Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
Food
Dumpster Diving Freegan Dishes About His Daily Diet
By
John Del Signore
Published Jul 28, 2011
Modified Jul 28, 2011
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
Never miss a story
Email address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .
Via Huffington Post
By
John Del Signore
Published Jul 28, 2011
Modified Jul 28, 2011
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
We rely on your support to make local news available to all
Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
While you're watching the best years of your life go down the drain at some Squaresville job, writer, artist, musician and freegan New Yorker Gio Andollo is living the dream. He's his own boss (which allows him enough free time to blog about washing dishes) and lives his life completely liberated from the shackles of stultifying labor and soul-crushing responsibilities—when he needs money, he goes down into the subway and plays his guitar. When he needs food, he picks it out of the trash. And when he needs to share his story with the world, he does it on Huffington Post, which has published his diary about how he eats like a king for free. Here are the most inspirational parts:
- I observe Monday as Sabbath - a day of rest, thanks, and realignment. A holy day. So I don't have any work on the agenda.
- My roommate complains about ants in the apartment, killing them mercilessly. I vouch for their right to life, citing their workmanship and sense of community. He's not buying it.
- I brought my guitar with me for these errands but left my picks at home. I don't want to waste the ride back so I fashion guitar picks out of an old credit card and perform on the subway.
- Everyone wants a revolution but nobody wants to do the dishes.
- I take to the subway, busking my way home. I don't make much money and a group of men (in their early 20s, I think) ridicule me aloud while I play. As if this work wasn't hard enough!
Please do read through Andollo's whole food diary here at your leisure. And to the guys who laughed at Andollo for busking on the subway: The joke's on you, slaves! [Via Grub Street]
Tagged
dumpster diving
food diary
freegan
John Del Signore
Originally from the Albany area, John Del Signore has called NYC home since 1995. In addition to his thousands of meticulously-crafted bespoke blog posts for Gothamist, his writing has also been published in The Awl, Deadspin, The Nervous Breakdown, and performed at The Brick Theater in Brooklyn.
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE food
Where are the cheapest drinks in NYC? A new report details the city's average prices.
The median price of a cocktail in the city is now $16, and $9 for a draft beer.
By
Hannah Frishberg
Published Oct 19, 2026 at 1:31 p.m. ET
North African restaurants are rare in NYC. These 10 are the best.
Egyptian, Moroccan, Algerian and Tunisian food is delicious but underrepresented in the city.
By
Robert Sietsema
Food
North African restaurants are rare in NYC. These 10 are the best.
Egyptian, Moroccan, Algerian and Tunisian food is delicious but underrepresented in the city.
By
Robert Sietsema
10 dishes that demonstrate the delicious diversity of curry in New York City
By
Robert Sietsema
Frozen yogurt is back in New York City. So are the super long lines.
By
Sonia Rao
5 NYC banana puddings as good as Magnolia's
By
Hannah Frishberg
Never miss a story
Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.
Sign upEmail address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .