ABSTRACT: Women who manage household food provisioning in Bogor, Indonesia, often recount the cultural story of “the crying rice” (Kisah Nasi Menangis) as a food waste prevention approach that they would share with their children. For many of the women interviewed, children were warned not to waste food in their households by repeating the following pepatah(saying): “finish all your food or the rice will cry.”  On a spiritual note, In Indonesia, home to a majority Muslim population, the concept of “mubazir,” or the acts of wasting and being excessive are considered sinful. The Islamic concept of mubazir and the West-Java tale of the crying rice are examples of the unpaid foodwork that parents in Indonesia (mostly women) perform to instill moral values and the need to respect and value food. This talk will explore the role of critical food pedagogy in food waste prevention and reduction and will unpack the diverse discourses mobilized by households in preventing or reducing food waste. In this talk I will also highlight applied examples of a critical food pedagogy study conducted with students in the REM 357 (Planning for Sustainable Food Systems) course and their Elders from Siksika Nation, Pakistan and China. This paper argues that unpaid foodwork and intergenerational storytelling are an important pedagogical and philosophical tool in reducing or preventing food waste and may contribute to the development of a more sustainable food system.