Looking at the title, you might be thinking of Africa. (I have no intention to demean the Black Continent, though.) This entry, however, features some of my classmates, who are citizens of the People’s Republic of China, presently the second largest economy on earth.

As you know, we adolescents consume a lot; three meals a day simply are not enough to stuff our tummies. Therefore, snacks are a must for our daily survival through long hours of school. Bizarrely, a couple of guys in our class do not bring their own snacks. Instead, they just cadge a bite off others. Sometimes they simply rob in broad daylight. The best representatives are Mr Jin, Mr Gong and Mr Jiang.

At the lowest level is Mr Jiang. Well fed, the boy is chubby and rounded. He is a recognised foodie in our class. Anytime you open your food bag, he will rush over and grab the treat. Then he munches it with a smirk on his face, leaving you there foodless and speechless. You would have an urge to go and slap him.

At the middle level you will find Mr Gong. It seems that he is always asking around, “Do you have food? Do you have food? Do you have food?” Mr Gong is exceptionally sensitive to snack smells. Even if you hide your goodies in the depths of your schoolbag or in the innermost corner of your desk, Mr Gong can detect their existence. Before you know it, he will delve in and dig your food out. In a flash what you should be eating is in his mouth. When I complain to my friend Miss Ellen, she tells me to take it easy. According to her, when they were classmates years ago, the boy’s behaviour was even baser.

At the pinnacle stands Mr Jin. Undernourished, the guy is virtually a bag of bones, with his eyes sunken in the sockets. When you are nibbling your snack, watch out for this famished guy. While salivating, Mr Jin may be staring at you, or rather at the nibble in your hand. The next moment he will rush over in a flash. Before you realise what is going on, he is chewing your meal with relish.

One day Kang, who is Mr Jin’s deskmate, brought in a bag of chips and left it on his desk. Knowing what kind of guy Mr Jin is, Kang begged him, “I will go to the toilet, mate. Please leave some chips for me.” Five minutes later, he came back, only to be greeted by an empty bag on his desk. Looking at the bag, Kang had mixed feelings. He was as sad as he was amused.

Lo and behold! Those are the starvelings I meant by the title. Their manners, a disgrace to our great nation China, would tarnish our reputation, should they be discovered by our rival America. If you care about them, Shengliver, please get some snacks and bring them to the classroom. The starvelings would not let you down. My only wish is that they would not forget me when they were raiding you!