The needy at the wedding

I went to a wedding in Bnei Braq last night. It was beautiful.

There was one part of it that was sad. At our table, sat two, I assume, poor men. They came in, were totally out of place, and sat down at my table and ate. They sat there from the first course, all the way through the dancing and through the main course. They kept filling their plates with food, be it salads or side dishes or whatever was available at any given moment.

At one point, they pulled out a bag and started pouring food into the bag for later.

When I went back to the table after dancing the first round, there was a third, younger, poor guy sitting there eating as well, along with the first two. He also had his plate piled high and kept refilling it. Very sad that people are so needy.

It was a bit strange. I guess I don't understand people i. that situation, as thank God I have never been in such a situation. I would think that such a person would come and eat whatever food was available and move on. These people were asking the waiters to bring food, asking for more of this and that, not to bother bringing the other, etc. I guess I don't understand them.

Another strange thing - when I came back to the table, the main course was being served. The rice, potatoes and veggies were already on the table, and the waiters were bringing the chicken. The "guests" had already polished off almost all the side dishes, leaving just a few potatoes for the rest of us, no rice, and some cooked veggies.

I was ok with that, got my main, took some veggies and a potato, and ate my food. After they ate, one of them asked the waiter to bring more rice and potatoes, as some people at the table did not get.

The waiter complied and brought some more serving dishes. The two older folks took the plates first and restocked their own plates, leaving a bit of rice for the rest of us. I was already getting ready to leave, so I didn't want any. He was offering me the plate, and when he saw I was refusing he put it down in front of me.

The younger "guest" reached over to take it and refill his plate. With a bit of viciousness, the older guy grabbed the plate and his hand, and barked at him, saying, "You already ate a whole plate of food, and other people didn't get. Aren't you ashamed of yourself?!". He then pulled the plate away and offered it to me again. I refused as I had just benched and had to leave. I said no thank you and they can all enjoy it. Instead of giving it to the other guy, he finished dumping the whole dish of rice onto his own plate.

I was amazed at how much they could eat. They literally ate non-stop from the moment they came in until at least when I left, which was at least 2 hours, along with packing food away for later. I guess it must be difficult when you don't know where or when your next meal will be...