Have you wondered what the first ever fight between two humans must have been about?
I am pretty certain that it must have been on account of food. What else could it have been about? There were no possessions that they had, there was no sense of family to speak of, there were no kingdoms and no issues over power or the remote control. So think about it! All they had to fight over was food.
They felt hungry, so they went out and foraged and when their bellies were full they lay down and rested. That was all there was to life then (sounds like a perfect vacation). Straight and simple.
So, what could have led to the first fight ever? Maybe one man grabbed some food from another and the other objected and then there were fisticuffs. Maybe one was stronger than the other and decided that the effort required to intimidate and bully a weaker member of his race was lesser than hunting for food on his own. Selfishness is a trait, that doesn't need to be learned, it rears it's head as soon as we stand to lose something that is precious to us.
The desire to control one's food source must have ultimately evolved to the concept of possessions as we know of it now. Grab land and farm it, grab animals and domesticate them, make tools and hunt down animals, have a family and use them as manual labor. The most powerful with either brains or brawn would be the deemed overlord. And so the world evolved to where it is now. All because of the need of food.
And I am pretty certain that the last fight we see on this planet shall also be because of food. And it should be like that. Imagine the amount of effort that goes into the production of food, the sweat and the toil and the tears that fertilize it. And yet we as consumers are so casual in our approach to seeing it utilized properly. We don't give a second thought to leaving food in restaurants or throwing it out as garbage. Forget the farmer, we don't even consider the effort of preparation. The worst criminals in my opinion are the parents who do not discourage their children from wasting food. And then these tiny tots became adults who persist in wasting food, and not only that, indeed they manage to find new ways to do it.
I mean what's with these birthday cake rituals? Why does your face have to be smeared with cake to ensure that you are blessed with good luck? And can't we have weddings with no food wastage? And I know this is totally hypocritical coming from me - who is a great admirer of the food shows, but exactly how much food is wasted on these shows? And all this for entertainment?
I find admirable, the groups who have rallied to collect food that is left over after parties. You have celebrated and had fun, so now pay it forward and call up these guys and they will distribute to the needy. Or just give it away to the watchmen of your societies. Or do a reverse potluck, pack it up and give it to your guests. They can further give it away. Or wisen up and order just what you need. I do confess though, personally I find that difficult to achieve. Getting creative with leftovers is a fine way to further push away impending Food Fights.
A fine way to pay it forward would be to participate in Soup Kitchens. Google and find the nearest one in your vicinity. Or gang up and run one yourself, its pretty easy to do. Contact me if you need tips on that one.
Maybe we can have reverse Food Fights where we judge each other on basis of how well we have utilized food?
So, lets all be just a little more responsible and save food.
Cheers to being a responsible foodie!
P.S: This is a submission to the college magazine of Dr. D.Y.Patil Dental College.(IP)
I am pretty certain that it must have been on account of food. What else could it have been about? There were no possessions that they had, there was no sense of family to speak of, there were no kingdoms and no issues over power or the remote control. So think about it! All they had to fight over was food.
They felt hungry, so they went out and foraged and when their bellies were full they lay down and rested. That was all there was to life then (sounds like a perfect vacation). Straight and simple.
So, what could have led to the first fight ever? Maybe one man grabbed some food from another and the other objected and then there were fisticuffs. Maybe one was stronger than the other and decided that the effort required to intimidate and bully a weaker member of his race was lesser than hunting for food on his own. Selfishness is a trait, that doesn't need to be learned, it rears it's head as soon as we stand to lose something that is precious to us.
The desire to control one's food source must have ultimately evolved to the concept of possessions as we know of it now. Grab land and farm it, grab animals and domesticate them, make tools and hunt down animals, have a family and use them as manual labor. The most powerful with either brains or brawn would be the deemed overlord. And so the world evolved to where it is now. All because of the need of food.
And I am pretty certain that the last fight we see on this planet shall also be because of food. And it should be like that. Imagine the amount of effort that goes into the production of food, the sweat and the toil and the tears that fertilize it. And yet we as consumers are so casual in our approach to seeing it utilized properly. We don't give a second thought to leaving food in restaurants or throwing it out as garbage. Forget the farmer, we don't even consider the effort of preparation. The worst criminals in my opinion are the parents who do not discourage their children from wasting food. And then these tiny tots became adults who persist in wasting food, and not only that, indeed they manage to find new ways to do it.
I mean what's with these birthday cake rituals? Why does your face have to be smeared with cake to ensure that you are blessed with good luck? And can't we have weddings with no food wastage? And I know this is totally hypocritical coming from me - who is a great admirer of the food shows, but exactly how much food is wasted on these shows? And all this for entertainment?
I find admirable, the groups who have rallied to collect food that is left over after parties. You have celebrated and had fun, so now pay it forward and call up these guys and they will distribute to the needy. Or just give it away to the watchmen of your societies. Or do a reverse potluck, pack it up and give it to your guests. They can further give it away. Or wisen up and order just what you need. I do confess though, personally I find that difficult to achieve. Getting creative with leftovers is a fine way to further push away impending Food Fights.
A fine way to pay it forward would be to participate in Soup Kitchens. Google and find the nearest one in your vicinity. Or gang up and run one yourself, its pretty easy to do. Contact me if you need tips on that one.
Maybe we can have reverse Food Fights where we judge each other on basis of how well we have utilized food?
So, lets all be just a little more responsible and save food.
Cheers to being a responsible foodie!
P.S: This is a submission to the college magazine of Dr. D.Y.Patil Dental College.(IP)
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