Beginning as a child (5-7 years old) I remember going to Yemen and just being surprised by everything. The country is quite poor as a whole, but my family in Yemen was lucky to have a solid business and steady income. There is no such thing as regulated taxes; basically a government official can come to your house at anytime and ask for as much money as they feel. Not knowing when your next meal would be was a reality for a lot of people, my next door neighbor was one of those. I had never been exposed to such harsh realities and it made me uncomfortable. Lunch in my grandmas house was a big affair everyday. All morning was spent cooking and preparing for lunch. Something that always stuck with me was that I was always yelled at if I didn't finish my food. 'Left overs' were not a concept in Yemen as it was at my home in America. If there was food that wasn't finished in the house from lunch, me and my sisters were tasked with bringing it to my next door neighbors. Another thing that was strange to me at first was that everyone in my family ate out of one big dish. We all sat on the ground eating from a huge tray and any food left was given to other people in our neighborhood.
I returned to Yemen as an early teenager. I remember that at this time I was very aware of what I looked like. I was appreciative of my skinniness and wanted to stay that away. Going to Yemen the summer before 8th grade, I remember one of the first thing my aunt said was 'Why are you so skinny?' This was something that almost every relative said to me upon seeing me for the first time. I came to learn over the summer that in Yemen, what was attractive was a very thick women with large legs and a tummy. It was wild to me and I remember thinking to myself 'I would never want to be that fat'. The standards of beauty were quite different from what I was used to. I didn't get it back then, but it is quite obvious now. Food is scarce in Yemen and being well fed to the point of being slightly overweight is a sign of good health and wealthiness. In America, refusing food and eating disorders are such a common thing and I have multiple friends that deal with those issues. This is almost unheard of overseas. No one refuses food in Yemen for their 'image'.
The difference ideals in each country isn't what pisses me off. What defines beauty and where extra food goes after a meal is trivial compared to the real problem. The real problem begins and ends with the corruption in Yemen's government. The president of Yemen during this time period had been ruining the country for decades, and though his country was one of the poorest, he was a multi billionaire. That is what pisses me off. My helplessness pisses me off too. Ive always dreamed of going back and making a difference there, but currently I wouldn't even be able to get into the country with all the internal problems and the civil war.
Coming back to the topic of food on culture, I truly believe if the country had decades of sufficient food supply, the culture would change and maybe begin to look more similar to America's in some way.
I've never been out of the country before so I can't say I've shared in your experience. The closest I ever come to is through books but, as wonderful as they are, they are not an exact substitute. What I do understand and experience often is the feeling of frustration at my own helplessness. It's difficult to fight for change or answers when something this serious goes all the way to the top. Leaders of the world are meant to be positive influences and help their country for the better but those that fail in their duties and malign their positions make the world a darker place. But you're also right about food being a tool to bring change to a country. Everyone needs food to survive and this is our string that ties us to each other. Improving Yemen's population exposure to a stable food income would help create a stable country but doing something like that would require a better reinstated government. The best thing to do, or one of the best things to do, is to get word out, like with this blog post. Talk about it to everyone you know and get people to talk because talking will eventually lead to action even if they're small and unrecognizable at first.
ReplyDelete