Have you ever thought about how something as simple as food can reveal a lot about the way we treat each other?

As a boarding school student, we have a few options for food – a human right. Let me break them down for you:

1. Eat the school’s cafeteria food.
   While the school’s food is sufficient and provides a full meal that will fill you up, it often tastes bad. Worse still, there have been cases of food poisoning and even insects in the meals. Understandably, many students avoid it, including me. I haven’t eaten it in weeks.
2. Order delivery yourself.
   You get to choose a meal you like from a restaurant of your choice. However, delivery fees can be quite expensive, sometimes reaching 50 EGP. Considering the average weekly allowance most of us receive, this option isn’t practical for many.
3. Order food with someone pooling from all students.
   On paper, this sounds like the perfect solution. You still get to choose a meal you like, and the delivery fees are shared among everyone, making them much cheaper. Sounds great, right? Well…not quite.

Why Don’t I Like the Third Option?

Actually, I don’t dislike the pooling idea itself. I used that title to keep you reading. What I dislike is how some people exploit this system for personal gain.

A Case Study: The Syrian Restaurant (السوري)

The Syrian Restaurant offers a wide variety of meals and is a popular choice for many students. It’s cheap, has good food quality, and is arguably the best option for its price.

(Note: I personally prefer City Crepe and order from there more often, but I acknowledge that the Syrian Restaurant is a better choice for those who don’t want crepes.)

The Syrian Restaurant has a great deal: if your order exceeds 1000 EGP, the delivery fee is waived, and you even get a free pizza. Amazing, right? Everyone gets the food they want, and there’s no delivery fee. Unfortunately, this isn’t how it usually plays out.

Here’s what happens instead:
The person managing the pooled order keeps the delivery savings and the free pizza for themselves. Sometimes, they even take extra money from the pooled funds to buy additional food, which they later sell at a marked-up price. 

Another thing (not that common) that happens:
The person pooling would start selling what they claim to be extra food at a higher price. The problem is, that food belongs to someone else, and they would tell the rightful owner, “Sorry, they didn’t bring your food”. This creates an unfair situation for those who were expecting their meals.

When I see something that feels wrong, I feel it’s important to point it out. That’s why I sent a message explaining why I believe this is unfair. I believe that we should operate as a community of brothers, not as a marketplace where people take advantage of each other.

Some people said I was illiterate and should ask more questions before saying these things publicly. They claimed that this process is a matter of supply and demand: I have a product that you want, so I can name any price. If we both agree, then it’s fine.

Yet, consider the situation. You’re hungry, and you can’t pool another order because you’re unable to for some reason (e.g. you’re busy). What will you do in this situation? Yup… you’ll agree. While both parties may agree on the terms, one person is forced to agree because of their hunger. Woops, this makes it unethical.

(Note: I am not fully aware of the religious standpoint, and it might have a different perspective – spoiler alert: it doesn’t – but there are arguments, which some people used. So, I am just talking about why I see this as unethical.)

People started an argument on the class’ whatsapp group chat and some used fallacies (shout out to Hazem Moghni’s article). The conversation quickly became heated, and those accused of exploiting the system began attacking me. Rather than continuing the argument, I decided to step away and share my thoughts here in this blog.

Comparison?

My roommate Mazen DMed me and said something I found really interesting:
“Unethical actions, like selling food meant for others, show a bigger problem: a lack of standards in society. Some people take advantage of others when they can, but when they need help, they expect special treatment. This kind of behavior is just like what we see in school, which is a smaller version of real life.” (Note: this is a clean version – I removed politics and stuff from what he said so we don’t get arrested xD.)

School is a fun place. I like STEM October, but I don’t like situations like these. Recently though, I’ve started looking at everything from a more philosophical perspective with Mazen. We compared how similar situations happen in different contexts, yet people act differently depending on where they are. It’s a pattern of hypocrisy. In some ways, it feels like what happens on a larger scale – people with power taking advantage of others, while those without it are left hoping for fairness that never really comes.

Beyond the Campus Walls

When we let such small acts of selfishness slide, we’re contributing to a culture where exploitation becomes normalized. It’s a cycle that perpetuates itself, where those with power exploit those without, and it’s no different from what we see in the world beyond school walls.

From an ethical standpoint, the situation is an example of exploitation. Philosopher John Rawls talks about fairness in his Theory of Justice, suggesting that an action is only fair if it benefits the least advantaged in a society. In the context of pooling, the imbalance of power between the individuals controlling the orders and those who are forced to agree to unfair prices violates this principle.

Closing

So, as we continue navigating school life, I urge everyone to reflect on the choices we make and the impact they have on others. True community isn’t just about getting along, but it’s about fairness, respect, and treating each other as equals. WE ALL DESERVE THE BEST.