Hello, everyone! Welcome back to Dr. Safe’s class. Spring Festival is approaching, you must have bought lots of delicious food and be preparing to share it with your friends. But one thing may bother you: losing food in the refrigerator. It is almost a “tradition” in the residence, but an undesirable one. The food that has been stolen, such as bread, milk and fruits, may be cheap and nothing more than ordinary food in the “thief’s” eyes, but often that is not what the owners think.Let’s see what the owners say.

A: That cheese cake I put in the refrigerator is my birthday cake made by my mother. She spent lots of time making it elaborately with her full love. The thief didn’t only steal the cake, but also wasted my Mom’s hard work. I feel really hungry.

B: The food I lost can’t be bought in Hong Kong. It’s not a problem of losing money, but a terrible feeling of wasting time and energy. I made a big effort bringing  it back, but my work turned out to be in vain.

C: The bread and yogurt I lost can be bought in Taste, but not at any time I want. Think about this: when you are hungry late at night and you go to the refrigerator to get some midnight snack, how will you feel when you find that your food has been stolen and you have to suffer from hunger for the whole night? Angry and disappointed, of course. If the thief is as hungry at night as me, why can’t he or she at least leave some food for me? He or she can steal one bottle of milk but not the whole supply of milk.

The three cases above are some typical examples. It’s true sometimes that it’s not the lost money that counts but the story behind the food. That is what the “thieves” have not thought about. Living in a collective residence, consideration is the most important element contributing to a harmonious environment.

Next time, if you want to take another’s food illegally, here are some things you have to consider before doing so:

1. Can you buy the food in the vending machine or the canteen?
2. If the food has been sold out, and you can’t stand the hunger, can you remember to leave a note in the refrigerator and buy the same food to put back later?
3. Think about the story behind the food. Can you buy a cheese cake made by a kind mother? Can you buy food not sold in Hong Kong? If you can’t, please call your hands back.

As for the owners, you can also do something to reduce the possibility of losing food, like putting your food in an opaque bag with your name on it, so that others won’t mistake it for public food. There are indeed some other tips for owners that I can give, such as buying a fridge yourself or eating up all the food on the day of purchase. We wish every resident a happy memory here without any unnecessary worry. To achieve this, we need the self-discipline and consideration of all residents. After all, you are the beneficiaries of a comfortable and safe living environment, aren’t you?OK. That was is our class for today. Happy Chinese New Year and Happy Valentine’s Day!