One of our last experiential learning opportunities was held on November 30th at 6pm. It was an experience that had me think about a lot of situations that I do not normally think about regarding food. This banquet was held in order to raise awareness about food insecurity and the problems associated with excess food waste in America. When we first entered into our event we were given a card that said what social class we were and that determined where we sat for the evening. On my card I had written, “Middle Income”. Also on that card was a name of someone who survived off of middle income with a short snippet of their lives. I got a woman from Somalia who was named Halima. Halima was a mother of five and worked as a nurse. It was interesting to see what others around me got on their cards. Since I was middle class, I got to sit at a table with others in my social class which I was happy about because I was fortunate enough to actually get a seat. However, my friends who all got “Low Income” on their cards succumbed to sitting on the floor. The very few people who got “High Income” on their cards sat at a table that had a fancier set up and had salads and water waiting for them as they sat.

As the evening progressed, we were informed about the food insecurity that many individuals (more than we think) in America experience. I was particularly intrigued by the situation of excessive food waste. I grew up in a home where I was always forced to eat all the food on my plate. If I left even a bite on the plate, my mother and father would tell me, “There are other kids around the world who are starving.” They never allowed for me or my sibling to leave any food because they hated wasting food. Whenever there were  leftovers for dinner my mother would always pack it up and have it ready for my dad to take to lunch the next day. Throwing out food was never something that happened in my house. However, coming into college and having all these food choices, I’ve experienced myself doing exactly what I was told not to do all my life. Yet, I have not really thought much about my actions until the problems of food insecurity and food waste were brought to my attention. When they mentioned specifically about how kids in our dining hall are notorious for getting plates and plates of food and not finishing it all, it hit close to home and reminded me of my upbringing. Because I am surrounded by so many options, I don’t usually think twice about going up more than once even if my first plate was not finished. Hunger is an issue that many Americans experience everyday which is an unfathomable thing to think about because the amount of food that goes into the garbage everyday is enough to feed those that are hungry. I think this experiential learning was something that I personally needed to hear. It made me aware of my carelessness as well as reminded me that others are not so fortunate to have the options I do. Now will I go into dining hall and attempt to not contribute to this problem of excessive food waste in America. This event was an eye opening experience that I am grateful to have experienced and I think would be very beneficial for others to hear.