OOPS! You Accidentally Made Meatloaf. Now What?

It happens to the best of us. You’re going about your day, and BAM! Meatloaf. Here’s what to do now that you accidentally made meatloaf.

1.    Confirm that it is actually meatloaf

Don’t panic just yet. The food that you somehow accidentally prepared and cooked without knowing may not actually be meatloaf. Is it made of meat? Is it shaped like bread? If you answered yes to both of those then I’m sorry, bud. If not, you’re all good!

2.    Confirm that it was actually made accidentally

Give it a good think. Did you intend to make this lump of ground meat and spices? Did you have any agency in its production? Do you remember putting it in and/or taking it out of the oven? Did you purposely make it bread-shaped? Ponder, and continue reading if it was indeed unintentional.

3.    Does anyone want to eat it?

Look around you. Are you alone? Are you sure? Is there anyone in the immediate vicinity who may want to chow down on this meatloaf with/for you? Don’t forget about you, too; you are also a human with the biological need to consume food. Do you want it? Eating is in the top 3 on the list of ways people get rid of meatloaf worldwide, so this is a very fine option if someone is down.

4.    Is anyone leaving town soon?

Ok, this one’s a little risky. Figure out if anyone around you will be leaving town soon. If so, you can have them unknowingly take the meatloaf with them and it is no longer your problem. The main challenge here is that you can’t just ask if someone’s leaving town soon, because they may get suspicious. Wait for someone to say something like “Hey, I’m leaving town soon.” or “I will be going far away from here in the coming minutes or hours. Please don’t put something in my car or in the loaf-shaped vacancy in my suitcase without me knowing because it will travel with me to that far away place to which I am going.”

5.    Trash

If there’s no one around you or everyone around is planning on staying in town, you will have to resort to the garbage. It is not easy to put an entire meatloaf in the garbage. You will feel guilty about the wasted food. You will have trouble fitting it in the small can. You will risk some of the meat falling between the trash bag and the trash can. You may even get some gross trash juice on your hands. Do not fear, for the downsides last only a second, but the relief of no more mysterious meatloaf lasts a lifetime!

– BD ’22