Do Not Waste Food

 When I was little, I had this routine of leaving out food on my plate, be it only a spoonful or two; I just could not finish it. That, of course, earned me a good speech from my mother: “What sort of habit is that? You never finish your food”, she would say. Perhaps it were these consistent speeches that has made me feel conscious about leaving out food, which is a good thing.

But this is very true, you know? We rarely think about all the time, all the effort that goes into making what we have on our plate, and we seldom appreciate it. Perhaps we do when our stomachs are roaring for it, but not after that.

“But that’s exactly food is for!” you might be rolling your eyes at me.

“We eat because we’re hungry, and when we’re not hungry anymore, why eat? “

Right?

You’re right; I’ve got nothing to say against that. But take only as much as you’re hungry. If you have even the faintest doubt that you cannot consume more than that, do not take more than that. The same amount that you left on your plate, could have filled someone else’s stomach.

My mother always says, “nhyau na sa pwa jyaku kha”, which means whatever we eat is meant to fill our stomachs. When we are hungry, we do not care whether it is a three course meal or street food. Our stomach appreciates everything nonetheless. Think of all the days under the sun, in the fields, giving out water that farmers have spent to grow that wheat; all the time it has taken to get them ready and packed; the time it has taken to get them across the country into your house and your plate. You are getting the better end here. You are lucky you get to have 3 full meals a day because there are people out there who are barely able to have one. So appreciate where your food comes from, the effort it has taken from the start, the effort taken by that person who made it. Do not only think that it is your money and it is your decision if you want to eat it or not. If you do not want to eat it, at least do not waste it.