Why do we cook so much that it remains uneaten?

A reader says people in the UAE too often prepare more food than they can eat. Other topics: modesty at the Grand Mosque, dress codes, Sudan and India.

A reader says people in the UAE often prepare more food than they need. Stephen Lock / The National.

I couldn't agree more with Asmaa Al Hameli's blog article The food you waste couId feed another (October 8).

There are many restaurants in the UAE that serve three times as much food as a normal person would eat. I keep asking myself: why do they do this?

We always hear that it’s better to have more food for your guests than for there to be a shortage. But by “more”, we generally mean way more.

We see this in our daily lives. Many of us cook for 10 people, with a lot of different dishes ranging from starters to dessert, even though only three or four people will actually be sitting down at the dining table.

I feel sad that all this food ends up in the bin while millions of people around the world die from hunger and poverty.

I wish that there was an organisation that could collect leftover food and deliver it to the poor.

Despite government initiatives to spread awareness about the importance of rationalising our food consumption, I think it will be hard to change the way people think about this.

E Humaid, Dubai

Modesty is key at Grand Mosque

I refer to Fans are at odds over singer's photo shoot (October 21), about Rihanna's appearance outside the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque.

Many tourists from around the world visit the Grand Mosque every day and pose for snapshots.

I have seen some who are dressed inappropriately and those individuals are reminded by the security staff that they should be more modest.

I think people should think carefully before wasting their own time and energy and potentially sparking an uproar. Name withheld by request

EU nations have dress codes too

I refer to Uproar in Turkey on a decollete subject (October 17), about the sacking of television host Gozde Kansu for wearing a low-cut outfit.

The story quotes the reaction of a Turkish minister, Egemen Bagis, to a statement about Kansu’s sacking made by a spokesman for the prime minister, Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

M r Bagis reportedly said the governmen statement “had created the impression in the West that there was a ‘repressive mentality’ in Turkey”.

If I am not mistaken, both Belgium and France are EU members – and they both have legislation in place determining how women should dress. Name withheld by request.

Sudan situation is cause for concern

The opinion article by Sharif Nashashibi, Will Sudan be the next Syria? The comparisons are striking (October 20), has great relevance to the situation in the whole Middle East.

As the world has already seen, the pro-democracy revolution in Syria has taken a violent turn.

The renewed protests in Sudan are very worrying.

Killing protesters will not help ease the situation; rather it will lead to a more complex situation that could eventually get out of control.

Sudan is yet to recover from the separation crisis with the South that has led to the loss of much of its oil-related revenue.

This is highly challenging for the present administration in Sudan, with members of the president’s own party criticising the handling of protesters.

The most disturbing scenario is that the spread of the Arab Spring is indirectly targeting the prosperity and development of many countries in the region. Ramachandran Nair, Oman

Waiting for some good Indian news

I agree with the writer of the letter India has some good stories too (October 21).

I feel quite distressed after reading about gang rapes and the 14 million Indians living in slavery.

There must be stories from that country reflecting the good side of humanity. JLS, Dubai

Carriers could do with competition

I am writing in reference to Mobile numbers portable in two months (October 22).

I think there should be more phone companies, as this would mean better value for customers.

R Bradley, Abu Dhabi