When I was young, I didn’t always want to finish what was on my plate. Sometimes, my grandparents or my mother would try to guilt me into finishing by telling me that “children in Europe are starving”. I didn’t think whatever was left on my plate was going to help those children, so it wasn’t a very effective argument.
But even though it wasn’t an effective argument, it still rings through my head when I don’t finish something (unless there’s a plan to use it, of course). And I heard it clearly today.
I was on my own for lunch. I decided I wanted a burger and fries, and I wanted to go somewhere I hadn’t been in a while. I chose Gyros, Burgers, and More. When I got there, I wasn’t sure whether I wanted a gyro or a burger – but I saw the “Gyro Burger Plate” which included fries. A burger made with gyro meat sounded perfect, so I ordered it and brought it home.
Big mistake. And big is the word. When I unwrapped my purchase, I found a big burger, topped with a big stack of gyro meat, along with a generous portion of fries. It was good, but there was far too much of it for me – I think I ate half of the sandwich and a third of the fries before giving up.
At least I was able to put the remains in the compost container instead of the garbage.
My parents used starving children in China, and I think switched to Africa for my younger brothers.