Yesterday, my sister and I made chocolate eclairs. [thanks Emeril!]
So this morning, before my younger sister, Asma, was going to her friend’s house, I suggested she take some for her friend and her family. She said, “But, if she doesn’t like it, then she’s going to waste it.” and I said, why would she waste it? And you know what her response was? “Because she’s AMERICAN!”

Even an 8 year-old knows how bad the condition of food wastage is in the US. Growing up, my siblings and I were taught never to waste anything. I can still vividly recall my father, sitting at the head of the dinner table, picking up a single grain of rice, telling us how many people would kill for a dinner such as this one. We were never allowed to throw away food, so we learned to only take the amount of food we could actually consume. So, when I eat with others, I notice how much people take food for granted. I remember at Krispy Kreme once, they were handing out donuts to the people standing in line, and if a customer refused the donut, they would just throw it away! It’s amazing how much we waste these days. The last time I ate in a cafeteria was last year in the dorm, and it would kill me to see how much people threw away. Untouched burgers, salads, cookies, even WHOLE FRUIT! Give me a break people. The least we can do is be appreciative of all of the bounties that we DO have.