Food for thought

I was observing a meal someone was having - rice with chicken and soup and vegetables. And as the food slowly disappears from the plates and bowl, into the mouth, digested and turned into energy for the body, my mind wandered.

That's basically the function of food - to give energy. Quite simple. Food is also actually simple to get, and you don't need that much for your actual biological needs.

But in modern days, food has become a hobby and sometimes an art in itself. People are spending so much money and so much time on preparing and buying food. People making food look like masterpieces.. Food that are far too expensive and the portion too little. Food that take hours to prepare and decorate. All these food, will then be scooped and put into the mouth and all the decorations and arrangements spoiled in seconds. Amazing how much time they put in for that few seconds.

People also prepare and consume too much food, it is a habit and a culture, rather than a physical need. It feels wrong, for most of us, if we don't prepare too much food for any gathering - and it's not unusual for too much leftovers, that we coax our guests to bring home, and which they will throw away after a few days in the refrigerator.

If everyone just eat what the body requires, and food are distributed fairly in the world, there will be no world hunger and everyone will be slimmer and healthier. Right, the utopian thought.

"Oh children of Adam! wear your beautiful apparel at every time and place of prayer; eat and drink; but waste not by excess for God loveth not the wasters."
Al Quran - Al Araf, 7:31