined to do just the opposite..to be as respectful and appropriate as I possibly can..You'd be surprised how far politeness and respect goes. here's two examples, both from the CDT:

once I walked into a campground in Co. where the caretaker was known to be hostile to thru-hikers for repeatedly using the water and picnic tables without asking/paying. I walked up to the fellow and explained my situation (i needed to recharge my cell phone). i offered to do some work in exchange for a recharge. While we were talking I picked up a broom and started sweeping his porch. Before you knew it, he had kicked on his generater and we were chatting like two peas in a pod.

Moral of the story is (my experience): Yogi or work YES, beg, borrow, steal or disrespect in anyway, NO.

NO the opposite of scarffing leftovers is walking into a place and throwing money around like you're a typical tourist looking down on a small time service provider. What you did in CO is EXACTLY what I am advocating. If you start out asking for work in exchange for leftovers, talking to them like human beings and not your paid for servent (which is exactly the behavior I see most of the time) the reputation for hikers soar. Most service providers do think we are rich tourists who can afford to not work for month, mixed with a few beggers. It's good you were something different.

bogey
04-30-2005, 16:09
this sure has gone around for a while. Referring to the original post about looking to see what was left on other tables.

It's a long shot, but I like to think of other possible meanings, and it comes to mind that maybe, just maybe, the instructor person was telling you that if a lot of people left the spinach lasagna, maybe it's something you wouldn't want to try today..ya think?:o

Lone Wolf
04-30-2005, 17:11
Damascus IS a podunk town. I would eat ribs, steak, chicken, fries, etc. that's left on plates in restaurants. Wouldn't think twice about it.

Pencil Pusher
04-30-2005, 18:45
Legs, there is such a thing as Private Messaging, ya' know? Why publicly try to bash a guy that has a screen name of Pencil Pusher and calls himself an American Idiot? What the heck can you possibly hope to accomplish there? :D One little tip for you, try pushing that button "Caps Lock" on the left side of your keyboard and then checking to make sure the appropriate light for it is not illuminated before posting again.

LEGS
05-01-2005, 02:27
well if your going to trash our trail towns and hikers in general in the public view, then take what comes with it, or refrain from such. i'll be dammned if i'll hide behind a private message just to tell you what i think. in your first post you agree that its ok to eat leftovers from other peoples plates, then you side with lone wolfe and then you say you'll never do that type of thing. like i said you just like to stir up trouble. nuff said!!!!! have a nice week, i'll be in damascus for awhile so look me up if you can bring yourself to come to our little podunk town.

oh yeah, as to the caps, i'm a lazy typist, just use what ever is there when i get ready to type. don't like THE CAPS ,THEN DON'T READ THEM.
Legs, there is such a thing as Private Messaging, ya' know? Why publicly try to bash a guy that has a screen name of Pencil Pusher and calls himself an American Idiot? What the heck can you possibly hope to accomplish there? :D One little tip for you, try pushing that button "Caps Lock" on the left side of your keyboard and then checking to make sure the appropriate light for it is not illuminated before posting again.

plodder
05-01-2005, 03:20
this sure has gone around for a while. Referring to the original post about looking to see what was left on other tables.

It's a long shot, but I like to think of other possible meanings, and it comes to mind that maybe, just maybe, the instructor person was telling you that if a lot of people left the spinach lasagna, maybe it's something you wouldn't want to try today..ya think?:o

That was what I thought until I read on...

Pencil Pusher
05-01-2005, 19:13
Well the bad thing about airing dirty laundry is that others don't particularly care to see it, Legs. So my original stance and LW's are the same, we'd both eat leftovers. The way I ended that last stance (the contradictory one) was more tongue-in-cheek "I would never do such a thing..." bs pc stuff. I was going to rattle off about me eating leftovers at a charity event I volunteered for just recently, but I'm sure they'd rather not know and I'd rather them not know, so no point in telling my growing fan base here on WB the specifics...

And who says you can't teach an old dog new tricks? Great job finding the caps lock key. Typing in caps makes it seem like you're shouting. For more on how to annoy readers, try quoting people by typing their name in bold then copy and paste the particular sentence you're about to bash out of context. Taking on several posters at once may seem like more bang for the buck, but...

Nean
05-02-2005, 14:22
Hey LW- did you say ribs; um..are they pork? and that steak...ribeye? Fried chicken is a favorite....I'm hangin with you in town brother, look forward to sharing a ship