Oddbox Review - Fruit and Veg Delivery

Due to the current Coronavirus situation, since April, I have been subscribed to the Oddbox fruit and vegetable boxes. This is my review of the weekly delivery service of fruit and vegetables that would otherwise be food waste. For context, I am a 20-something pescatarian, who enjoys cooking for myself during lockdown. I consume an above average volume of vegetables per week. When making ethical choices with my purchasing power, I strongly value putting my money where my mouth is. Like many young working professionals, I never used to cook much until Coronavirus struck and I was forced to either cook for myself, or spend a ridiculous amount of money on food delivery. 

What surprised me

I think the name "Oddbox" is a misleading as you would assume that you'd receive a range of gnarly and misshaped vegetables. Most of the fruit and veg you receive is actually surplus produce. This means the quality of the produce is similar to what you buy in the supermarket. 

Some of the produce is oddly shaped compared to what is normally sold in the supermarket, but not necessarily in a bad way. For example, recently I have had some jumbo asparagus and oblong melons, as opposed to the spherical melon. Is it different? Yes, but does it affect my usage of the vegetable? No. 

Advantages

Price

The Oddbox subscription is much cheaper than other fruit and veg box options, and only slightly more expensive than supermarket prices. Given that all their boxes are less than £20 (delivery included) and the large box can contain up to 13 types of fruit and veg, the subscription is much cheaper than other fruit and veg boxes. For me it is on-par with buying groceries from a supermarket chain, meaning that it's right choice for me given the other following advantages.

Eco-credentials and sustainability

As a social enterprise, you actively doing some good for our environment by choosing Oddbox instead of normal supermarket groceries as all the produce would literally otherwise go to waste if it had not been salvaged by Oddbox. The produce is usually seasonal, meaning lower carbon emissions from transportation. Lastly, each subscription comes in a cardboard box with most produce unpacked. This means significantly less plastic compared to supermarket groceries.

You support a small business 

With each box there is also a weekly newsletter that comes with each delivery. This is a nice personal touch that I enjoy reading every Saturday morning. It contains details of where the produce is from, why it's included in your Oddbox (surplus, oversized etc.), recipe suggestions, and what you should eat first.

Convenient delivery 

Every week there is overnight delivery where they leave the delivery box on your doorstep. I was a bit sceptical about this initially but I've had no problems with this and it also saves you from having to carry heavy fruit and vegetables from the supermarket which is my pet peeve.  

Variety of fruit and veg

Using a grocery subscription service means that you will get a wider variety of produce you'd otherwise not buy. This is exciting if you like experimenting with new fruit and veg,  Recently we've received Jerusalem artichokes, passionfruit and celeriac, all produce I'd otherwise never buy myself. 

Disadvantages

Limited delivery locations

They don't deliver everywhere in the country but they are quickly expanding. When I subscribed they only served London, but now I'm back home in Hertfordshire, they've also expanded to delivering here to! 

Repetitive fruit and vegetable choices

The downsides of a seasonal vegetable delivery is the fruit and veg choices can be repetitive during certain seasons. This means a whole lot of  root veg over the winter. However, produce is actually most limited in Spring time meaning that you end up with lots of cabbages and brassicas which are not the most exciting vegetable. 

A constant throughout the year is lots and lots of potatoes every week. Did you that they are the most vegetable that contributes to most food waste in the UK? Luckily potatoes are super versatile, but this may be potato overload to those who are not potato-heads.

The Bottom Line

Waking up to find my Oddbox on my porch every Saturday is like Christmas for me. This is one subscription that I will definitely be continuing even after lockdown is over. 

Oddbox is for you if...

• Live in an area they deliver
• Don't like carrying from the supermarket 
• Aren't too fussy about choice of fruit/veg
• If you want to put your money where your mouth is and want to use your purchasing power to support a sustainability-focused social enterprise 

Me and a sheet of paper: an episode in the non-white experience at Oxford

I once had a class at university on Biomaterials. This class was lead by the Professor, middle-aged man with wiry white hair and a mumbling tone. He held up an A4 sheet of paper and asked the class whether a sheet of paper be a good candidate material for a skin graft. No one in the class volunteered to answer his question so he prompted us, "What about the mechanical properties, how about the thickness?  How about the colour? Is it a good colour match for a skin graft? I see we are all white-ish in this class. [PAUSE] Well, except for you, Rebecca..."* Awkwardness ensues and I shrink into my chair.

When you are a minority, there is always a resounding sense of "otherness". Normally it's an undertone that is simmering in the background, but other times it slaps you around the face. It's a jarring reminder that you are in a system that is not designed for you. This white-sheet-of-paper moment was one of these reminders. I was the only non-white person in the room. I was an afterthought.

Privilege is a cornerstone of the Oxford experience. To attend Oxford University is a privilege in itself, but once you are there, it is evident that some people are significantly more privileged than others. For centuries, it has been been an experience only available to a select few. The student body may become more diverse every year, but the institution has centuries of inertia to unwind. Despite years of campaigning, it ultimately took the death of another black man at the hands of the police to catalyse the removal of the statue of Cecil Rhodes from Oriel College. But Rhodes is only the tip of the iceberg. I hope that this renewed focused on anti-racism will spur on real change. It gave me the confidence to share this story, which unfortunately is one story of many. I encourage you to do the same.

*Paraphrased as I cannot remember exactly what was said due to the overwhelming second-hand cringe.

How to Read More

Here are my practical tips getting into that bookworm life and for building a sustainable reading habit!

Reading provides a great deal of enjoyment in my life. However, I have only recently made it part of my regular routine. Before this year, I hadn't read a book for "fun" for over a decade.

----

Choose books that you *know* you will enjoy, rather than what you *think* you will enjoy

I am sure that I am not the only one with a large collection of books I have bought over the years but they are gathering dust as they are yet to be read. A bestselling book has won numerous awards is not always going to be a book that you will enjoy. 

Think back about the books you have previous enjoyed and thing about what themes, genres and styles you find the most enjoyable to read. Do you prefer a fast-pasted, plot driven novel or something more poetic and descriptive? Everyone has a different taste so if you aren't a regular reader, ease yourself in with something you know you will enjoy, rather than a book that you think will make you seem cool or intellectual by reading. 

Get recommendations from trusted friends

Most people will surround themselves with others with similar tastes to them, so it is likely that you will have similar reading taste as your friends. Surrounding yourself with fellow bibliophiles is the best way to be encouraged to read more.

The last tip encourages you to read what you know you will enjoy reading from previous experiences, but a side-effect of this is that it can cause you always read similar books. Of course there is nothing wrong with this, but there is tremendous value in diversifying and expanding the perspectives and world-views that you read about. It can difficult to know when to start with a new genre, so why not ask your friends for their recommendations? If they have a similar taste, it is likely that you will also enjoy what they enjoy, even it is outside of your regular genres.

I highly recommends the Goodreads app, where you can see what your friends are reading and what they think about it.

Make reading a social activity

The stereotype for those who enjoy reading is someone anti-social and would rather spend time with their fictional friends than real-life people. Reading is an experience which doesn't have to end as you finish the last page. Sharing the perspectives, stories and wisdom gained from reading with a loved one or dear friend is a way 

You can facilitate this shared reading experience by passing on your physical books. There are numerous benefits to this. It's a great way to stay in contact and bond with long distance friends as it will give you an shared experience you can discuss together, despite not having to be geographically together.  This will give you a reason to meet again, so that your friend can return your book. 

Ease yourself in

Don't expect yourself to go from reading zero to tackling 500+ page novels overnight. Reading is like any skill; it needs consistency to maintain proficiency. If you haven't read for a long time, don't start with book that could used as a fire door-stop. I found it easier to start with books that are shorter in length, and simpler in language and vocabulary.

Structure is important for readability. I like to read books where the writing is clearly divided by chapters or sections that offer natural end points for reading sessions. For those books without these natural end-points or excessively long chapters, I often find myself having to re-read pages to remember what I had previously read. In general, little and often is more conducive to forming a regular reading habit forming.

Mix it up

Reading fatigue is real. Too much of the same thing will always become a drain. The range of books you can read is huge, so why not make most of this? For example, I enjoy a cycle of fiction, (auto)biographical, and non-fiction books. I think that when I started reading again there were so many topics I wanted to learn about so I lined up many non-fiction books to read. However, there is only so much factual information that your brain can absorb at once. Mix it to keep things interesting.

You don't have to read cover-to-cover

Sometimes a book is not as interesting as you anticipated and that's okay. Many people - myself included - only ever read one book at a time, and will only start a new book once the previous book has been read cover-to-cover. Whilst there is nothing wrong with this approach, this can become an issue when you read a book that is not as interesting as you originally anticipated and it becomes a chore to continue reading.

Due to sunk cost fallacy, aborting a book halfway through may feel like a waste of the time you've "sunk" already. This is probably why there are so many people who have read the first few chapters of "Sapiens" by Yuval Noah Harari and not picked up another book since. Don't be one of those people! There's no shame in half read books!

----

I hope these tips help you to get (back) into regular reading. It is a hugely worthwhile habit to have. Let me know if you have any other tips in the comments below! 

New Year's Resolutions 2015

It's that time again to sum up everything that has happened over the last year and make some new goals for the new year as I have done for both 2012 and 2014. This year has definitely been the most eventful, formative and rewarding so far in my 18 years of existence. My outlook towards many aspects of life have developed and I am a different person to who I was 12 months.

• For the first half of the year, I completed my A-levels and ended the major era of my life that was compulsory schooling. I slaved over my design and technology coursework to design and make my own maple and black american walnut music stand. As well as the usual musical endeavors - Tchaikosky's Nutcracker with CYO at the Royal Academy of Music, playing in a show orchestra for Les Mis and a 1960s/70s themed concert with school - I also went about setting up my own physics society at school. I managed to invite an awesome plasma physicist to our school to talk about the Northern Lights. Working at the music center for Saturday morning music was also such a rewarding first job. 
• Once exams were over I had the best summer holiday ever. Full stop. Being able to chill with my old friends at prom, our beautiful cottage house at Naylands and Brighton was such a great time. At Naylands I cut off 22 inches of hair to donate to the Little Princess Trust. I then began my international travels with an Overseas Chinese summer camp in China which proved to to be such a memorable experience, making so many meaningful friendships from all over the world. The astonishing landscape of Hunan and Guangxi were truly breathtaking. Afterwards I continued travelling with an inter-planing trip around Europe with stops at Amsterdam, Berlin and Stockholm - my first solo travels. Other fun things I did over this awesome vacation was seeing Alt-J live and getting a signed copy of "The Mathematical Secrets of the Simpsons". I went on a Skills Development course at RAE which really inspired me to begin the best person possible. At this point I was the happiest I had been for a long time, not only because I had found out that I had made it into my dream university, but because I felt like I was truly starting to understand myself 
• The rest of my year has been crazy, insane and intense. These adjectives don't begin to describe the rollercoaster that was my first term as a fresher at university. I say rollercoaster as with every moment of elation and joy, there were just as many times where I found it to be the most challenging chapter of life yet. Freshers at Oxford surpassed every expectation I had (9am start to Matriculash?!) and whether it was a crew date, wine or cheese evening or cocktails with the college family, the social aspect of Oxford was top notch. In terms of extra-curriculars, I really went crazy with trying out absolutely everything I could. I kept up with my music, taking part with Chapel Choir, forming our own college quartet and playing ukulele at the Harry Potter society's Yule Ball(!). I tried my hand at ball-room dancing, rowing, yoga, zumba, college netball and also attended talks with the energy society, OxFEST and media society. One of my main hobbies have been cheerleading. Yes, cheerleading - probably the last thing I anticipated myself participating in. Despite starting with limited flexibility and no experience gymnastics or dance, it has proven to been one of the most enjoyable and rewarding things I did all term. When I was not busy doing all these many activities, I managed to squeeze in sometime actually study my subject. I got the first "not satisfactory" of my life and fell asleep in a tutorial due to extreme sleep deprivation in week 8. Apart from that, I think I managed to survive my first term! 
• Other notable things that happened in the second half of the year was that I was shortlisted for a Women in Science and Engineering award and was invited to a very swanky black tie awards evening with Princess Anne. Another black tie event I attended was the ABACUS boat party on the Thames which was great fun. After term had ended, I stayed an extra week and a half in college to help with interviews which was a very enjoyable experience as I managed to explore the beautiful city of Oxford with a stupid amount of work to do. Being part of the my friend's own orchestra for Tchaikovsky's violin concerto is also something I will never forget! 

So that's a very long list of all the notable things that happened over this year. Probably the biggest changes in my life this year though have been beginning my journey towards a plant-based diet and actually regularly exercising for the first time in my life. This time last year I would've never guessed that I would be a fully fledged vegetarian who voluntarily goes for runs and enjoys it! 

Thinking of what to set as my 2015 New Years resolutions has been very challenging. This year I have accomplished many long-term goals that I have set in my childhood such as getting into university, travelling abroad solo and getting into exercise. However, after my term at university had finished, I felt somewhat empty as I didn't feel as satisfied as I anticipated. I realised that it was the journey towards accomplishing these goals which was really rewarding, not the actual end prize. For someone who enjoys meticulously planning personal development the fact that I didn't know what to resolve for this year was very disconcerting for me. Sometimes you just need to step back and look at the greater picture, recollect your thoughts and consider what truly makes you happy. After doing so, here are my new year's resolutions

Health and Fitness goals:

1. Be able to do both left and right leg front splits. 

My flexibility has actually increased significantly since starting cheer - previously I couldn't even touch my toes! I am about 1 inch away from right leg front splits and 3 inches away from left leg front splits. I would like to be able to do the right leg split within 1 month and left leg split within 3! 

2. Make time again for running.

I have very little free time for running whilst at university, but I would like to make it part of my routine again as I find it highly rewarding and therapeutic. I would like to go to for a jog at least once a week since I am already doing cheer 3 times a week. 

3. Lose the weight I gained over my 1st term at university.

This is the heaviest I have ever been in my life and I would like to lose this excess fat - no more midnight kebabs for me! 

Academic and Career goals:

1. Do well in pre-lims

2. Get an internship/work experience over summer

Other goals:

1. Find my own personal style

Ever since starting uni, I feel like I have lost all sense of creativity in terms of my physical appearance. Considering how much I used to love fashion and style (I even had a blog on it!), I really want to start dressing slightly more edger again

I think that's it! I'll keep you updated on how everything goes! 

Stockholm

I ended my adventures around Europe in Stockholm, Sweden, which turned out to be the cherry on top of a fantastic 12 days travelling. The short amount of time I spent here were the best yet and here is why.

The best bits:
Stockholm is a beautiful city, with places like the picturesque island of Gamla Stan a beautifully preserved, medieval Old Town surrounded by still water. The city is quiet and the clear blue skies I encountered gave the place a wonderful sense of serenity. I recommend spending a mere 40 SEK to climb the City Hall which gave fantastic views over the entire city.

The City Hall

Military parade outside the Royal Palace

Transport by ferry is the best way to get great views of the entire city - it's part of the cities public transport too! 

There are many, many other small things that made me really enjoy my trip to Sweden - no wonder they are often high up in polls for the happiest countries in the world. I am going to list them below as I would be here for a very long time if I were to fully elaborate on each point individually.

1. Friendliness of the people: if you stop someone in the street, they all seem to be very willing to help in perfect English. The moment I boarded my Scandinavian Airlines flight to Stockholm Arlanda, I suddenly felt at ease. Customer service is also very polite and helpful. 
2. Sense of trust within society: there was nothing stopping you from getting free unlimited re-fills at Max, the Swedish equivalent to McDonalds or stealing from supermarkets with their self service checkout schemes, but one assumes that there is enough trust among Swedes otherwise this would not to be the case.
3. Sustainability at the forefront of public concern: none of the many supermarkets I visited during my trip offered free carrier bags and all had recycling points that rewarded those who returned bottles or cans. This made me very happy as someone who cares a great deal about our planet. 
4. Great public transport: the city is easy to navigate and it's not too expensive either

However, there is no doubt that the best aspect of my trip was visiting my Swedish friends. They were incredibly generous to welcome me into their homes and I am so happy that I have made so many meaningful friendships with people from around the world. There is so much that I can learn from each one of them and I am excited for when we meet again.

The worst bits:

Everything in Sweden is expensive. Food from the supermarket can be two to three times more expensive to the UK. However with Sweden, I suppose this is one of the many cases in life where you get what you pay for. 

So that's it! The end of my 12 day trip around Europe. I come back having lost an entire bag of toiletries and 120Euro after missing my train from Amsterdam to Berlin, but having gain a whole wealth of life experiences, funny stories, feeling more confident than ever about my ability to travel solo. I am just beginning my journey of exploring the world and meeting many wonderful people along the way, making me very excited for the future indeed.  

Reichstag and Rubbish Airports: Berlin Day 5

I have reached the end of the Berlin leg of my European trip, visiting some of the best and worst of German infrastructure. Today was mostly spent flying to Stockholm, but here is what I did in the morning beforehand.

The best bits:
The dome of the Reichstag building is an outstanding piece of architecture. After the original dome to the building was burnt down during the Nazi regime, it was re-designed by Sir Norman Foster (a Brit!) as the architect. The original shape has been preserved but completely designed using modern materials and technologies; it appears to float as a glistening crown to the original Reichstag building. The use of steel, glass and mirrors symbolises the transparency of Parliament and with spiraling walkways up to the top of the dome, it allows unspoilt 360 views over the vast city of Berlin. Best of all was that a visit to the dome with a complementary audio guide is FREE - all you need to do is book online in advance.

The mirrored inner funnel reflected the wonderful views and made the dome even more light

In the center there were photographs sharing the history of the Reichstag

Spiraling walk-ways lead to the top of the dome

The worst bits:
I left Germany via Tegel Airport: i.e. the worst airport I've ever been to and I regularly fly from the likes of London Luton. With an utterly confusing layout, long queues, little seating area and most importantly no free WiFi, this all lead to an overall unpleasant experience. The only redeeming factor was that the transport there was relatively easy as it was within the AB zone of Berlin.

So that's all for Berlin - next stop Stockholm!

Dinosaurs and Doner Kebabs: Berlin Day 4

My marathon museum tour is coming to an end and I've saved some of the more niche museums for last. Here are some of the best and worst things that happened today.

The best things
Over this last week or so I have visited SO many museums that I feel like my head will soon explode from all the culture. It's great seeing world-renowned works of art but I personally feel like when you know a little bit of background knowledge about what you are glancing at whilst listening to a posh lady describe the object on the audio guide, it makes the experience far more worthwhile. Since I did product design A-level, we had to learn about design movements and their characteristics, it was fantastic to see authentic furniture, art and graphic design after studying about them from a textbook. Highlights included seeing Marcel Breuer tubular steel chair at the Bauhaus Archiv and organic, whip-lash motive art-nouveau furniture at Bröhan-Museum. I got lazy and did not take any pictures, but I wish I did as I am super interested in design history.

Geometric and functional: the Bauhaus Archiv building

Another museum that I visited today that was meaningful for myself was the Musikinstrumenten-Museum, which is home to a multitude of musical instruments from the 17th Century to current day. As I mentioned yesterday, everywhere in Berlin is eerily quiet so I was the only visitor in the museum for most of the time I was there. Nonetheless, it was a well-worthwhile visit for any music-lover like myself.

Hurdy-gurdys to harpsichords, music boxes to mandolins, the Musikinstrumenten-Museum is a treasure trove for music enthusiasts

 A third exciting museum was the Museum fuer Naturkunde, the Natural Science Museum. Once you enter the hall you are greeted by an 17.27m high dinosaur - the Guinness World record for the tallest mounted dinosaur skeleton. The museum also featured the usual collection of taxidermy animals (including the famous Knut from Berlin Zoo) and fancy rocks. 

This Guinness World Record holding, 150 million year old dinosaur stands 17.27m tall - I can't even fit it in frame!

The creepiest room I've ever been in - the wet room in the Museum fuer Naturkunde

Half-eaten kebab photo as I already began devouring it

Arguably the best thing to happen to me was that I managed to stumble across this awesome Kebab shop! Since Berlin is such an empty city, I was surprised to find so many people - mostly Turkish locals - queuing up in this one kebab shop just outside Sophie-Charlotte Platz U-bahn station, called XL Kebap Sophie. I decided to go for one myself (a vegetarian doner that cost only 2.40Euro) and it was heavenly - I am salivating just thinking back to it. The kebab was really large and the walls of the kebab shop featured pictures of many different celebrities devouring their deliciousness. It's a shame I've only just found the place as I doubt I will have the opportunity to go back.

Berlin Wall Memorial

My trip is nearing it's end. Tomorrow it is goodbye Germany and hello Sweden. Auf Wiedersehen!