Monday, July 15, 2013

A value learnt at a street corner




Be it @ a party, @ a wedding, @ an hotel or @ my home, I never waste food, not even a grain.  I fill my plate with the required portions when i self serve or when it is being served i always ensure i block my plate with my right hand so that the serving host never fills my plate beyond my eating capacity. When done i might go for a second helping but, never will you find me wasting food. Even the leftover food at home like roti, rice or veggies will be recycled to make a new dish or passed on to the needy.  Although, this is a value which my parents and grandparents have tried to ingrain into me. A disturbing sight at a street corner was an eye opener for me.
   
This incident happened when i was in the high school and  may be I was around 13,  i don't remember exactly. 

  I was walking on a street, past a  wedding hall. The street corner had an overflowing bin with leftover food and plaintain leaves. The plaintain leaves, it was clear came from the wedding hall where guests were served the feast. What unfolded next was the most disturbing scene that taught me the value of a grain. 

 An old man in tattered clothes and overgrown beard was vying with the dogs for the left overs. It was such a heart tugging sight  to see an old man fighting for leftovers with animals. That was the day,  the fact that, Not all are blessed with good food to eat dawned on me. While some wine and dine in silver plates and spoons, there are many who have to eat the leftovers or even go hungry.

 After this whenever Appa said  " Saadam sindhadhay" ("don't spill rice"),  or kai eriyaday( don't waste vegetables), it fell on my ears and I  followed his words religiously.Ever since then i ensure i don't spill even a grain of rice or waste a piece of vegetable. 

That is why it disturbs me when at a wedding feast, exhibition, hotels, people load their plates beyond their capacity  or waste food because they don't like the taste. Finally the extra food ends in the trash. In a country, where  every third Indian is undernourished, food wastage, even a grain is a criminal waste. The extra food in good condition could be passed to the needy - humans or animals.  A value i learnt at a street  corner and have also ingrained in my children.

I am sharing what "I Saw and I learnt" at The best community of Indian bloggers  Blogadda. in association with 'Do Right'

13 comments:

  1. Absolutely right. There is an award winning video on the same theme that is sure to bring a lump to the throat of anybody.

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BJbhHhU_n0k

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    1. Thank you for the video link. Will catch it soon and there are also many beautiful stories at Doright.in. I will read them too.

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    2. It sure would choke anybody. I hope this video goes viral. It would certainly help people value food. Thanks again for sharing the link.

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  2. Such a valuable lesson you learnt that day, Asha and it is valid and and important to follow, more so in today's times. It is so gross to see heaped plates during weddings, hotel buffets... why cant they go for a second helping instead of having a mountain of food in the plate and then not eating it. Wasting food is not a part of our value system too.

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    1. YEs, shilpa it is the need of the hour too since we will be also facing food shortage in the coming years.

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  3. A great value to live by. For the daughter's upcoming birthday, one of the things I've decided to do with her is to take her to the local church where they feed the homeless one day every month. I've been to a couple of sessions, and it is such a humbling experience. She clearly needs to understand it better even though she is very young.

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    1. That's a nice way to celebrate and share. Glad you are passing good values to her at a tender age. Thank you, Shachi:)

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  4. Yes Asha, I see wastage at every wedding I have attended. In fact, i cannot understand why they waste vegetables and fruits for carving, neither can we eat such creations nor is it hygienic to have food that is left exposed for long hours. So much salad items are left, for generally nobody is interested in eating them, when they have been invited for the wedding feast, it just for show so much wastage.
    It is true we all like to taste the various delicacies of food, but why pile everything in one plate, and later waste them because we cannot finish them.

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    1. Yes, rama. I remember during one of our cousin's wedding a pumpkin was carved as Ganeshji and my uncle told the wedding contractor too avoid displaying such carving and waste vegetables. that should'nt be encouraged.

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  5. Agree with you 100%. Nowadays weddings have become such a big show off. We should always remember not to waste food.

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    1. Yes, SG! The vedic rites have been reduced instead it is compensated with ostentatious display of one's wealth and power through designer themes and world cuisine. Thank you :)

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  6. A very important lesson learnt. We should all vow not to waste a single morsel on our plates. At least that is a start!!

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    1. Welcome aditi and glad the post resonated with you. Thank you:)

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