At the church dinner this week, there was actually some ice cream with the dessert.
This church dinner, on Wednesdays, is for the homeless and those on low income, but everyone else is welcome. The homeless people then sleep in the church for the night while the rest of us go home.
Dinner is a set offering every week: a main course of roast chicken (with gravy), plain rice and boiled veg (usually peas, sometimes with a bit of broccoli). The first course of lentil soup has been taken off, maybe because it's a winter dish? The dessert has been apple crumble with custard in the last five months that I've been dining there (not every Wednesday), but last week, it was plum-and-berry crumble, no custard. This week, a scoop of ice cream as well -- for the first time (in my experience anyway).
The Somali woman next to me (in her 50s??) was delighted, I could see from her face, so when second helpings of crumble were dished out, I offered her my scoop of ice cream.
She tried to decline, not wishing to appear to be greedy (especially since we'd only just met), which is very similar to the Chinese practice / upbringing. I could tell, though, that it would make her very happy -- even though it was only a dollop.
To get her to agree, and to assuage her feeling of appearing to be greedy and selfish, I said, "It gives me greater enjoyment to let you have my share of the ice cream than eating it myself."
It convinced her. She was very touched, and accepted it.
Her enjoyment was my reward. A small kindness goes a long way -- for both sides.
(London, 2026)
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