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Denise Martinez
Kimberly Lewis
English 114A
22 October, 2014
Dont throw it away Im Hungry!
When most people in America feel hungry the feeling is not so bad because people know
eventually they will have food in our hands again very soon. Many of Americans have yet to
experience the true feeling of hunger nor thought about those people in the word who experience
it on a daily basis. They do not value all the food they are lucky to have. In many places in the
world, such as universities, high schools, and most businesses, food is being thrown away
constantly. So much food is being wasted when there are so many people in the world who
sometimes are forced to go days without a slight taste of bread or water. Many people in
America do not value the things they have; they do not realize that there are others in desperate
need of the resources that they throw away.
I visited my old high school a few days ago to see how school food was now because
when I was enrolled, that was a big issue. The food has changed a bit but the students habits have
not. I was offered to try what they served for lunch that day as part of my research. I ate a
hamburger, sweet potato fries, and a frozen ice cream, with the milk as my drink. The food was
not too bad. It was also free of charge. I realized many students would just grab their plates and
throw them away right after. At first I thought it was only a few picky students who maybe did
not like the food, but later, I realized it was actually most of the students who were doing this.
As I walked by each table I overheard a conversation two girls were having: That shit
tastes so nasty, one girl said to the other girl while she was eating her homemade lunch. I just

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could not understand why were so many students getting food they knew was not to their taste,
only to throw it away. In every table, there were at least four untouched plates of food that were
thrown away right when the bell rang to go to class. I asked Mrs. Jackson, a dean at the school,
how often was the food was being thrown away. She responded with, every day, most students
just grab what they like and throw the rest of the plate away. So much food goes to the trash
every day while people in other countries are starving with such a bad economy. I then wondered
if food was also being thrown at other places such as universities or was this problem only
occurring at Bell High School.
I went to eat at Geronimos, the place where the students at California State University,
Northridge who live in the dorms eat if they have a meal plan. This is an all you-can-eat buffet. It
is full of different types of foods, such as Mexican, American, and Chinese food. They even have
a salad bar and a section full of fruits. They have breakfast, lunch, dinner, and even desserts. My
observations showed that, as much food as was being served more than half was also being
wasted. Many students see so much food at the buffet that they just start taking very big portions
of everything then throw away anything uneaten. A girl served herself three pizzas, two big
spoons of rice, and chips on the side. Later I see that out of that exact same plate she had only
eaten only one slice of pizza and the rest went straight in to the trash can. Students tend to want
to try other foods theyve never had before but they often serve themselves way too much or
some dont end up liking it so they throw all of it away. My roommate has the same habit of
always throwing away what she didnt like or serving herself to much food and then throwing it
away. So much good food is offered to us students but most of it ends up in the trash.
I then wondered, what happens to the food people dont buy at restaurants and fast food
places? To answer that, I conducted interviews with some of my friends who worked in the food

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industry. Stephanie Garcia, a friend who worked at McDonalds, said that one day she worked
until closing time. Stephanie being new to that job had no idea what happened to all the food left
over that was not sold so she asked her manager if she can take some home. Her manager looked
at her like if she was crazy and told her that definitely no. She thought it was so weird that her
manager minded her question so much, so she then stuck around to see why she could not take
food home. Stephanie later came to realize that they threw all that food away, just like the
students from my old high school and here at Northridge. What a waste of food that was. I also
asked Rosvin Grajeda if she ever witnessed any food being thrown away during the time she
worked at Pollo Loco. Rosvin also seen that happen at Pollo Loco. Whatever type of food that
was left unsold had to be thrown away. She said that she often wish she could take some home
but she was afraid to because they told her that the food left over had to be counted and thrown
away. I interviewed Alina, who works at a coffee shop. I thought that maybe only fast food
places threw food away but according to Alina it is also done at small businesses such as the one
she worked at. She told me that exact same thing as Stephanie and Rosvin. Alina said that more
than half of the pastries go to the trash because they are not bought during the day and that they
are not allowed to take any of them home. How is it that so much food can we wasted like that
and employees are not allowed to take any? If the food is useless to the restaurant already why
not allow someone make better use of it, like those who are starving or who cannot afford to eat?
People in Africa and Asia are starving and fighting for survival when here in my
surrounding food is being thrown away every single day. Next time people, complain about food
being nasty or it not being what they, they should take a moment, and be grateful that they at
least we have something to eat. Some people are homeless, sleeping on the floor, and fighting for
survival. They do not have money for food, let alone the tuition money to get in to a school that

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serves free lunches or all-you-can-eat buffet. Next time we complain about what we have lets
think about what others may not have. Food should not be wasted. People should really take in
consideration that it took others time to cook that and they should also remember that others wish
they had the chance to eat as well as we have the opportunity too. We must make a change in life
and value everything that is given to us because not a lot of people are as fortunate as we are. We
shall start thinking about what others got through while we dont suffer a tiny bit. Let us be
grateful that we life in a country full of opportunities and chances of survival.