"It's all about the food."
Well, surviving and thriving TEOTWAWKI may not be all about the
food, but food has a whole lot to do with it. Shortly after the grid
goes down, most people will die without medicine, shelter, skills, and
the ability to protect themselves. Everybody dies without food. (The
US government predicts that if we were hit with an EMP or other similar
event to take out the electrical grid, 90% of the population would be
dead within six months.)
And so the prepper-types store food, in whatever amounts they think they
will need. Unfortunately, many of those people stocking up tell
themselves, and by extension, their families, that they will be happy to
have anything to eat. And that might work.
For a few days.
But then reality sets in. If you read about the rations given to
soldiers during WWII, and even to soldiers involved in Middle East
conflicts today, they tire quickly of what's included in those rations.
And they stop eating them. In WWII, the soldiers were from a
generation that ate what was put in front of them (at home). That's how
they were raised. They were children of the Depression; food was
scarce--you ate what there was. And yet, in battle, expending a lot of
energy and needing a lot of calories, the men wouldn't eat their food.
When the quartermasters were calling for more variety and palatability
in food for the troops, they weren't whining. They were speaking from
personal experiences as soldiers in WWI and current observations. It's
the same for troops today. Even now, when there is far more variety
than the military has ever had, soldiers will experience food fatigue
and will stop eating.
In our families, in a grid-down scenario, when food fatigue becomes an
issue, young children and the elderly will be the first to stop eating.
And that will add stress to everyone else, particularly the one most
responsible for food preparation.
Variety in the regular menu will be critical, and it's something we work
on continuously, finding new recipes and adapting them to be able to
use food storage exclusively and prepare them without electricity.
However, preventing food fatigue has just as much to do with the foods
we eat outside of our main meals. It's essential to maintaining morale.
All through recent history, the most important morale booster hasn't
actually been a food at all. It's coffee. It was critical to morale
for both the North and the South in the Civil War. One general even
planned his attacks for when his men would be most caffeinated. It was
rationed during WWII at home so that troops fighting in Europe could
have what they needed. When the men ran out of real coffee, they took
to roasting sweet potatoes, corn, beets, and/or rye and somehow brewing
that, even though they got no caffeine from it. Though I personally
feel being addicted, especially to a substance that we can't grow here,
is a bad idea, if it's a habit you're not planning to change, stock up
on your coffee.
Right up there with coffee in importance has got to be chocolate. Hot
chocolate is a staple here from November to April. It's serious comfort
food after taking care of the animals each morning. Nesquik in cold
milk is a little bit of joy all by itself.
Soda is harder to store. The carbonation escapes from plastic bottles
pretty quickly actually. They have a shelf life of only a few months.
So if soda is important to you, buy it in cans or glass bottles. For
kids, drink mixes like Tang or Country Time lemonade might be
appreciated. Kool-Aid is cheaper. Around here, we just prefer juice
and often buy it by the case.
Moving on from liquid refreshments to more substantial treats...
... sometimes a person just really wants something salty. Corn chips
and tortilla chips don't have a long shelf life, but if you've got corn
and sufficient oil, you can make them. Jerky will provide the desired
salt as well as protein. Salted and roasted nuts will do the same. The
shelf life can be extended by vacuum-sealing so that they're good for
at least two years. And popcorn can be very quickly made in a pot with
some coconut oil.
Quick sugar fixes are easily addressed with hard candies and what child
doesn't love a sucker? I've got a seventeen-year-old who still begs for
one at least once a week. A few Jelly Bellies are nice as well, and
people can pick out their favorite flavors. I wonder what would happen
if you threw some Bertie-Bots in?
Gum was another item included in the military rations. Most gum today
will go hard after a short time, but it lasts well with vacuum-sealing.
Small gumballs are fine, too; giant gumballs somehow look so much
better and will brighten a tough day for most kids.
Don't forget your regional or national foods. Salsa is pretty important
here, so we always have at least a few dozen jars. Sauerkraut, not so
much. Peanut butter is one of my true loves. When I was in the Soviet
Union for study abroad 30+ years ago, all the students were advised to
bring comfort foods from home. (In case you hadn't realized it, there
is a really good reason why you don't see too many Russian restaurants
around.) I should have brought more peanut butter than I did.
How about the ability to make treats--and all the ingredients? If I'm
planning to make cookies or brownies once a week, I better have all the
eggs (fresh or powdered), chocolate chips, butter or coconut oil, and
everything else. The same goes for the family's birthday cakes.
What about your special holiday meals? You know, those foods that come
out only at Thanksgiving or Christmas? Do you have everything to make
that Jell-O salad? I should probably get some more crushed pineapple
and dehydrate some more strawberries. I did have the great idea of
putting together two boxes of tamale kits, because tamales require items
that are not needed for anything else and would be a hassle to have
mixed in with everything else. I thought it better to keep all those
things together.
Because most of us have grown up with an abundance of food and being
able to eat whatever we want, I fear food fatigue could set in more
quickly and be more serious. I really worry about children whose
parents have catered to their whims instead of insisting they eat what's
served. Those families are going to be in for some really rough times,
even if they have stored food. Hopefully you've gotten some ideas here
today for additions to make to your storage for comfort foods. And if
you've got any ideas, please add them in the comment section. We should
all be learning from each other.
Links to related posts:
DIY Beef Jerky
Canning Candy
Chocolate
Salsa
Lessons from History
