Chicken a la Carte

Few weeks ago I dined out with my parents in a buffet restaurant in one of the hotels here in Las Vegas. Every time we do this my mom always reminded us to consume everything we got from the buffet table and not to waste food. She would always say to us not to forget that a lot more people from other parts of the world are hungry now. She would always add that if only our hometown in the Philippines is just right across the street, she would send our leftover food to our relatives and friends who barely have food on their tables. Hearing this for the first time, one would think that my mom is so cheap. It is a common sight here in Las Vegas, famous for buffet restaurants, that there are a lot of leftover foods wasted from these establishments. Unconsumed food displayed on the buffet table will be discarded by the end of the day and not to mention those wasted from the customers' plates. I myself am guilty of this especially if my mom is not around.

Remembering this, I tried to check back my old email files looking for that particular attachment that for sure would instill in our minds about the importance of not wasting food. This particular attachment is a video or a short film by Filipino filmmaker named Ferdinand Dimadura. For sure most people have seen this film who won the Green Unplugged Film Fest People's Choice Award at the 56^th Berlin International Film Festival held last February 2006. Filmmakers were invited to join a short film competition with the theme: "Food, Taste and Hunger".

This is the synopsis: This film is about the hunger and poverty brought about by Globalization. There are 10,000 people dying every day due to hunger and malnutrition. This short film shows a forgotten portion of the society, the people who live on the refuse of men to survive. What is inspiring is the hope and spirituality that never left this people.

After watching this film, you probably would think twice before wasting and throwing away that portion of fried chicken the next time you eat out in a restaurant.