Food & Poverty

I LOVE FOOD!

And I never used to be afraid to say it loud. At parties in church groups, people always joked that I should serve last lest I go first and everyone else misses out!

I was that guy in a meme video who cut a slice of cake, put it aside and carried the rest of the cake and took off. Ok, I exaggerated ha-ha… but on a serious note though, some loved me because I couldn’t leave food to get wasted.

I’d complete everything or pack some and take back to my university hostel room. I could excuse me because I was still in school.

It is said the poor love food in quantity, the middle-class love the quality of what they are to eat and the rich love the way food is presented. So according to food, if you over eat, you are broke!

‘NO WAY,’ I used to tell myself in consolation, until God Himself sat in front of me with a sigh and said,

‘Son, you eat like the food will develop legs and run off, or you eat like one who thinks this is their last meal and that there is no more food in the world hereafter’

I WAS ACTING BROKE people!

God flashed a big light that day that I had to readjust. I used to serve such a mountain of food that to see me, you had to look sideways round the food in order to.

The rich know there’s always food, and that they can eat whatsoever they crave at any restaurant they so desire whenever. I ate as if it was a once in a lifetime experience. I used to stuff my small belly with food whenever I visited Café Javas, the biggest Ugandan franchise restaurant based in Kampala.

I ate as if the place would vanish the following day, or as if I couldn’t afford that place again. Just this week, I walked in to pick a black forest cake. How shocked I was that I didn’t fall for the soothing aromas slithering about.

I picked up my order and darted away. My poverty in relation to food had left!

Food has a lot to say about you whether you are rich or poor. Wearing Gucci or Nike doesn’t guarantee wealth. Wealth is an intellectual factor based on reason of thought.

Clearly you can see that I was still acting like a boy from Luwero, but 4-5 years down, I can clearly say I’m rich! So, do you love food in quantities, or you’re more corncerned about how it is presented?

Over the last 2 years or so I began getting agitated by the way food was being served at home. The table mats were always off. They were never placed opposite each other.

A red mat could be placed along with the purple ones. That annoyed me a lot. Let purple be purple and red be red. The forks could be wet, a drop of sliding gnut sauce could be seen lingering over the rim of the dish.

I hastened to correct all that seemed off.

Then it hit me.

God appeared on a seat across, with a golden goblet and made a toast.

‘Cheers,’ He smirked as he tapped the part between his temple and ear, saying,

‘You are now thinking like the rich and viewing things through their lenses…presentation and not quantity!’

Then enters the devil, all bitter and feisty. He reminded me of another scenario concerning food & poverty.

‘You never want to leave weddings unless you have eaten cake, as if to say that would be the last time you eat of it.’

In a roar I recoiled,

‘Get behind me Satan. There is therefore now no condemnation…’

…and before I could complete my statement, my WhatsApp notification read

‘Satan left’….

Back to you, how does the way you treat food say about you!