Every now and then, we will feature one post that has gotten some interesting and insightful comments in the past week.

So far nearly every comment on “UMass sets world record for longest California roll” has been about something discussed only briefly in the article: why did the food go to waste after the competition?

Jordan said, “Breaking a record is a great accomplishment but it is a shame that the roll could not be served and ended up in the trash. What a waste of food, especially the rice… I can only imagine that at this moment, UC Berkeley or some other school is planning to beat this record and throw away even more food while many parts of the world, including places here in the U.S. have people going to bed hungry every night.”

People are starving all over the world said, “I wish contests like this would be outlawed. Total waste of food when we have so many people starving! This is so ridiculous. You should be ashamed of yourselves!”

George at Berkeley said, “We’re bummed that you broke our record so quickly. But congratulations are in order. However I’d like to point out that we ATE our California roll. So we still hold the record for the longest California roll that was made AND eaten!”

margaret said, “Umass is my Alma Mater and I support and love it. BUT the waste of 200 pounds of rice is absolutely disgusting. 200 pounds of rice could have gone far to help at least a dozen starving families in a developing country. In 1995, student groups would have protested this event and demanded some kind of contribution to world hunger efforts.”

Do you agree with the comments above or have some new thoughts you’d like to share? Return to the original story and comment away!