Leftover foods

It could have been about ‘96-97,  when I read in a local news paper, that the children at the Bal Mandir were fed leftover foods. I cant remember how was my reaction then, but today this news sounds so absurd to me. Does not that reporter ever ate leftover foods in his life  or face such condition in his family ?

There are always about 200 children with a group of staff also to take care of them so they too eat in the same kitchen. occasionally there will be left over in any family and it should not surprise anyone. Oh, yes where there are that many people to eat there will be huge left over ? Why it surprised to that Reporter ? Was he running out of news to cover and trying to make a mountain over a mole hill ?

In Bal Mandir, big pans are used for daily cooking purposes, the rest of the family only have to see those big pans, during the special functions; like marriage or big party in their home.  Don’t you have left over during those unplanned occasions ?

Okay, now you are going to ask me, but you guys do cook huge portion daily, so why leftover ? on top of that those foods are prepared for the children, who can finish it like anything in any time.  They serve left over foods very rare, as its not possible to throw it all the time; but at the same time over cook for over 200 person daily is also not possible.

I really wonder today, why that kind of news was on local news paper ? when the whole country is regarded as one of the poorest nation in the world ? As if, people living in family never, ever eat leftover foods.

Besides, as for me there is nothing called leftover foods, as I always end of cooking more and keep eating it for many days. All  I have to do is heat it and then eat it. I hate spending too much time in kitchen. So, when I have time, I end of making it for almost three days at a time; at least one item. and I am more healthy today. Specially compared to those who eat freshly cooked food in their day in and day out life i am 10 times healthier. Here in Nepal, it is a some what a stronghold believe to eat freshly cooked food only, for health reason also. However, I have found out in many and many cases that eating daily cooked food is not keeping them healthy at all. I have bumped with so many people in my life who throw out the left overs, yet they are the one so unhealthy in their life compared to me. So, you can not convince me today, saying that it has health benefit behind it. I was more prone to diarrhea and dysentery during my stay in Bal Mandir, where they served us, freshly cooked food daily. Now, I don’t eat freshly cooked food daily,  but I am so hygienic freak, so hygienic freak, in fact I am OCD [obsessive compulsive disorder] in the kitchen regarding  hygienic and cleanliness; therefore; no one can please me in their kitchen and I hardly go out eating in their home [unless I stay out of their kitchen]. Restaurants, I am fine.

May be for this reason also I don’t like the concept of leftover foods and  regarding it needs to be thrown in the dust bean. Yes, during the summer time; I do remember the sweeper, at the Bal Mandir carrying loads of leftover foods mostly lentils to his pigs. He used to carry it so often [ may be not that regularly, but I do remember carrying it in his home more often ] but, this memory tells me that they hardly used to give us the leftover foods.

That is different story that the left over of 200 peoples food will be of course, huge compared to the normal family size of about 5 - 10 members. Yes, you can't store those foods in refrigerator as the size of the big bowel cant go inside of it. But, I don't see anything wrong with leftover and eating it again.

Why even that kind of news was on local news paper ? when the whole country is regarded as one of the poorest nation in the world ? As if, people living in family never, ever eat leftover foods; to make that a news worthy of coming in news paper ! Its so hard to understand, why people try to make a news to such simple and useless issue.