That Bites

My appetite has shrunk a lot during this travel partially because of the heat, but also because of the strangeness of the food. If I stay here longer, I think I’d get sick from malnutrition. Although the body’s appetite is beyond my control, I can’t help but feel a little guilty. I had plenty of fine food in front of me but I just could not eat. Yet there were those who have empty stomachs but with no food to fill them. Beggars – especially children and those crippled – line the streets at all hours of the day. I got used to them coming up to me on the streets and in restaurants. I was told that it’s best to give food to them instead of money, because the money might not go to them but back to the ‘bosses’ in the background.