Monthly TOEFL Essay number #1: Please don't leave any food!!

In worldwide, every country has its own unique custom, such as in India they eat with right hands. Korea is not an exception. In Korea, there are lots of customs that has been passed down from the past, for instance bowing to people who are older than us. There is another custom which is not leaving food when eating. Not only there are regulations about this in many schools, but also in many units of family, parents scorn kids for leaving food. Personally, I thought it would be a good custom for other countries to adopt as it is definitely good for health, less waste in food sources, and can help people to realize the importance of following rules.

 

To begin with, not leaving food is certainly beneficial for our health. Nowadays, there is growing attention on keeping balance with one’s health, but at the same time, there are growing numbers of health problems. Increasing number of students is getting fat, due to the digestion of junk foods. Meanwhile, many teenagers are also getting extremely slim, due to severe diets. However, when we don’t leave any food, it is easy to maintain one’s health. We get to eat all the nutrients that are provided in a dish, and also we can prevent ourselves from becoming over-weight, since we eat exactly the certain amount given. Thus, we get to eat in a balanced nutrient state, which helps significantly in keeping our health.

 

In addition, this custom enables Korean pupils to reduce the amount of leftover food. Korean students usually choose what they want to eat in the cafeteria from the point where they are in elementary school. As they are not allowed to have left-over food, it is important that students choose how much, and what they are going to eat. Gradually, it can lead pupils to make better selection on eating the exact amount they need. For instance, I had a friend who always put all the food on his dish. Without a doubt, he always had left over food, and was always criticized by his homeroom teacher. Because of it, he was always left alone in the cafeteria eating up all the food. However, he realized that he needed to have less food on his dish. Gradually, he was able to reduce the time he spent on meals, and also reduce the amount of leftover food. Thus, this custom is beneficial in reducing the amount of waste food.

 

Moreover, not leaving food can help people to realize the importance of obeying rules. Though this custom may appear to have little impact, it actually plays a significant role for individuals to enhance the ability as a social member. Many people feel it tiresome not to leave small amount of food, such as rice paste. Nevertheless, as individuals follow the custom, they can practice the habit of not ignoring minor policies. Thus, this custom is helpful in making people to follow the social rules, even minor ones.

 

To conclude, I argue that not leaving food is a good custom for other countries to adopt. This is mainly because it has positive impacts on our body, can decrease the waste of food, and because one can understand the importance of obeying the rules. As it is a custom that our parents and teachers always stress, it would definitely bring positive impacts when it is adopted.

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