MEDIUM RARE

In the midst of a shortage of food and water, we’re wasting and throwing away food and water. ‘Tis summer, and as usual the National Water Resource Board’s primary source of water is to multiply its reminders for us to conserve water. What happened to the water released from the dams after we had too much rain? Some of us would call it a vicious cycle. And now an environmental disaster with no precedence is threatening, wasting our beautiful waters, marine life, fishermen’s livelihoods, even the center of the center of biodiversity that’s Verde Island, Batangas. Let me tell you two little stories about food and wasting food. These are true stories, not the sort to make headlines, though. The first one is about Belinda and her staff of seven, whom she gathers for meals in the office every working day. Her first and last commandment is: Thou shall not waste food, not a single grain of rice, not the smallest chunk of meat or seafood, not a leaf of vegetable. The meals are free and the employees have never complained about the food, cooked in Belinda’s well-stocked kitchen by her cook. (The marketing is done by the guy who’s Belinda’s driver.) Belinda has never caught anyone wasting a morsel or leaving any leftovers. Her co-workers know that once she catches anyone with a plate or bowl that has not been completely wiped clean when they’re done eating, the guilty one will find himself expelled from the table, for keeps. The second story is fun to tell because it has a twisted ending. I was at a big party, seated with seven other guests ‘round a round table. The menu was appropriately elegant, starting with aperitif, soup, salad, proceeding to two main courses, fish and beef, and ending with two sweets. By the time I had the fish, I was full, so I whispered to the waiter, “Okay if you wrap up the beef for me in a doggie bag for take-home?” (I don’t own a dog.) The cute little bag arrived, to the delight of my smiling tablemates. In fact, three of them told the waiter to do the same for them, two of them even offering their bags to me! (I don’t eat steak.)