Good Intentions

Recently, at work I waited on a little old woman who is most of the time by herself. This particular night, however, she had 8 others with her, part of them her family. Two others were guests from Chile and Honduras. I am sure that the family had the best intentions of spoiling their temporary guests, taking them out to their private club and lavishing them with all the particulars that they as a family are accustomed to.

It was a night of indulgence! At least by my standards, maybe not so much for this family. There are many times that as a middle-class American I wonder how it is that these people can spend this much on a drink, let alone what they spend on their meals on a regular basis.

For a moment that night, I tried to place myself in the shoes of the two young men that were their guests. Both visiting from countries that are far less fortunate than ours. That evening they had about $50 spent on each of them for their meal. They were given enough food to probably have fed 5 in their home towns. And the entire table spent $500 total.

What would these young men have been thinking? Would it have been to them an act of kindness or an act of pride and American excess? Was it seen as an act of generosity or an opportunity to show off how good these Americans have it here in the States?


I don't know but I do know that Honduras still lives in extreme poverty in dirt floor huts, their water never being as clear as ours. "Honduras is one of the poorest nations in the Western Hemisphere and remains dependent on international economic assistance." (http://www.encyclopedia.com/) I'm not sure about Chile, I believe it is one of the most prosperous countries in South America, but I'm sure it still doesn't have the excess that was displayed this weekend.

I am 100% postive that this family had good intentions. I'm sure they wanted their guests to experience the best that our area has to offer. However, I can't help but wonder if it was more offensive to them then welcoming.

I don't know. My stomach turned then and it turns now as I think about it!