The harsh reality of poverty

I have mentioned before and I will mention again, I really love my house! We have the best view. Whenever people come over, the first thing they notice when they come up the stairs is the view. Most are not interested in hanging out inside, they would rather sit on the porch and look out. I noticed recently that my house is pretty much surrounded by other, more rustic dwellings. They are inhabited by Burmese Karen people. Most are not legal citizens of the country and therefore cannot find decent work, if they work at all. That also means that they cannot purchase wood, which is VERY expensive here. As a side note, although wood is expensive 99% of houses here are built of wood. They build their houses out of bamboo. They are very similar to the houses in the refugee camps, VERY basic. If they can afford it, they can get a tin roof put on, but most have dead leaves weaved together as a roof (it is more sturdy than you think). Not all of the houses are totally enclosed either. The one outside of my kitchen window has 3 walls and the front is facing the beautiful view. From what I can see, they have a small enclosed room where they sleep.

The other day I was washing the dishes and looking out of my kitchen window (by the way, I don't have a choice, we don't have curtains) and there isn't much to see but into my neighbors house. I noticed that they were cooking. As the man was turning the food on the grill, I thought, that can't be what I think it is.... and it was. He was grilling a rat... they call them bamboo rats. Yes, that was to be their lunch. Apparently many Karen eat bamboo rats. I felt very bad for them. Now, Doris and I have been going back and forth about the reason why they eat rats; do they do it because they cannot afford chicken or pork? Do they do it because that is what they always eat and they like it? I really don't know, but I cannot imagine that anyone wants to eat rats, however, people do like to eat fried grasshoppers, grubs and a host of other insects and they are not doing it because they are poor. I look at how they live and eat and wonder how do they do it? The title of this post is "The Harsh Reality of Poverty", but I wonder, is it harsh for them or me? I think the answer is for me. This is life for them and they need to live it and most of them don't know anything better, but I do.