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I was in KFC earlier and the guy in front of me looked a bit down and out. Sure enough, he didn't have enough money for a piece of chicken and asked the girl behind the counter if he could have a small piece. He pointed to the piece he wanted and she jumped down his throat with, "No! You don't get to choose what piece you get because you don't even have enough money!" Then he asked for sauce, which had her sucking her teeth. She sent him away with a bit of chicken and no sauce.

When it was my turn to be served, I asked her how much food they throw out each day. She gave me a dirty look and it was her colleague answered me with, "Tons". I realise KFC are not a charity, but where's the harm in giving away a bit of food to those who obviously need it? They'll only end up throwing loads of it away at the end of the day.

I think supermarkets and fast food restaurants should do more to help the homeless and hungry. It seems they would rather throw "tons" of food in the bin, rather than give it away. I don't understand the thinking behind that. (I ended up buying the guy one of those meal deals and giving it to him outside - the poor guy looked at me like I just handed him a winning lottery ticket).

when KFC was Kentucky Fried Chicken (before the rebrand) Colonel Sanders had it written up that anyone homeless who asked for food - would receive a full meal for free...

so they changed the name, rebranded and got out of that clause...

Poor sod, good on you Replicant. Becoming homeless or without food/money can happen to anyone.

I know some restaurants give their unused food to homeless charities to dish out in their kitchens, so why not supermarkets and fast food joints? Sad isn't it?

pret a manger do it - and some of the bigger supermarkets, especially around london...

the other day, as i was getting a bus around london town - i saw a homeless guy surrounded by platters of sarnies from Pret, with a sign up saying "please take one - i've got too much!"

I love Pret food. They do the best sandwiches. Yum.

http://www.iskcon.org.uk/ffl/

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Replicant wrote:I love Pret food. They do the best sandwiches. Yum.

I worship their coffee more. To die for

And then there's Food Not Bombs.

On more than one occasion, over the last couple of decades, they've had local authorities in the US (and even the FBI) label them as terrorists.

Assault with a deadly ladle? Dissemination of commie chowder??

Replicant wrote:I was in KFC earlier and the guy in front of me looked a bit down and out. Sure enough, he didn't have enough money for a piece of chicken and asked the girl behind the counter if he could have a small piece. He pointed to the piece he wanted and she jumped down his throat with, "No! You don't get to choose what piece you get because you don't even have enough money!" Then he asked for sauce, which had her sucking her teeth. She sent him away with a bit of chicken and no sauce.

I think I'd have given him a quid to make up the money and walked out. It makes my blood boil when little Hitlers like that try to make the the powerless squirm.

And then there's the wonderful world of freeganism, which I'm sure most places turn a blind eye to as long as it doesn't cause any mess. (reduces their landfill tax payments, y'see).

Not related to food, but I did once see a group of people stood around an upset hopper bin by outside a charity shop. Spilling out onto the pavement were various items of clothing and books and the usual kind of Oxfam kibble. Was an oddly primal scene, a load of prehistoric hunters butchering a mammoth. The things you see when you don't have a camera.

I seem to remember places had stopped giving out food (in particular Pret) because someone had tried to sue them for being given out of date/stale food - some health and safety nazi gone mad no doubt.

If you guys have seen people with food recently then that can't be the case?

A local cafe/bakery near me used to give all their unused sandwiches to the homeless shelter. They stopped because some guy watched a claims direct advert on the TV in the communal room.He tried to sue the bakery for causing food poisoning thinking that he'd get thousands (enough to buy his own place at least, stuff anyone else). He got nothing and the bakery now darent give away anything

Good for you, Replicant.
A chap used to empty the bins of a sandwich shop near me to redistribute to the homeless. When the shop in question found out, they reported him to the police and he ended up in court for theft.
So be careful out there and put bags over the CCTV cameras.

It's not uncommon to see poverty here in India. The cliche of the rich getting richer, and the poor getting poorer, is totally apt here !

In the land where 10 million children die every year by the time they reach the age of six months, where 42% of the population lives under the poverty line, and 2% of the population owns 98% of the country's wealth, people still find time to argue about the 'Western' culture, and praise the booming IT industry and India's nuclear strength !

As someone who has actively participated in helping the homeless and the needy, it's frustrating to see how the country's artful politicians maintain their stronghold over the people. India is a perfect example of a gerontocracy. The notion of India being the world's largest democracy ( that's what I was taught in school.. ) is just plain stupid.

And now, I go back to study for my Graduation Record Examination, to take a flight out of this dump and pursue my education in the 'West' !

Doomfan wrote:This week, I are bin mostly:

wearing taffetta

Long live the Fast Show!