So I've mentioned a few times before about troubles with food theft. Over the summer, it was the mysterious disappearing blueberry yogurt, both from my plastic baggie and from others'. Even Kelso's frozen spinach fell victim along with quite a few bottles of Mr. Juicy. As expected, food theft isn't a problem that goes away just because you move to a new dorm. In actuality, it's gotten worse. For me, it started (again) with a carton of blueberry yogurt. Things took a turn for the bizarre, though, last month when I took out a piece of pita bread with about a square inch missing--obviously pinched off the edge. I even stopped buying fresh fruit (except for apples and bananas which I can keep in my room) after someone stole only the pineapple out of my fruit salad. It seems we have a "food sampler" on my hallway. After these incidents I have stopped buying pre-made or prepared foods that need to be refrigerated (i.e. yogurt, pita bread, etc.), and have limited my refrigerator use to storing my leftovers.
I won't go into too much detail since those of you who need to know more already do, but I have a diabetes-related condition that isn't really diabetes, per se. However, I still need to eat like a diabetic, which means no living off rice, bread, or noodles. I can eat these foods but in moderation only. Therefore, I usually eat oatmeal and fruit for breakfast, campus food for lunch, and something I've cooked for dinner. When it comes to cooking dinner, though, there is a problem. Because of packaging sizes and what-not, it's pretty much impossible to cook just enough for one night. Usually, I end up with leftovers for 1-2 meals, which is fine by me.
The good thing about homemade food is that people never know what you put into it so they're less likely to take it. Regardless, I've always labeled any fridge-bound container as "Becca's" and tied it up in a plastic bag clearly labeled with my full name. No one has ever stolen my homemade leftovers before.
Apparently, that is, up until now. Saturday at lunch I cooked lemon-pepper chicken with broccoli...simple, cheap, and perfect diabetic food. The chicken I bought came as 6 small breast strips so I ate 3 for lunch with about half the broccoli. I put the rest back in the container, back in the bag, tied it all up, and returned it to the fridge for Sunday night's dinner.
Well, just a few hours ago it was time for Sunday night's dinner, and guess what? I found my bag untied, the container partially unsealed, and only one measly chicken strip with 2 pieces of broccoli remaining. Someone stole over half of my already small dinner. I've thought and thought about it, and I'm convinced that it is partially a cultural issue for these reasons:
(1) Little emperor/empress syndrome: A lot of the girls who live on my hall are from Mainland China, and have no siblings due to the one-child policy. Many families spoil those single-children like crazy and they get just about everything they want without ever being told no. While many of my best friends here are from Mainland, this is still something I can't help but notice.
(2) China is traditionally atheist: Even though I've known a lot of people who claim religion and act opposite, it's clear that Judeo-Christian values are very low here, which is to be expected (I mean, hello, I'm in China!). I'm not saying that this makes people bad. On the contrary, people from Hong Kong and Mainland are, in general, much nicer and more considerate than the average American. However, that Judeo-Christian tradition instills a sense of fear in wrong-doing because of the belief that God will deliver judgment. For most Chinese, as long as no one sees you do it and as long as no one can prove you did it, you're off the hook. No strings attached. Of course, most people are kind-hearted and would feel bad for doing something mean to someone else. It's just that the moral deterrent is really really low.
(3) Sharing food: You've heard me talk about it all the time...Chinese people share food. Even when you're in a restaurant where you order separate dishes for each person, everyone wants to try a little piece of everyone else's food. Naturally, it's polite to ask first, but I can easily see how this could lead to someone thinking it's OK as long as they just sample the food and leave a piece or two for the other person.
As you might can tell, I find this aggravating because (1) Food stolen is money lost, and (2) Specially-made diabetic-friendly food doesn't do me any good unless it ends up in my stomach. I've thought long and prayed hard about how to handle this issue. Firstly, I will not take a hostile approach. Taping threatening notes to the fridge or writing mean messages on the food containers will only make me look like a bad person who deserves to have her food stolen. Aside from that, I'm just not a mean person, and I don't want to feel like one. Secondly, I won't whine and complain to whomever will listen. This will only make me look like an idiotic and overly-sensitive person. Depending on the nature of the thief, this might even be funny enough for her to keep stealing my food just to watch my reaction. Thirdly, I absolutely will not attempt any sort of "revenge." I've always found this both childish and wasteful. I don't want to render perfectly good food that I spent my own money on inedible just for the small chance that the thief will eat it and get sick. I don't even find the notion of making someone sick appealing in the least. It's immature, petty, and cruel. So, no thanks, I refuse to get in a contest to see who can stoop lower.
Therefore, my game-plan is this: I have replaced all the labels on my food containers. Before they just said "Becca's," but now they say "糖尿病的餐 Becca's Diabetic Food ." And, yes, I actually wrote it in both Chinese and English. I also made a permanent note to attach to my container that says the following: "Please don't eat this food. I have diabetes and have to be careful about what I eat. I have to watch my sugar intake and eat special food. I cooked this food with the intention of eating it for 2-3 meals. If you really want to taste it, just ask me first. --Rebecca Miles, Rm 335."
I realize the last bit seems kind of odd, but I put some thought into it. People really do love sharing food here. It's a huge part of Chinese culture. If someone asks first, I really don't mind letting him/her try small piece just to see how it tastes. I'm the only Westerner on my hallway who cooks and I almost always have a super-curious audience of people wandering in and out of the kitchen. The food I make is really different from most of what you find in Hong Kong or in China so I guess I can understand the fascination, or even the temptation to taste.
I don't think that the thief is a bad or evil person. She's probably just curious and doesn't think about how stealing other people's food will affect them beyond making them angry. I never wanted to make a big deal out of my health problem, but I think that doing so will help her to understand the consequences of her actions. Hopefully, she will be more sympathetic and leave my food alone since what I eat significantly affects my health.
To be on the safe side, though, I will now be wrapping my container within a black non-transparent bag, tied, turned sideways, tied up within a second bag, turned upside down, and tied up within a third bag. Considering how I tie bags, I estimate at least a minute and a half of work to get to the actual food. On top of that, I will be hiding my triple-bagged container in both inconvenient and hard-to-reach locations, which I will change daily. If none of those precautions work, my Plan B is to start duct-taping the containers shut as well. Plan C is purchasing a small metal file-box with a lock and key.
I just want to request 2 things before letting everyone go: (1) Please pray for this person, and (2) If you have any good suggestions about preventing food-theft, please leave them in the comment box.
Thank you!
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