Karita Hummer's Silver Pen Award for "Patriotism: A Half-educated Old Milk-woman And A Ph. D. Scholar " by asaiyed777

Recipient of Karita Hummer's Silver Pen Award






Reposted from John Edwards blog

http://blog.johnedwards.com/story/2007/9/19/2921/82846#7

Patriotism: A Half-educated Old Milk-woman And A Ph. D. Scholar
asaiyed777 in Diaries
9/19/2007 at 2:09 AM EST

This is a true story. I started hearing it from my dad when I was about twelve years old and heard it over fifty times on different occasions, as I saw him telling other people. And eventually one day, I read the original book from where he quoted the story.

It was a chronicle by a Bengali Language Professor of Dhaka University, Bangladesh. He did his Ph. D from either Oxford or Cambridge, I don't exactly remember. He chronicled his stay in England when he was a Ph. D. scholar and later published in a Book named "Seven Hundred And Fifty Days In England". He wrote his daily events so interestingly that it turned out to be a popular novel. I am writing about one of the events that he wrote and it goes like this:

And old lady was delivering milk to him and she found in him a good listener. So, whenever she delivered milk, she stopped for few moments and talked to him. Over time, they built a good rapport and it was going like that. However, one day the lady told him that she wouldn't be coming to deliver milk anymore from the next day. He wondered, "Why"? The old lady said price of milk went up and her milk delivery business would be no more profitable. So, she was bound to give up. It came right off his mouth as he heard, " Why not add some water to the milk and sell? Then you will be able keep your margin". The old lady looked at him straight in the eyes and asked, " Do you want that I spoil my nation's health"? The Ph. D. scholar then wrote in his chronicle, " I am an elite of my country doing Ph. D. here and expect to go back after obtaining my degree and teach, whereas what a teaching that half-educated lady gave me today: "Do you want that I spoil my nation's health"? This is a true story happened about fifty years ago.

Fifty years later, here in America we need to think about the safety of foods. Imported Foods. Foods that are getting some people more profits and more margins.