While walking home from the Intermission Cafe (such a cute place--their appetizers are called rehearsals and their entrees are called main stage--ha!), I passed a little group of homeless panhandlers asking for money. I said sorry, but no and took a few steps past them before I remembered that I was carrying home half my ham and cheese sandwich that I was saving for tomorrow. I looked down at my nice little meal and realized that I should give it away. So maybe Jesus didn't exactly say "if someone asks you for money, give them the other half of your ham and cheese sandwich" but I figured the sentiment was the same.
I walked back and asked, Since you're hungry, would you like the other half of my sandwich?
To which one of them, the lady in the wheel chair, retorted, What kind?
I never got a chance to answer her, though, because she asked me mid-grab and by the time she was finished with her question I could see my sandwich was firmly in her hand, the transaction having been completed. She'd know soon enough, anyway.
Hopefully she liked the second half of my ham and cheese sandwich. I know I sure liked the first half. I find it a little ironic that she got picky when being offered food--specifically after having told me that she was hungry.
It reminded me of when I was little and my mom would be making dinner and I would wander into the kitchen to ask her what, exactly, she was cooking, usually hoping for pancakes or even spaghetti. Well, if it happened to be the dreaded tuna-fish casserole (and that was the answer more than a little, at least that is how I remember it), I would make it clear that I was unhappy with her dinner. She would then tell me that there were real hungry people out there, starving people, homeless people, even, who would eat whatever was offered them, gratefully, no questions asked.
But now I know that isn't always the truth. Sometimes homeless and hungry people are picky too. Sometimes they ask questions. I am not sure what the moral of the story is, but I just thought it was interesting.
4 comments:
Someone was telling me the other day that they read something by a homeless person that said that there are so many social services (soap kitchens, government programs, etc) in cities that if a homeless person wants to eat, they can almost always eat. So when they ask for money and you offer them food, it might be that they are literally full, and maybe that's why some homeless people can afford to be picky.
Mmmm, tuna casserole...
What's a soap kitchen, Jase? Do they get to go in and take a shower...cause that would be awesome.
I hope that is true, that the homeless never have a reason to not be hungry, but these homeless specifically asked for money because they were hungry. This is why I thought it was funny that, when offered my sandwich, they were like, "well, what kind is it...?"
And maybe you should start a soap kitchen in Philly, Merry--something new to offer the homeless...
Post a Comment