Recent news of the restaurant chain Yakiniku-zakaya Ebisu serving contaminated raw beef to its customers makes me think of an old Japanese proverb. It tells us that "poverty breeds stupidity." All old proverbs are invariably wise. They also tend to be true most of the time.

This is not to imply that all poor people are stupid. If that were true, a large number of very impressive personages in many walks of life would not have existed. That said, though, it cannot be denied that if you are hard-pressed for cash, you tend to be driven into making unwise choices and rash decisions.

You would also be tempted to cut corners and skip various procedures in the effort to make ends meet. Beggars, after all, cannot be choosers.