Yes, yes, I know, those two words in the headline should be followed by two more words: want not.

Waste not, want not. What comes to mind first and foremost when you’re talking about waste? Food.

I was chatting with the supervisor of a small army of waiters who were clearing away and cleaning the tables one lunchtime at a humongous “food court” at the mall and she was shaking her head when she said, “I’ve seen too much food going to waste.” Food unconsumed, food that the waiters said had to be disposed of immediately, as provided by law. A good law, by the way, meant to ensure that no one gets sick by accident.

According to Ms. Supervisor, more food is being wasted now. For the last four years, she said, the amount of food being thrown away after every meal is something like 40 percent of what is served on the table. But before that, it was “more like 30 percent only.” She could not explain what happened between then and now, that diners today are 10 percent more wasteful than before.

On my part, I notice that groups eating out tend to order more food than they need or what they’re able to consume within the time they’re in the restaurant. If not the food, it must be the mood, with everyone happy and talking more loudly than usual. (Adults know that when the kids are sulking, they take it out on the food by not touching it.)

What about the millions who are considered food poor? What about “Lillibeth” (not her name), the middle-aged mother of 14 children (this was three years ago, when I first wrote about her) who live in Tondo? Married to a mechanic — not a regular job, as he is on standby only _ she must serve 42 meals a day, not counting for herself and her husband. If 42 meals feel like a party, imagine what kind of pressure Lillibeth is under daily, without having to think if they are nutritious meals or merely junk food.

In the meantime, the Philippine Statistics Authority puts the fertility rate at 1.47. Only a statistician can tell you how to make 1.47 babies — more than one but fewer than two.