I am posting a link to a very moving vodeo today. This is about a short film which came out top in the 2006 Berlin International Film Festival on the theme “Food, taste and Hunger” :
http://www.cultureunplugged.com/play/1081/Chicken-a-la-Carte
Show it to your children, show it to your friends.
We Malaysians have got so used to good food that are we not guilty of wasting food? Think of the poor and the hungry…. Spare a thought …
Dr. Hsu's forum 
Apr 23, 2009 @ 15:29:15
Dr Hsu,
I am sure you have seen the photo of a dying child crawling on the desert ground with a vulture waiting for its meal. This is the tragedy of life.
This poignant picture will forever stick in my conscience.
As an inspiration by your post here; may I invite you and your readers to view this You Tube presentation by another blogger friend of mine:
http://blackandwhite999.blogspot.com/2009/04/counting-our-blessings.html
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Apr 23, 2009 @ 17:05:51
Dr Hsu
This is happening in Malaysia. I was in Ipoh and after finishing my chicken rice, an Indian man with 3 children came to the table and asked, sudah habis and he took the left over gave to his children.
You can also see for yourself, if you are lucky, at the rear of kentucky or macdonald outlets… some looking for food.
Four years ago in the heart of KL..Chow kit area you will find them…but now don’t know where they have gone to??
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Apr 23, 2009 @ 21:15:37
This is really horrible. I can’t imagine this can happen until I watch it.
I still can’t believe the story is true. Some puppies that people keep as pets are having more decent food then these kids.
I am so sad to see this, Dr. Hsu & Justin.
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Apr 23, 2009 @ 21:32:48
I just shown this video to my wife and kids. They look stunted, speechless, sad, unbelievable……
The family concerned even so thankful with these left-over foods………Can we do something good for mankind? To make mankind more meaningful?
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Apr 23, 2009 @ 22:05:38
Can also watch this video in youtube.
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Apr 23, 2009 @ 23:11:41
We do have excess food left over on tables but is there a way or a procedure for us to deliver the left over to all those hungry children ?
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Apr 24, 2009 @ 07:40:40
excess food? left over?
I am ashamed of you.
siapa makan cili, dia rasa pedas
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Apr 24, 2009 @ 09:58:26
Cilipadi,
Any left over cilipadi for me?
Hee, he, he
Sorry, I know it’s a serious problem but being taught from young not to waste food, my family somehow eat all leftovers, nothing is wasted. Worse to worse, we packed it off for friends with pets.
But the problem is also not on cooked food. Sometimes we buy too much vegetables and forgotten about it in the fridge and it goes bad and have to be thrown out.
monk
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Apr 24, 2009 @ 10:15:01
monk,
I never wasted my cilipadi. If in excess, I process them into cilipadi paste. No wastage and no left-over.
I never give a treat to people with left-over. I am willing to treat you with fresh cilipadi.
After watching the video, I feel like giving these wonderful people a decent meal wholeheartedly, definitely not KFC or Pizza Hut, and definitely not LEFT-OVER or EXCESS FOOD.
This is cilipadi’s way of treating people. Left-over, as not to waste them, are for animals, definitely not to fellow human being.
Remember, all life are equal in Buddhism. Inferiority is man-made.
I am shameful of this someone, LEFT-OVER?
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Apr 24, 2009 @ 11:16:53
Dr Hsu,
It’s a paradox. Since young I have ben taught not to waste food and have cultivated this habit of finishing whatever is on my plate no matter how full I am.
Now I have to be mindful of this “not very healthy” habit given my age. I should not force myself to stuff food into my stomache if I am already full. And most of the time I failed to remember this. Old habit virtually cannot be changed!! (Partly due to greed for food.)
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Apr 24, 2009 @ 11:41:38
Old folks in the mid-50s or late 50-s share a common parent-taught value-system (like me and many of you sharing views here). But I must add, we are surely all young at heart.
I watched a documentary show about Korea, how those enthusiastic caring nationals gathered thrown fresh vegetables in wet markets (by wholesalers) and cooking them for distribution to those homeless and dependent-less old folks. Mind you, on a daily basis and they are supported by the government.
I know, it also happens in US among Christain groups. They distribute food to those living off the streets, staying underneath bridges (ie. Washington DC).
Here, there are caring groups supplying food to orphanages by gathering thrown vegetables from wholesalers (i.e. Selayang wet market). So hope is not all lost. There are caring people everywhere but obviously not enough of such people. Some wholesalers are pretty generous at time, donating huge baskets of uncooked vegetables to welfare volunteers.
Yes, Justin, at times, we must know that we are also digging our graves with the chopsticks or the fork and spoon. We are all guilty of over-eating because we don’t want to waste food on our plates.
The Chinese also believe that it is better to be a “well eaten (with full stomach) ghost than a hungry ghost!!
monk
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Apr 24, 2009 @ 12:09:30
I was brought up in a confucianist family. My late father was educated in CHina , a graduate of a Chinese university.
He had often taught us about this saying and he in fact wrote a scroll for me which I still had it:
In Mandarin, it is : . 一粥 一 饭 当 思 来 处 不 易 (translation: With each bowl of gruel or rice you should recall that its production is not easy. 。)
半 絲 半 縷 恆 念 物 力 維 艱 。 ( translation: With each half length of silk or hemp, always remember “to make a thing is very hard.” )
This saying is from ZHu Tze, a great confucian sage.
We were taught to finish every grain of rice. Until now, I still do so. If I cant finish my rice, it will be a signal that I am sick..
As for older people, and health, as raised byJustin, it would be good to eat frequent small meals, and if it is frequent small meals , we won’t waste it, and is good for our digestive system as well as our metablolism..
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Apr 24, 2009 @ 12:22:15
My late father used to tell me to eat half full, and let others eat the other half.
Such kind gesture live with me until today. I never forget those words of my dear father.
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Apr 24, 2009 @ 12:24:19
Ha, ha Dr. Hsu well said. Wisdom.
Imagine too, if we want ONE single grain, just ONE grain, how long do we have to wait??
months….??
Although I am not a great supporter of Confucius, I agree with what you said above.
Dr, you belong to the old school of thought…that’s where only wisdom lies.
monk
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Apr 24, 2009 @ 13:49:54
monk.
I am a rojak.
My childhood years were spent in a strict confucian upbringing. My university years doing medicine opened myminds to many things western, and the liberal social democratic ways of doing things.. So while I have certain old school vlues, I am in fact quite a liberal person and I always keep up to new technology and ideas..
A rojak, and only in Malaysian context you can stil find rojaks… This is the beauty of Malaysia, whatever have been said about this country, this is still the best place for me….
Casting aside politics, this is indeed a paradise to live in….
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Apr 25, 2009 @ 00:51:19
excess food? left over?
” We do have ” is not to mean “I do have” here…
I do not have excess food leftover on my plate after my meal.. need not to be ashamed…
After a wedding dinner or aniversary dinners or any dinner partys at Hotels, I do notice planty of excess food left over on tables and that’s the excess food left over I means….
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Apr 25, 2009 @ 10:33:20
Thank you for clarification, someone.
I do agree with you that food served in a wedding, anniversary dinners are excessive and not necessary. A world reputable body should coordinate channeling of donation to these hardcore poor to prevent manipulation and abusive of such fund.
I don’t mean to ridicule anyone. 😀
See, eating cilipadi is an enjoyment if you know how like monk.
siapa makan cili, dia rasa pedas
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Apr 25, 2009 @ 15:26:04
When I taste the Bak Kut Tea in Klang, I must have cilipadi…. The Bak Kut Tea will be tasteless ( to me ) if there is no good and hot hot cilipadi to go with it… Monk will not like Bak Kut Tea because he eat only vege.
haha
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Apr 25, 2009 @ 16:53:42
Someone cannot do without cilipadi it seems.
Next time, be more clear or specific in your comments. If not, you will be fed with cilipadi from top, down, center, left and right.
Make sure you don’t treat others with your left-over Bak Kut Tea.
siapa makan Bak Kut Tea, tasteless without cilipadi
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Apr 25, 2009 @ 23:36:16
Chinseng,
I will eat anything that falls from the sky and including cilipadi from the hottie plant.
I am not a vegetarian. Simple logic, I am not a perfect monk, I eat more veggies and less meat for health reasons. But I cannot avoid killing too.
When I take bath, millions of bacteria and viruses are killed. When I walked gthe ground, ants are killed and I will certainly kill a dengue mosquito before it bites me or my family members.
See, I am not perfect and I eat bak kut teh too if the shop happens to be close by and I am too hungry to drive elsewhere.
And of course, cilipadi is a daily must.
And I don’t waste food. I eat the seeds (cilipadi) except the short stalk.
monk
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Apr 26, 2009 @ 21:35:51
” I am not a perfect monk ”
walau eh
Next, the migratory bird is not a perfect bird…
Cilipadi is not a perfect cilipadi and you can eat it daily like eating tau ge
WALAU EH
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Apr 26, 2009 @ 21:37:25
Look like I will be fed with some cilipadi soon…
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