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I am a retired English teacher and department head, the mother of three grand mother of four, and have been married to the same man for 52 years. I subscribe to Dr. PM Forni's concept of Civility. I was born in South Philadelphia and grew up in the 'burbs. I love soft pretzels and cheesesteaks, the Phillies, the Eagles, and San Diego. I love being Mom, Aunt Kathy, Nona Kathy, and Teacher. I spend a lot of time in my gardens in the spring and summer, and in the winter I plan what I'm going to plant. I also am an avid reader and photographer.

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Sunday, July 14, 2013

Taking A Cue From Nature?

When we were whale watching in Newfoundland, the naturalist instructed us to "Continue watching the birds!!!"  The birds would begin the feeding frenzy, the fish would join in, the tuna, and then the whales would circle, open their mouths and get their fill. In this case, not of krill, but of mackerel.



It was magnificent to see.  Except the feeding frenzy reminded me of something....oh, yes.  The first buffet meal on any cruise we've been on.  

What is it about people who clearly have eaten before, and some more than well, when they see FREE FOOD AND LOTS OF IT!!  It's embarrassing to me. God forbid anyone should get in their way as they approach the bounty before them.  I mean, move the children and the infirm to safety!!

Yesterday, there was a health fair at our local hospital celebrating the 40 years the hospital has been in existence.  They featured booths with information, some testing services, and a table holding mini birthday cupcakes and bottles of water.  Before the exhibitors were even finished setting up, people were storming the table, taking as many cupcakes and bottles of water they could carry away.

Maybe it's something in-bred in us...but then again, not everyone behaves so greedily.

9 comments:

Betsy Banks Adams said...

Recently, at a friend's funeral--someone said that alot of 'extra' people came (from the retirement home where she lived) NOT because of the funeral but to eat the FREE food... Humans can be greedy, can't we? If something is FREE, we think we want it --even if we don't need it. BUT--the critters out there probably NEED that food.... Interesting post, Kathy.
Hugs,
Betsy

Sweet Virginia Breeze said...

Oh so true! All you have to say is "Free" and some people grab even if they don't need it.

Linda Reeder said...

There is a side to human nature that is ugly, that's for sure.

Kimberly said...

LOL, like food on a cruise is actually FREE! It's also true when people eat beyond their fill at these all-you-can-eat places to get their money worth. Did the depression mutate our genes?

Bilbo said...

The German folk singer Reinhard Mey has a wonderful song on this topic: "Die heisse Schlacht am kalten Buffet" (literally, "The hot battle of the cold buffet"). I'll have to send you a copy with a translation ... you'll appreciate it.

Anonymous said...

Nice photo! I agree with you regarding buffets. People here love to gorge themselves. too.

Gilly said...

Great photo! You saw some amazing birds and animals there - I envy you!

Yes, buffet eaters and anyone spotting free food seem to think the world is going to end and they must eat as much as possible! You do wonder if they would behave like that at home, say. I was very lucky on the cruise this year - as I walk with a crutch, I was always helped by the big honcho in charge, who quietly pushed to the front of everything and got exactly what I wanted!

Cobalt Violet said...

I'm cracking up! I'm not usually a buffet person, but I just wrote about one for my next post!
It was Italy though, and people were acting like that, fortunately. Maybe because it was at a museum.
You are reminding me how much I want to go whale watching though!

Anyway, hope you are having a beautiful summer!

Kay said...

Sigh... sometimes human nature can be pretty embarrassing.