Hello Friends,
We've come to the end of this stunt and I'm sad to see it go. It's been interesting to research and enlightening in respect to my own habits. But don't worry, this is on the docket to be a 'revival show' in 2012!
On our last day I want to talk about food. I remember seeing a photo spread in a magazine a few years ago showing families from around the world photographed with their monthly food rations. Four families were photographed and I believe that they were all of the same social and economic backgrounds (middle class). The photo taken in America had a family of 4 in their kitchen with an overflowing table of food-some fresh but mostly boxes of ready to make meals. The European photo had a full table containing mostly fresh produce and whole foods. The Asian family had smaller portions, simple foods and less meat. The African family had a few small portions of grains on a blanket on the ground. I do not pass judgement on the types of food folks put into their mouths and certainly never will but I must say that these photos really shook me to the core.
While these families were all considered to be reasonably well off we read about millions of people living only a dollar a day. World Food Programme has some very interesting and educational videos on their website showing exactly what a dollar a day looks like for different groups of people.
In the past year I remember reading about folks in our generation who were embarking on their own projects of living on a dollar a day and blogging about it. It was very interesting to read and can certainly inspire you in your own kitchen. It hasn't been updated in over a year but the http://onedollardietproject.wordpress.com/ blog is where I first started reading about this stuff. A book was developed from the blog and it could be an interesting read during the holiday madness. The blog has some basic recipes and I'm anxious to make the polenta. When I think of ground cornmeal I am reminded of the work a friend of mine is doing in helping to get people water and better agriculture practices in Kenya. Cornmeal is a staple in their diets. You can check out more about her work here.
In reading about other people that were doing similar projects of frugality most of the food that was initially consumed was overly processed and cheap to buy-think Ramen noodles and generic brands of one pot meals. Most of the folks who carried out this project for an extended period of time had various recommendations. One was to buy things in bulk and to cut out animal products. Some people started their own mini gardens in their apartment windows. Lettuce will constantly grow back so once you get that puppy going you are set for a while. (I think these Window Farms look so cool but they aren't cheap and it would probably test my marriage.) One gal here in NY would shop the reduced priced produce bin at a local Astoria fruit/veggie stand. It is small and off to the side, the produce is almost ready to turn but it's being sold at $0.29/lb. I remember stories of my Grandmother working out deals with local grocers to find out when they were going to throw out their produce. Maybe she was one of the original Freegans.
Tomorrow we start our 30 Days of Gratitude in preparation for Thanksgiving as we enter the season of overindulgence in spending, eating and waste. My takeaway from the past 10 days is a reminder that we truly want for N-O-T-H-I-N-G and my challenge to you is to keep this idea in the front of your mind until the end of the year.
Buon Shenanigans!
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