One of the more amusing and annoying consequences of The Current Situation is that every time I am out in public and feel the urge to cough or sneeze, I have to stifle it or risk am impromptu Salem witch trial.
—————————
If anyone was curious, the Home Depot SKU for those buckets is 084305392411.
—————————
I’m continuing to polish up my existing inventory of necessities. The basics were covered long, long ago. Now it’s just getting the final touches…little things that, while not necessities in any sense, are nice to have to make eating stored food a little more enjoyable….jarred garlic, soy sauce, salsa, etc, etc. One of the things I do need to pick up more of is disposable eatingware…paper plates, plastic tableware, that sort of thing. While this is, for now, a ‘grid up’ disaster it is likely the next one won’t be. Electricity may not be available. Water may be better used for drinking than washing. So…let’s scrap the need to wash dishes and just have a couple hundred paper plates, knives, forks, and spoons on hand.
—————————-
The media is, as usual, full of mixed messages. On the one hand, everything is available in copious quantity – shop as usual. On the other hand, we read that some food producers/processors/suppliers are closing up or cutting back as their labor force calls in sick. For some reason I am reminded of the old Soviet joke where the bureaucrat visits the potato farm and asks how things are going:
“Comrade, if we piled up all the potatoes we harvested, they would reach up to god’s ankles.”
Comrade”, the bureaucrat chides, “You know there is no god.”
“Comrade,”, the farmer says, “You know there are no potatoes.
When it comes to news….Doveryai, no proveryai
—————————-
So what’s going on here in Zeroland? Not much. Still feeling like my region is in that half-normal,half-not-normal stage. Other than people wearing masks, salad bar sneeze guards everywhere, and lots of marking tape on floors, there doesn’t seem to be too much change. Thus far, this is turning out to be the least dramatic apocalypse I could have imagined…I mean, up until the point I cough up a lung or something. Sure there are some rough spots…the economic toll isn’t pretty….but so far I haven’t had to hang looters, repel boarders, eat my neighbors, cook over a camp stove, sleep in a sleeping bag, or take a dump in a hole in the ground. First World lifestyle maintained: Achievement unlocked!
But…it’s still early…might not wanna put that Donner Party Cookbook away just yet.
Speaking of the donner cookbook, I just watched “Fried Green Tomatoes” for the first time.
I really enjoyed it. Great way to kill a couple of hours.
Have had a food item on order from Auguson’s (via Amazon) since 28FEB. It was due to arrive 8APR. It didn’t. Amazon tells me I have until 9MAY to tell them if I still want the item. This time frame is not reassuring.
Don’t forget the unfortunate lack of desperate cheerleaders & coeds.
Who decided Victorias Secret was non-essential? Need to set up a group home for mens club entertainers.
Odd. I’ve been thinking of how things were in the old Soviet Union quite a lot lately.
The LDS National site has some stuff back in stock. https://store.churchofjesuschrist.org/usa/en/food-storage-3074457345616678849-1
In a blast from the past I pulled out two very old cookbooks (I collect them) on old New England cooking, “Foods of Old New England” and “Good Maine Food”, both by Marjorie Mosser. These recipes were ancient even when the books were written in the late 30s and the common thread among the recipes is the frugality observed, both of ingredients used and in the manner of cooking – using excess heat from banked wood ovens to bake beans, Indian Pudding, and simmer soups for example. Boiling water just long enough to steep cook as opposed to keeping a fire is another.
Most recipes have no more than 4 or 5 basic ingredients from a short list – cornmeal, flour, potatoes, onions, salt pork, milk, eggs, butter, fresh meat, seafood, and vegetables. Seasonings consisted of salt and pepper mostly, but a surprising amount of fresh garlic was used as well. Seasonal wild foraged produce – berries, mushrooms, fiddle head ferns, herbs, burdock, dandelion, and fruits were commonly eaten as a highly anticipated part of their diet. Despite Prohibition still being in effect at the time, the list of alcoholic punches and drinks was impressive. LOTS of good New England Rum recipes.
Simplicity and heartiness were the hallmarks of those days. Reading through those recipes brought me back to my paternal Grandmother’s kitchen in Norwalk Connecticut in the 60’s. Both my grandparents were born in the early 1890’s and recipes for foods like Johnny Cake, Clam Fritters, Baked Hen, Fried Salt Pork w Cream Gravy, Boiled Dinner, Red Flannel Hash, Baked Haddock, Creamed Salt Cod, Sarsaparilla, and Hot Cross Buns brought a wave of nostalgia for the way they ate. George Bradleigh and Laura Fillow. They spoke and sounded just like Grant and Hepburn. Noone has that kind of accent anymore.
We’ve lost a lot since those days IMHO and just as the Fall of Rome took centuries and few people probably noticed it at the time, right up till the Sack of Rome by the Visigoths in 410 AD when they couldn’t ignore it anymore, I think we’ve been collapsing for a long time and it’s only now picked up enough momentum to be noticeable to your average person on the street. We haven’t reached the point CZ describes above but I’m pretty sure we’re getting there. Now’s the time to prepare and simplify your life while you can because I think things are about to start getting exciting.
Regards
In one such discussion a friend asked “What would you be willing to eat if desperate?” My reply: I just hope I have enough garlic and cayenne to choke down that possum with. Cannibalism is out, I’ll eat bugs and worms first.
A rant for another time, prepping isn’t so much about “stuff”, it’s about what’s between your ears. If you’re doing it right, prepping should give you some degree of peace of mind, that you can handle whatever comes along. Prep for the worst, hope for the best.
Too early for “long pig”? I hope no one misses that neighbor. Fight Club quote”only clean food”.