Don't let your food cry

[ardianto]

Few days ago I read a news about women in a village who produce tomato sauces and share it to anyone for free. Today, many people gathered in Jakarta to eat tomatoes. These are how people in my place do when tomatoes harvest is over-produced. Different than people in some other places who prefer to waste tomatoes or use it for "tomatoes war". I am sure, people in my place still remember what the elders said.

When I was kid older people often told me to not waste my food because it would make my food cry. Did they teach superstition?. If you see it only from one side, maybe. But actually they taught a wisdom to not waste foods. They told me that foods are produced through hard working of the farmers, and I have to appreciate their hard working through not to waste my food. If I wasted my food, then my food would cry because I did not appreciate people who have produced them. And how if I had food more than I could eat?. I should share it with the hungry people.

This wisdom actually synchronous with Islam which teaches that I have to be grateful with food that I have, and not to waste it.

Will your foods cry if you waste them?. If you just listen by your ears, then you would not hear anything. But if listen by your heart, then you would hear a cry, .... cry of people who are hungry but don't have food.

 

[MuslimInshallah]

Assalaamu alaikum,


(smile) I thought the following might be useful to add:

Qur'an 7:31

Sahih International translation: O children of Adam, take your adornment at every masjid, and eat and drink, but be not excessive. Indeed, He likes not those who commit excess.


Narrated Al-Mughira:

The Prophet (ﷺ) said, "Allah has forbidden you ( 1 ) to be undutiful to your mothers (2) to withhold (what you should give) or (3) demand (what you do not deserve), and (4) to bury your daughters alive. And Allah has disliked that (A) you talk too much about others ( B), ask too many questions (in religion), or (C) waste your property."




حَدَّثَنَا سَعْدُ بْنُ حَفْصٍ، حَدَّثَنَا شَيْبَانُ، عَنْ مَنْصُورٍ، عَنِ الْمُسَيَّبِ، عَنْ وَرَّادٍ، عَنِ الْمُغِيرَةِ، عَنِ النَّبِيِّ صلى الله عليه وسلم قَالَ ‏ "‏ إِنَّ اللَّهَ حَرَّمَ عَلَيْكُمْ عُقُوقَ الأُمَّهَاتِ، وَمَنْعَ وَهَاتِ، وَوَأْدَ الْبَنَاتِ، وَكَرِهَ لَكُمْ قِيلَ وَقَالَ، وَكَثْرَةَ السُّؤَالِ، وَإِضَاعَةَ الْمَالِ ‏"‏‏.‏
[TABLE="class: hadith_reference"]
[TR]
[TD]Reference[/TD]
[TD] : Sahih al-Bukhari 5975[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]In-book reference[/TD]
[TD] : Book 78, Hadith 6[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]USC-MSA web (English) reference[/TD]
[TD] : Vol. 8, Book 73, Hadith 6[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD] (deprecated numbering scheme)[/TD]
[/TR]
[/TABLE]

When we have more than we need, it is not Pleasing to Allah that we consume it foolishly, whether it be by overeating, or by throwing it away or by playing with it (tomatoes war?!) or by letting it rot in our gardens.

(smile) I posted this thread last year about giving zakat on garden produce http://www.islamicboard.com/general/134323984-urban-garden-produce%85zakat.html. But we can also give sadaqa with our surplus. (smile) There are also people in Canada who plant extra in their gardens, so that they can donate it to food banks.

Alhamdullillah, this year we were Blessed not only with a wonderful crop of grapes, but Roma tomatoes, too. A local masjid told me about a women's shelter that would be happy to have tomatoes to cook with (Roma tomatoes are great for cooking and making tomato paste).

Allah Gifts us sometimes with more than we physically need. (smile) This is, I think, also a Gift for our spiritual health. If we can give our surplus to others, then we are taking steps to grow closer to God. (smile) And this is a great benefit to us.

(smile) Please, take the time to find those who can use what you do not need: the homeless, those using food banks, women and children escaping domestic violence, friends, neighbours, even small businesses starting up (the early days are usually tough)… (smile) take advantage of the joyful Gift of Pleasing God!


All thanks and praise to Allah, the Generous, the Provider!

 

[greenhill]

I remember being told my food would cry, too. . . And not wanting them to cry I finished my food. It taught me to always take less so that I would finish it. I can always go for seconds if it was not enough.

eace:

 

[ardianto]

Assalaamu alaikum,

Wa'alaikumsalam, MuslimInshallah.

I've never found food bank in my place although there are people who often share foods with the poor. However, they are not people who have food more than they need then think to share their food surplus with the poor, but people who indeed intend to feed the poor. They have social budget for this, while for themselves they buy food in amount that just enough.

In another side I found people who often buy food more than they can eat, but do not think to share their food with the poor. Then they waste their food surplus, buy again, waste again. Frankly, I wonder why they buy food that they can eat?. Because greed?, afraid of hungry?, or what?. But, whatever that is, we must always if remind them to be grateful with foods that they have, and remind them that there are hungry people out there.

 

[ardianto]

I remember being told my food would cry, too. . . And not wanting them to cry I finished my food. It taught me to always take less so that I would finish it. I can always go for seconds if it was not enough.

eace:

And that's effective to make you aware to not waste your food, isn't that?.

Yes, we must teach our children to appreciate what other people have done for them, and to be grateful with what Allah has given to them.

But the problem is, not every food be liked by the children, and we can't force them to eat food that they don't like. So as parents we have to be clever in choosing food for our children.

 

[MuslimInshallah]

Wa'alaikumsalam, MuslimInshallah.

I've never found food bank in my place although there are people who often share foods with the poor. However, they are not people who have food more than they need then think to share their food surplus with the poor, but people who indeed intend to feed the poor. They have social budget for this, while for themselves they buy food in amount that just enough.

In another side I found people who often buy food more than they can eat, but do not think to share their food with the poor. Then they waste their food surplus, buy again, waste again. Frankly, I wonder why they buy food that they can eat?. Because greed?, afraid of hungry?, or what?. But, whatever that is, we must always if remind them to be grateful with foods that they have, and remind them that there are hungry people out there.

Assalaamu alaikum Ardianto,

(smile) There are caring people everywhere, I think. When I mentioned people who grow extra in their gardens to give to others, I think these are the same kind of people who put some money aside to give to others. (smile) Perhaps you don't know this, but it is hard for the poor here to get fresh fruit and vegetables, and good quality produce is a real treat.

Why do people waste? Mmm… I think there are different reasons for different people, but one thing that I have noticed is that when people are very pressed for time, it may be that the food they have goes bad. And I know many people who are pressed for time.

Imagine: you rush to the supermarket to get some food. You try to buy some healthy stuff, and you may buy some prepared food "just in case". It's been a long day at work, and the children are hungry, so you think: I'll pick up some pizza tonight, maybe. So you get home and everyone eats, and drops into bed. But then the next day, you have to get out early, and drop the kids at daycare/school, and then on to work. Your boss needs you to finish something urgently, and your spouse is not there/busy/away on work… so you have to pick up the kids late, and you need to finish the job that you hadn't managed to finish at work… so you grab the prepared foods, and promise yourself you'll do some cooking tomorrow. But then tomorrow comes, and your son has fallen down the stairs and you think he might have a concussion, so you go to the hospital to have a doctor look at him (because family doctors don't tend to work at night, and anyway, it's hard to get an appointment). So you spend the evening waiting to see a doctor. You finally see one after a few hours, and then you go home. The children meanwhile have been helping themselves to whatever is easiest: prepared foods, sandwiches, cereal… The next day perhaps your spouse (if you have one) comes home, and you decide to go out for a meal all together. And then the next day, just as you're preparing to finally prepare some healthy home-cooked food, your daughter comes in and desperately tells you that she has a math exam the next day, and her calculator is not working (that rat of a baby brother had something to do with that, she's sure), and she can only use this special one that you got at the store across town… and so off you go…

(smile) This is fiction, of course, and yet, it reflects what many people I know actually experience. They rush so much that they barely have time to live. And so… that good, healthy food sits in the fridge uneaten and goes bad… The people are not fundamentally uncaring, and it often bothers them that it goes to waste, but… what can they do?

(sigh) Of course, there are those that just don't care, or who are perhaps so oblivious to the rest of the world that they don't understand. I finally understood what you meant by a tomato war, after seeing a piece in a newspaper about a festival in Spain where many tons of tomatoes are wasted so that people can splash and play in them…! This really saddened me to read. I personally don't understand how anyone could do this.

(smile) Anyway, the idea of telling children that their food will cry if wasted is a new one to me. (smile) I don't think I'd use it myself, but it is interesting to know of. (smile) This forum helps us to get to know one another better, I find. Alhamdullillah!


May Allah, the Bountiful, the Nourisher, Help us to remember that all we have belongs to Him… and that He Gives enough for us all… if we remember to share.

 

[Pygoscelis]

That's pretty funny, the whole "your food will cry if you don't finish it" thing. You'd think the opposite would be true, no? The idea is the food WANTS to be eaten?

 

[ardianto]

That's pretty funny, the whole "your food will cry if you don't finish it" thing. You'd think the opposite would be true, no? The idea is the food WANTS to be eaten?

When I was kid my aunt bought me a children stories book which one of the story was about a boy who didn't finish his eating. Then when he was sleeping the wasted rice began to cry and begged him to not waste rice (food) again. This made the boy realize that he should not waste food again.

Of course I knew that's just a fairytale, just like children in my place know that "food will cry if you don't finish it" is just a fairytale. But they take the wisdom behind the story. Maybe you are wonder why people in my place use myth like this to educate children to not wasting foods?. If you are wonder, it's because you live in Western culture.

Parents in the East often use myth to educate children. This habit happen not only in Indonesia, but also in many Asian countries.

 

[Pygoscelis]

Maybe you are wonder why people in my place use myth like this to educate children to not wasting foods?. If you are wonder, it's because you live in Western culture.

Oh, no, not at all. There are plenty such stories over here in Canada. My parents told me many growing up. They told me that if I lied to them they could see ducks in my eyes (why ducks I have no idea).

The spoiled food crying thing just struck me as funny since usually food wants to NOT be eaten

 

[ardianto]

The spoiled food crying thing just struck me as funny since usually food wants to NOT be eaten

I guess, you are thinking about animal as living creature. Indeed, if I were a cow I prefer to live and die naturally because old, than eaten by human. But actually when older people told me story about the crying food they refer to rice and other agricultural products, not meat.

To be honest, sometime I think like you too when I see living animal. That's why I always reject invitation to eat rabbit meat because in my eyes rabbit are cute.




EDIT: Or maybe you are talking about 'beautiful cake' ?.

 

[Pygoscelis]

I don't eat pork. Not because I am Muslim. Not because I am Jewish. Not because I find pigs unclean. I don't eat pork for the simple reason that I have met pet pigs and they are as smart as dogs and very friendly.

I still eat beef and chicken, so I'm not sure me doing this is at all rational, but its just the way I've wound up.