George Norton

The generosity of those with little to eat often amazes me. . In Colombia, Ecuador, Senegal, the Philippines, or Bangladesh, if they know you are coming, and often even if not, they feed you. Not always the best food, mind you, but you do not starve, even figuratively. Walk onto a farm unannounced in Senegal, and they give you peanuts. If you stay around very long, they give you a spoon, and soon you are eating rice and vegetables out of a common bowl with the family – or at least with the males in the family. In the campo of Colombia, you had better like chicken if they expect you for lunch. They will kill it and cook it while you wait. Sharing is strongly embedded in the culture. In the Peace Corps, I was fed so many arepas that I had to sneak some out in my hat so as not to insult the generosity.

     One of the poorest rural neighborhoods where we worked in Colombia was called El Congal.  Marj organized a women’s group there and visited individual homes. One family she visited had 10 children, one of whom did not attend school because her bones were deformed and she struggled to walk. Marj was sure the child had rickets, and she suggested ways that the mother might use the powdered milk given to her in a food package at the local health center.           Marj visited the family several times and helped teach the girl to read. The first time she went, the family insisted on feeding Marj even though they didn’t have enough food for themselves. They gave her rice and a piece of fish skin. She felt bad about eating it – not because it smelled fishy, but because it meant the youngest kids only got a small portion of rice. Marj ate what she was served, however, because the mother was so pleased to have her eat with them.

     Despite trying hard to avoid being in hungry homes at meal time, Marj and I can’t count the number of times we were offered food by families whose children appeared ragged. We always felt guilty accepting it, but usually did, not wanting to deny them the pride they felt when giving to a guest. It is a humbling experience to accept food from the poor, one that can take more courage than giving it.