I've been in Fiji for a week. I loved every minute of it, the people, the heat, the scenery and the food. However, an incident I witnessed bought home to me that although we live in a small world, sometimes our lives are worlds apart.
On my last night Iwas having a buffet dinner in one of the resort's restaurants. I couldn't miss the family (Australian) that entered and sat in front and just to the left of me.
Mum looked lovely in a short white dress and very high heels, dad was loud, the little girl (about 10) sat down at the table and then the boy came barging in (he was 8 or 9). "Buffet, yeah," he yelled and off he went with his plate returning with it laden with food. Mum teetered up to the food wobbling all over the place. I realised she had had rather a lot to drink. Dad loudly ordered a bottle of wine and the little girl just sat. Boy comes back, eats about a third of his food, pushes the plate aside and off he goes to the buffet again. Meanwhile mum asks daughter to take her to the toilet. I kid you not. The child had to lead her mother very carefully down the few steps holding her arm and away to the ladies. Mother swayed, but managed to stay on her heels.
Boy is back at the table, he takes about two minutes to announce he doesn't like what he got and off he went again ... this time to the children's buffet. Now I wasn't eavesdropping, I couldn't help but hear and I tried my best not to stare. The parents decided the boy could do whatever he liked. Really, I thought, is it ok to behave like that because it's holiday time? I think not. I couldn't help but compare this absolute waste of food with what I'd seen earlier in the day. Fijian boys of about the same age walking along dusty gravel roads with machetes gathering food and wood. Bet they would have loved a plateful of this food.
