Right Up Our Alley

I've heard that dumpster diving has become a big thing in major cities. Folks have discovered that restaurants and food stores routinely throw out huge quantities of perfectly good food, usually because the "use by" date has just past. Even the well-heeled are patrolling back alleys to fill their larders and refrigerators. Also known as urban foraging, binning, skipping, and alley surfing, it's become especially common in New York, where people are organizing elegant dinner parties and serving nothing but their free swag. I've no doubt it will soon lead to organized competitions, with points deducted if, say, you can't find the right garnis for your pot au feu and are forced to pick up some at Gristede's.