WE turn a serious eye on an issue that may not be digested well in a newspaper’s food section.
It might sound like, “Why talk about death while we’re having a birthday dinner?” Or “Don’t talk about your money and jewelry collection in front of someone who is poor.” Probably at best it sounds impolite, and at worst, ah, impolite. But there is an issue I feel compelled to talk about, after years of avoiding it, to remind me that I am not the center of the universe; that there are people who have less than what I have; and that I can help even if I am not in public service.
There’s no way I can skirt around the holiday known as World Hunger Day, which falls today. If it sounds like a purple specter in the midst of a festive gathering, think again. It can be celebrated with success, bringing a smile of achievement on your face at the end of the day, and a bigger smile on someone who received your generosity.
Be not ashamed of your well-gotten wealth and your enjoyment of what life and what your decisions have brought you, but neither be haughty about your stature.
On the other hand, let your other hand dig into your purse to buy something for someone, to donate to a non-government organization in support of its food programs, and give an offering to your church’s feeding projects.
Reserve something for a struggling widow who is taking care of a big family; or a young mother, the only breadwinner in the family, who has to feed her four children and a husband who can’t land a job because he has a criminal record.
Last week, after a group meeting that ended past eight in the evening and no food being offered, I invited to late dinner a friend, a lady who does the laundry of some households in the sitio where I live. Let’s call her Dion.
I was most surprised that it was her first time to eat at Snow Sheen, a Chinese restaurant in downtown Cebu. The place is simple, echoing a 1960s or 1970s kind of ambiance, not rustic but neither is it modern.
The ceiling fans on the lower floor remind of your old Pinoy films in black and white. There’s actress Gloria Romero having lunch with an actor that escapes recall in a restaurant as the ceiling fan slowly turns. Snow Sheen is a good place to remember how things were in the past.
This restaurant has no airconditioning (well, the upper floor does have one), no dress code, no fancy utensils and the tables are inlaid with formica, but Dion found the place “looking expensive.” She’s 59 years old and rarely has meals in restaurants.
Dion is not among the hungry (her single-parent son makes sure to give her P300 a day to take care of the daily needs of his two sons, five other grandchildren and three neices under her care) but her reaction made me realize just how spoiled I have become from having better things in life.
It humbled me and made the “Special Meal good for three” more special, although it was a set meal composed of lumpia shanghai, chopsuey, crab soup, rice and plain water.
A celebration like World Hunger Day should make you more appreciative of what you have, enough to make you pause between mouthfuls to thank God for the blessings he has given you and for Him to bless others, who have less on the table, through you.
The world celebration might be a specter but you can be a game-changer when you face it with promises you will fulfill. Go out and cast your vote on people who have less than you have, or need help and make them win in life through what your hand can offer. Elect those people into your life, and give a little of what you have.
(ober.khok@yahoo.com)