It was another day another dollar, I thought to my self, like many of you say. Yes.... at work. I joined a new research lab, a very small one in a big organization. Me and my boss. Doing daily routines as usual. This particular day for some reason he must have thought he should take me out to lunch. Don't ask me why. Oh! I know he was thrilled the way I handled my responsibilities... right. Ummm... yes, I would like to think so.

We talked talked during the lunch. Since I was full, I had to stop and left some food in my plate. My boss was still going. All those fried chillies, his face was like a riped red apple, not quite but you got the idea. Him being an European, I was quite impressed how he handle spicy food. Being a Sri Lankan I can handle pretty hot and spicy stuff and always go for the spicy ones in a menu. After he has done, my immediate response was "Wow... you finished everything!". To my surprise he replied "I respect food, I try not to waste food as much as possible". I felt guilty. I was like at the bottom of a 10 feet deep guilty barrel, if there is one. Next obvious question was why/how/when have you accustomed to such a philosophy?

Discussion continued through the wonderful dessert. Apparently, he grew up facing the tough time through world war II, and he explained me, the days he spent having not to eat enough, and going to bed. Since then, from his child hood lessons, he realized how respectful one must be for food, that we have taken most of the time granted for. I haven't had any such experience or going to bed hungry. Thanks to my parents they fed me adlibitum. I had not seen anyone in severe hunger, it is not a site you get to see in Sri Lanka.

This incident took place about 7 yrs ago. Wait ... that statement has no ground If I hadn't told you what year is this. This is 2006. That message or the principle buried in back of my mind since then, until recently and then it started to sprout again.

Recently, among all those junk mail I receive uh! (Does anyone know how to stop those?), there was one email that one of my friend sent me and it's subject was "Don't waste food". Little ironic I thought, opened up the email. It contained few images with a message attached to it. One image stood up amongst the others. It
grasped my eyes and let me tell you, it was an image powerful enough to send a message that the picture was intent to. I was saddened, school of thoughts and questions were gushing through my head. What happened to the little girl? Did she make it? Was there someone to help her? What was that picture? you may want to know, by now. You can see the image by clicking here (do not click the link if you are emotionally sensitive).

It was a photograph of a seemingly well fed vulture stalking a famine Sudanese girl (a toddler) who was struggling to crawl towards a relief center. Photograph was taken by a free lance photographer for Reuter and Zigma Photo NY, Kevin Carter who won South Africa Pulitzer prize for feature photography award in 1993. Carter was awarded Pulitzer prize award on May 23rd 1994 at Columbia University. Kevin dedicated his life and his carrer covering the ongoing tragedy in his own country, South Africa. I haven't seen this picture until recently .. may be because I was an ignorant youngster back then. Winning an award of a tragic saga is beneficial, in the sense it sends a powerful message around the world and bring attention to the prevailing tragedy.

The biggest question is, has it done anything since then? No. No matter what happened, no matter how many thousands of award winning pictures had gone published, still the problem is in it's fast track. What more tragic about this whole story is that Kevin Carter, who took the photograph, took his own life few months later due to overwhelmed depression. He wrote in his suicide note that "....I am haunted by the vivid memories of killings & corpses & anger & pain ... of starving or wounded children...". I would not be surprised at his tragedy, but the loss of Kevin Carter is a great loss.

How then can we help? There is no measure that you and I can take to solve this tragedy. It needs much needed attention and help from world leaders. As much as I hate politics and politicians, I would not be disappointed to become a powerful politician, just to address this issue and help the needy. I am neither that pathway to become a politician, nor a wealthy person. I am not here to collect your money, but carry the message with you. The food that we waste here in the USA is sure to feed enough people in millions. Every time you trash food remember there is always someone there, to extend their arms to grab your trash. So respect food, minimize trashing, if you go to a buffet, just serve yourself what you can finish. I often tell my kids don't waste food. They have no idea what I am saying. They look at me with their big eyes, wanting to know what daddy is saying. At least if I am lucky I may here one day them saying "Don't waste food".

Shantha