How to apply the art of Chinese buffet to life
“TAKE ALL YOU WANT, EAT ALL YOU TAKE” is stenciled in bold white letters on the sneeze guard at the only Chinese buffet that I frequent. Probably not an ancient proverb – or is it?
Applied to more than trough-style cuisine, the idea of only taking as much as you need, while being tempted by a veritable cornucopia of resources is something we, as humans, wrestle with every day. It’s difficult for us to live a life based on necessity rather than maximum consumption. We’re all about excess, at least in our country; it seems like gluttony has overtaken greed as our sin of choice.
Visualize the booths and tables of the General China restaurant full with all the world’s people, their plates piled high with the world’s resources. The sesame chicken of land, the beef and broccoli of raw materials and the sweet ‘n’ sour sauce of petroleum deposits.
Each day we push away our plates with our bellies hanging over the table, or at least our belts. We leave our plates still piled high – wasting as many, if not more, resources than we effectively use. The concept is disgusting.
We consume and consume and consume – attacking the nipple of our nurturer with a ferocity that causes permanent damage. We want as much as we can get and we want it NOW. Countries like these United States are the Veruca Salt’s of our world. We show very little regard to ours or our children’s futures.
Sometimes I wonder if we’re so concerned with hoarding as much contraband as possible, that we don’t even stop to think about what’s going to happen when we get enough. Maybe that’s the problem. Maybe it’s never going to be enough.
It’s difficult for us to see the big picture, partly because there always seems to be a full trough of egg rolls to choose from – regardless of the truth.
After several trips to the buffet, each time getting no more than you think you can put away, you may receive your fortune cookie – the best part of a Chinese buffet experience. You’re always left with hope for the future or at least some kind of thought is put into your mind, a realm possibly devoid of such things. True, their cheesiness factor increases when you add “in bed” to the end, but try to apply the fortunes universally.
Rather than being ignorant to the facts that I have so eloquently presented about the desecration of our world and other happy topics, most of us realize how terribly we treat Mother Earth. And – here’s the kicker – no one gives a sh*t.
Our generation is one almost completely absent any concept of civic duty or the idea of strength through unity. It’s every man for himself. Where did we go so wrong?
So the next time you throw away perfectly good food or something that could be recycled for another purpose, don’t think about impoverished, starving children in some far away land – think about your great-great grandchildren starving and think about the raped and pillaged world we are so eager to hand them down.
I leave you with the words of Shannon Hoon. “I always thought this would be / the land of milk and honey, / but I’ve come to find out that its all hate and money. / There’s a canopy of greed holding me dowwwwwwwwn.”
