B Suresh Kumar
Active member
Got this mail as a forward - it has a message for all of us ...... Read on.
As recd..
Germany is a highly industrialized country. It produces top brands like
Benz, BMW, Siemens etc. The nuclear reactor pump is made in a small town in
this country.
In such a country, many will think its people lead a luxurious life. At
least that was my impression before my study trip.
When I arrived at Hamburg, my colleagues who work in Hamburg arranged a
welcome party for me in a restaurant. As we walked into the restaurant, we
noticed that a lot of tables were empty. There was a table where a young
couple was having their meal. There were only two dishes and two cans of
beer on the table. I wondered if such simple meal could be romantic, and
whether the girl will leave this stingy guy.
There were a few old ladies on another table. When a dish is served, the
waiter would distribute the food for them, and they would finish every bit
of the food on their plates.
We did not pay much attention to them, as we were looking forward to the
dishes we ordered. As we were hungry, our local colleague ordered more food
for us.
As the restaurant was quiet, the food came quite fast. Since there were
other activities arranged for us, we did not spend much time dining. When we
left, there was still about one third of unconsumed food on the table.
When we were leaving the restaurant, we heard someone calling us. We noticed
the old ladies in the restaurant were talking about us to the restaurant
owner. When they spoke to us in English, we understood that they were
unhappy about us wasting so much food. We immediately felt that they were
really being too busybody.
"We paid for our food, it is none of your business how much food we left
behind," my colleague Gui told the old ladies.
The old ladies were furious. One of them immediately took her hand phone out
and made a call to someone. After a while, a man in uniform from the Social
Security organization arrived. Upon knowing what the dispute was, he issued
us a 50 Mark fine.
We all kept quiet. The local colleague took out a 50 Mark note and
repeatedly apologized to the officer.
The officer told us in a stern voice,
"ORDER WHAT YOU CAN CONSUME, MONEY IS YOURS BUT RESOURCES BELONG TO THE SOCIETY. THERE ARE MANY OTHERS IN THE WORLD WHO ARE FACING SHORTAGE OF RESOURCES. YOU HAVE NO REASON TO WASTE RESOURCES*
Our face turned red. We all agreed with him in our hearts. The mindset of
people of this rich country put all of us to shame. WE REALLY NEED TO
REFLECT ON THIS. We are from country which is not very rich in resources.
To save face, we order large quantity and also waste food when we give
others a treat. THIS INCIDENT TAUGHT US A LESSON TO THINK SERIOUSLY ABOUT
CHANGING OUR BAD HABITS.
My colleague Photostatted the fine ticket and gave a copy to each of us
As recd..
Germany is a highly industrialized country. It produces top brands like
Benz, BMW, Siemens etc. The nuclear reactor pump is made in a small town in
this country.
In such a country, many will think its people lead a luxurious life. At
least that was my impression before my study trip.
When I arrived at Hamburg, my colleagues who work in Hamburg arranged a
welcome party for me in a restaurant. As we walked into the restaurant, we
noticed that a lot of tables were empty. There was a table where a young
couple was having their meal. There were only two dishes and two cans of
beer on the table. I wondered if such simple meal could be romantic, and
whether the girl will leave this stingy guy.
There were a few old ladies on another table. When a dish is served, the
waiter would distribute the food for them, and they would finish every bit
of the food on their plates.
We did not pay much attention to them, as we were looking forward to the
dishes we ordered. As we were hungry, our local colleague ordered more food
for us.
As the restaurant was quiet, the food came quite fast. Since there were
other activities arranged for us, we did not spend much time dining. When we
left, there was still about one third of unconsumed food on the table.
When we were leaving the restaurant, we heard someone calling us. We noticed
the old ladies in the restaurant were talking about us to the restaurant
owner. When they spoke to us in English, we understood that they were
unhappy about us wasting so much food. We immediately felt that they were
really being too busybody.
"We paid for our food, it is none of your business how much food we left
behind," my colleague Gui told the old ladies.
The old ladies were furious. One of them immediately took her hand phone out
and made a call to someone. After a while, a man in uniform from the Social
Security organization arrived. Upon knowing what the dispute was, he issued
us a 50 Mark fine.
We all kept quiet. The local colleague took out a 50 Mark note and
repeatedly apologized to the officer.
The officer told us in a stern voice,
"ORDER WHAT YOU CAN CONSUME, MONEY IS YOURS BUT RESOURCES BELONG TO THE SOCIETY. THERE ARE MANY OTHERS IN THE WORLD WHO ARE FACING SHORTAGE OF RESOURCES. YOU HAVE NO REASON TO WASTE RESOURCES*
Our face turned red. We all agreed with him in our hearts. The mindset of
people of this rich country put all of us to shame. WE REALLY NEED TO
REFLECT ON THIS. We are from country which is not very rich in resources.
To save face, we order large quantity and also waste food when we give
others a treat. THIS INCIDENT TAUGHT US A LESSON TO THINK SERIOUSLY ABOUT
CHANGING OUR BAD HABITS.
My colleague Photostatted the fine ticket and gave a copy to each of us
