It is sad to see the amount of food that is wasted inbuffets as untouched food is thrown away
LAHORE: We are almost halfway through the month of Ramazan and as usual, eateries offer the best from their menus in all-you-can-eat buffets. While the meals cost a hefty amount, with most of them charging approximately Rs2,000 per head, people still avail these deals. Most consumers head into the buffet with a mind set on annihilating the entire menu. They proudly fill up their plates to the brim with excess food and help themselves to numerous servings. Getting our money’s worth of food is not as much of a problem as wasting it is. I have mostly observed that ambitious eaters tend to leave half of the food in their plates untouched, as they proceed to the next helping. They either do not like the taste of the dish or are too full to eat the humongous quantity of the same dish.
It is sad to see the amount of food that is wasted in such buffets as untouched food is thrown away because it was in a customer’s plate. The restaurants have to maintain their quality, of course; hence the onus of food wastage lies on customers. People should only take as much food as they can eat. If they wish to have more, they can easily take another helping, but at least excess food will not go to waste. Most restaurants even donate their excess food to NGOs that distribute the food among the underprivileged, and it is mind-boggling to see that a country that is in a crisis because of food insecurity, also wastes so much food. This is downright madness on a national scale. Are we so insensitive to those who do not get even a square meal. May the spirit of Ramazan lead us to reflect upon our actions and mend our ways!
Sahir Abdul Karim
Published in The Express Tribune, May 22nd, 2019.
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