About 15 years ago, my family went to a restaurant and when
the food was served, my sister noticed something squirming about on her side
salad. It was a green caterpillar, happily munching away on a leaf. Dad was
seething inside. He and called the waiter, pointed at the critter and calmly
said, “Look at what you are serving here.” The waiter was shocked and ashamed.
The manager came out to offer profuse apologies and offered compensation in the
form of a cash voucher.
With the shift towards a more sustainable lifestyle, I think
back and marvel at how times have changed. Had that happened to me today, I would
feel complimented, a tad excited even. I would call out the manager and shake
his/her hand for serving food that is fresh and organic enough to have
something still thriving on it.
I found this fellow in a bag of lettuce that I bought the
day before. It survived the transportation from the farm to the grocery store,
a night in the grocery fridge, a night in my fridge, a rude flush of water, and
the possibility of being drizzled with tahini dressing.
(I can’t affectionately refer to the slug as ‘him’ or ‘her’ because
slugs are hermophradites.)
I plucked it out of my rinse bucket, thanked it for being a
trooper, thanked myself for spotting it, thanked the local organic farmers that
provided their great services to my community, and put it in a bush outside.
Mom was flabbergasted. I doubt she’ll ever understand how I
think. But I’ll make sure that my children will if I ever become a mother
myself. And that’s all that matters.
