Let us put our prejudices aside before we make fool of ourselves.

At a German University restaurant, a red haired student, and undeniably German take her tray and sits down at her table. She then realizes she has forgotten her cutlery and gets up again to pick it up. Coming back, she sees with astonishment that a black man, possibly sub-Saharian by his appearance, is sitting there and is eating from her tray.

Straight away, the young woman feels lost and stressed. But immediately changes her thought and presumes that the African is not familiar with European customs concerning private property and privacy. She also takes into consideration that perhaps he does not have enough money to pay for his meal.

In any case, she decides to sit in front of the guy and to smile at him in a friendly manner. The African responds with another dazzling smile. The German girl starts to help herself, –sharing the food with the black man with genuine pleasure and courtesy.

And thus, he took the salad, she ate the soup, both took their share of the stew, one took care of the yogurt and the other of the piece of fruit,

All this peppered with numerous refined smiles – timid from the man and smoothly, encouraging and kind by the girl -.They eat up their lunch.

Then the German girl gets up to get a coffee.  And it is then that she discovers, on the table behind the black man, her coat placed on the back of a chair and her food tray untouched.

There are different versions of this story so I am not sure if it is true or not, nevertheless, the lesson is real. This is a lesson to all of us who believe we are superior to others. To those of us, whom with the best of intentions, treats others with wary and condescension.   

It would be better for us that we free ourselves of prejudices or we run the risk of making a  fool of ourselves like the poor German student who thought to be at the height of civilization whilst the African greatly cultured and educated, let her eat and share her meal and at the same time was thinking ; how mad these Europeans are.