How should we treat food with tenderness
On November 24th, your newspaper's commentary page published the article "Every Grain of Food Deserves to Be Treated with Tenderness," which provided some little-known and shocking figures. This confirms the lament of a German scholar: "China is the world's largest poor country, and also the world's largest wasteful country." The article pays attention to food throughout the entire process from production, storage, and transportation to consumption. It is very professional; without looking at the byline, one would think it was written by an economic expert. The author is a writer, and focusing on food, which is the basis of people's livelihood, reflects social conscience and a writer's duty, which is admirable.
People in this country are prone to forgetting. Not to mention the bodies of the starved lying in the fields before 1949, even in the difficult period afterward, older people still remember the feeling of being hungry. In the past it was said that with grain in hand, the heart is not panicked; now that large quantities of grain are imported, food waste should be reduced or even eliminated. The amount of grain directly concerns the safety of the nation. Kissinger said: whoever controls oil controls all countries; whoever controls food controls mankind. Our country's low level of cold-chain capability for grain has led to a sharp increase in aged grain, let alone waste in other links.
Solving the food problem at the macro level is a huge project. Relevant national departments have responsibility, and everyone has responsibility for avoiding waste at the tip of the tongue. Advocating the "Clean Plate Campaign" is one example. Saving food must start with children. Now toddlers who are just babbling are reciting "Who knows that every grain on the plate is hard work," yet action is rarely seen. It is necessary for all people, men and women, old and young, to establish the idea that wasting food is shameful and saving food is glorious. At the same time, we should also learn from rich countries, where wasting food is punished. When people from this country dine in Germany and show off, leaving a table full of food, they are reported by a German old lady and fined. Even if you spend your own money, you are not allowed to waste, because you have no right to ruin social resources. Moreover, treating every grain of food with tenderness is also a kind of character.