WE HAVE all learnt from many dieticians, doctors and health gurus that we are what we eat - we are as healthy as what we put inside our mouth.
However, I am also a strong believer of "we are how we eat" - that we are as progressive as the way we consume our meals.
But from my personal observations in many foodcourts, hawker centre and even cafes and restaurants, Singaporeans, as well as other residents alike, have not made much progress in terms of social evolution.
My family and I frequent the foodcourt at Giant in Tampines Industrial Park. I have seen messy tables on every visit - food waste litters the tables, with drips and stains all over, and used tissue paper is left not only on the tables but on the floor too.
Many patrons have no qualms about leaving the mess behind for the next group of diners during peak dining hours.
I could never bring myself to do so. I always tell my children to clear their plates at foodcourts and hawker centres. This is not only good manners, but also cultivates good habits for life.
It really baffles me how relatively well-educated people in Singapore can make such a mess in public.
Do we behave the same way at home, at the school cafeteria, at our friends'/relatives' homes? If not, why should we do so in a foodcourt when other diners are waiting to use the same tables?
Has our education system failed us, or is there something fundamentally flawed in our collective mindset? Are we becoming too full of ourselves to care about displaying common courtesy?
Are we so blind to the needs of others, or so pampered by having cleaners clear up after us?
The condition of the table we dine at is a reflection of ourselves.
So, to my fellow citizens and residents, take a minute to clear your table. Perhaps, for a start, do it once a week, then increase the frequency until it becomes a habit.
There is absolutely no need to wait for cleaners to do so; and there is certainly no need to worry that we are "stealing" the cleaners' job.
Chen Hui Feng (Ms)
However, I am also a strong believer of "we are how we eat" - that we are as progressive as the way we consume our meals.
But from my personal observations in many foodcourts, hawker centre and even cafes and restaurants, Singaporeans, as well as other residents alike, have not made much progress in terms of social evolution.
My family and I frequent the foodcourt at Giant in Tampines Industrial Park. I have seen messy tables on every visit - food waste litters the tables, with drips and stains all over, and used tissue paper is left not only on the tables but on the floor too.
Many patrons have no qualms about leaving the mess behind for the next group of diners during peak dining hours.
I could never bring myself to do so. I always tell my children to clear their plates at foodcourts and hawker centres. This is not only good manners, but also cultivates good habits for life.
It really baffles me how relatively well-educated people in Singapore can make such a mess in public.
Do we behave the same way at home, at the school cafeteria, at our friends'/relatives' homes? If not, why should we do so in a foodcourt when other diners are waiting to use the same tables?
Has our education system failed us, or is there something fundamentally flawed in our collective mindset? Are we becoming too full of ourselves to care about displaying common courtesy?
Are we so blind to the needs of others, or so pampered by having cleaners clear up after us?
The condition of the table we dine at is a reflection of ourselves.
So, to my fellow citizens and residents, take a minute to clear your table. Perhaps, for a start, do it once a week, then increase the frequency until it becomes a habit.
There is absolutely no need to wait for cleaners to do so; and there is certainly no need to worry that we are "stealing" the cleaners' job.
Chen Hui Feng (Ms)
