http://www.gulf-daily-news.com/NewsDetails.aspx?storyid=281800
Poor girl's dream I hope comes true
By Les Horton, Posted on ยป Thursday, July 08, 2010
"One day, rich!" was the only English I picked up being spoken as two
Ethiopian waitresses chatted at the restaurant till, as my family and I enjoyed
lunch.
Sausage and chips for the girls and biryani for Sara and myself, a rare
workday lunch from which we emerged well fed - far better so, I suspect, than
the staff who served us.
It is hard enough to open our eyes to the many hardships around us, none
of which are unique to Bahrain, but which seem so because of the extreme
disparities between those who have and those who do not.
A friend once told me in my early days how he got up from his seat in one
coffee shop to look for a waitress who had been absent for some time,
frustrating his desire to get the bill and leave.
He put his head round a screen to see the poor girl finishing off the
food he and his partner had left on their plates.
The sight shocked him and he withdrew before she saw him, for fear of
causing her acute embarrassment and, when he finally paid the bill, ensured the
tip was far more than he would normally have given.
"One day, rich" was without doubt one of the Ethiopian girls dreaming
that some day she would not have to stand for hours waiting at tables, to earn
a wage that many of us could easily spend on a good night out.
It is probably not even riches she is dreaming of, but the basic comforts
that we take for granted, such as a home of our own and a full larder to choose
from.
I was brought up never to leave food on a plate, but in restaurants I
often find I cannot finish all I have been served, thanks to some places which
are generous with their portions.
The biryani was delicious but far too much.
The children, at such a young age, can be forgiven for only picking at
their sausage and chips, but all the same I felt a twinge of guilt as we left
the waitresses to clear the table.
For in the world they have come from, many people do not get enough to
eat and many children go hungry - while in ours we are so well fed we can leave
food on our plates.
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