June 24, 2009

Sinful indulgence!

So all of us think we own this planet, don't we?

"I was born with a purpose. I am striving to fulfill it and I must say I am doing quite well for myself. I have a house, great family and friends, I earn well, I deserve to enjoy. All the forces of nature are required to bow down to me and make my life easier. All I am asking is a little bit of sacrifice for all the pains I have gone through."

"I often hear a vegetarian diet is so much more healthier than a non vegetarian one. It also reduces the burden on the environment and in some way, some day will help overcome the problem of starvation for the entire population. What's more, I don't have to worry about eating unhealthy fatty food and consuming meat that heaven knows is injected with what kinds of antibiotics and hormones!! Add to that I will not have to carry the guilt of being cruel to fellow beings of our planet. Hmm, but what about my Omega3s and high protein rich food? Fish is considered to be one of the healthiest foods and I can't afford to let go of that. What do I do about my cravings for other meat as well? Am I not allowed to indulge once in a while, lean chicken or a medium rare steak?
Veggie or non veggie, what do I care? I order all that I want, eat what I want and the rest is anyway trashed!!"

There are debates and discussions going on and on about this kind of diet and that kind of diet. I am surprised no one is talking about a diet that is "non wasteful"! I see so much food getting wasted that I am appalled!

If we begin with homes, vegetables are stocked up, allowed to rot and finally trashed. Cooked food is sometimes simply too much to eat or sometimes forgotten to be refrigerated and so trashed! Children are indulged to such an extent that all the flavors in the world are tasted by a child like a connoisseur, you know, just a lick or a bite, and then trashed! Milk and meat expire as they have short shelf lives and find their ways to trash cans.

We attend parties, weddings and blah blah, every person I know takes more food on his/her plate than she/he can consume and then happily trashes it. In the first place, the grand spread is planned for way more than the number of guests invited and at the end of the day nobody knows what to do with the remaining food!

The food industry is so badly run that I believe due to poor transportation facilities, large lead times, shorter shelf lives, terrible stocking and storing facilities, umpteen middle men and lackadaisical customers, 40% of India's agricultural produce is trashed! I am sure the situation is no better or may be worse for meat and the same in the rest of the world as well.

This I believe is one area where individuals like you and me can make a difference. All it takes is being conscious to the waste around us and ensuring to minimize that waste. A bit of planning and a bit of disciplining will do the trick. Indulge to your heart's and stomach's content but don't indulge sinfully!





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