Ess, Mein Kint 04/29/2009
 

I've been told my blog is too pareve, not enough controversy. Well, I'm not one to create controversy but thought-provoking is right up my alley. See if the following observation falls under the food for thought category.

Recently, we hosted a family for a meal--wonderful people with adorable kids. What's more, they ate! Most of the time, half the food I serve goes back into the fridge, but this time there was hardly a crumb left, and I had prepared a ton! Well, the kids eventually regrouped to play and the adults began to shmooze. Eventually, the men left to Shul (synagogue), and the woman and I began to do what women do best--clear the table :-)! (Feminists, relax, I was really and truly joking!) Now, when I clear the table it goes something like this:

Pick up plates. Scrape them off. Discard garbage in the trash. Put dishes and silverware in the sink.

Here's what my guest did:

Pick up plates. Eat the kids leftovers. No garbage to discard in the trash. Put dishes and silverware in the sink.

It struck me very forcefully and it made me sad. She must have been satiated; I think everyone at the table was, based on the amount of food consumed. There is something so...self-loathing about the action of eating the kids' leftovers, in my mind. The underlying message is, somehow, "I am the trash".

Don't get me wrong: I am very careful about preventing waste in all areas, not just food. But is consuming my children's half-eaten leftovers a sublime act of righteousness?

Or does it reinforce a damaging and tragic belief that lurks subconsciously, under layers and layers of half-eaten leftovers? What say you?

 


Comments

Something Different link
04/29/2009 14:04

Firstly, there is nothing wrong with lack of controversy on blogs. They just don't get many comments. The question is, what do you want more? Lots of comments or a nice happy post that makes people nod and move on.

Also, my first instinct about that was the opposite of yours. While I would never do it, nor would I think it is a nice thing, I was assuming this lady was brought up to waste nothing. In her mind, wasting food was a terrible thing, something she was not willing to do. Therefore, she finished her kid's food. Either way, like I said, it's not something I would do...

Reply
chani
05/07/2009 13:06

just some food for thought (pun intended)

"what is the difference between throwing in and throwing out!"



Reply
vicky
05/08/2009 07:29

Riva, that is a genious observation and I thank you for it. I am prone to doing that and hate myself for it because I am never hungry at the time. I appreciate you putting this into this perspective as it will help me think twice the next time I am about to stuff my face.

Reply
Lori link
05/13/2009 05:31

Hi Riva, I'm on my lunch break and so I decided to take a look at your web site. As for your guests, I have a friend who does the same thing (anyway years ago when I visited her, she did). I was single, so I really thought it was disgusting, but I knew that both of her parents were Holocaust survivors and that that is probably what was behind her actions. I always say to my family, "Does my face look like the opening of the garbage bin?" I think that people who eat their children's leftovers probably don't give a lot of thought to it, but feel compelled to not waste the food and it probably comes from how they were brought up. I think a person has to think about it and say, "I am not a garbage bin" in order to stop doing it.

Reply
Leah
05/26/2009 14:49

Controversy for the sake of controversy is not necessarily a good thing. I think what you said, "thought-provoking" is better. Talking about a controversial topic to attract readers is worthwhile if the perspective offered actually says something, and doesn't just rehash old ideas to annoy people.
I think eating kids' leftovers is kind of disgusting- did she see what the kids did to the food during the meal? A lot of kids mush it up, taste a little and spit it out...forget self esteem, what about hygiene?

Reply



Leave a Reply