Britain urging return to wartime food frugality

[Dover]

Source: AP




July 11, 2008, 1:31PM
Britain urging return to wartime food frugality


By DAVID STRINGER Associated Press Writer
© 2008 The Associated Press

Evoking an era of World War II austerity, British families are being urged to cut food waste and use leftovers in a nationwide effort to fight sharply rising global food prices.

It's not back to ration books, "victory gardens" or squirrel-tail soup yet, but warning bells are being rung by experts at all levels of Britain's government as well as from the World Food Program.

With food and energy prices soaring around the world, a constant supply of high-quality, affordable food is no longer guaranteed, the officials are warning Britons. That could mean an era of scarcity like Britain's 1940-54 food rationing, during the war and its aftermath.

"Well, of course, in the war years it was not only immoral to waste food — this was one of our slogans then — it also was illegal," said Marguerite Patten, 92, who worked at the Ministry of Food during World War II and urges a return to those more thrifty days.

"I know it's old fashioned, but some old fashioned things are worth doing," she said...cont'd





Read more: http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/ap/world/5883323.html

---

I wonder what the hedge funders and speculators are having for dinner?

[Mika]

1. Their car is recommending the filet at Boulevard.

So says the new luxury Acura ad.

[truebrit71]

40. I'm glad I'm not the only one that despises that ad....

..."fresh powder in Aspen"...who gives a fuck?

Fucking pretentious bastards....:grr:

[dipsydoodle]

2. There's more too it than that

The sister issue is disposal of all of the associated packing. It's exacerbated by 2 for 1 offers etc at supermarkets using twice the packing and then on average 25% or so of the food being binned.x(

[OneBlueSky]

3. k/r . . . this deserves a kick as a possible harbinger of things to come . . . n/t

[truedelphi]

4. We don not have that expression here

Pray Sir what do you mean by
then on average 25% or so of the food being binned.

The being "binned" part is what I don't follow.

Do you mean thrown out??

[dipsydoodle]

9. Yes Dear Lady

Binned as "put in the dustbin". Binned, trashed , thrown out etc etc :hi:

[nradisic]

5. Great Britain will have it harder...

Just think about it....an island nation that imports most of its food and oil is going through the roof....at least we can grow most of our own food here in the US.

[Hardrada]

6. We're growing peas and carrots etc. in our back yard!

[dipsydoodle]

10. You

and me too :)

[Hardrada]

13. I think my wife planted some tomatoes too. I suppose if it gets

worse we could always go back to her family's farm and raise food for subsistence. Of course, I'd need a crash course to do that!

[Prophet 451]

21. Trade you for some cider

I've never had the green finger necessary to grow veggies but I can and do brew beer, cider, scrumpy and applejack. I can do mead as well when I can get the raw materials. So I figure if we fall back into a barter economy, I can just trade the products of my brewing.

And that might even by a nicer life.

[XemaSab]

17. Tomatoes

eggplant, zucchini, cucumber, melons, and the staff of life: peppers. :D

[Hardrada]

19. We have done all that save for eggplant and peppers.

We'll remember for next year!

[Christa]

7. We can, but we don't

we import as well.

[JoFerret]

8. Probably be healthy if they did

...the war years were hard but people ate better (on the whole) than before the war.

[T_i_B]

20. However.....

.....it's WWII cuisine that is at the root of the UK's reputation for bad food.

Personally I do think that yes, we should try and be less wasteful with food but what I am waiting for the the government to start encouraging people to grow their own veggies. I'm not in a position to do that as I live in a flat but I do remember when I was very very little my family used to get their veggies from a neighbour who had his own allotment and it would be nice to see that sort of thing again.

[Leftist Agitator]

23. "...it's WWII cuisine that is at the root of the UK's reputation for bad food. "

Hi!

Speaking of what you just said, I'm writing a Master's thesis, and that's my topic: The reason British Cuisine is regarded so poorly is because of the craptastic concoctions eaten during the Second World War.

Which brings me to my point... Do you have any links to resources, articles, personal accounts, etc. that touch on that end? I find what I can here stateside, but I'm guessing that being from "across the pond", you'd be in a better position to know where to find such things than would I.

So if you could help, I would greatly appreciate it.

:)

[T_i_B]

27. Most of what I know about it I learnt from my parents

Rationing went on until the early 50's and so my father (who was in his early teens during the war) had plenty of stories about what went on back then.

And on a side note, try finding out about the black market during WWII, which unsuprisingly was rife when rationing was on.

[MillieJo]

29. Yes they had far less obesity then, which is why

people like my parents in their 60's are so fit and healthy. They had started life with sugar and meat rations and homegrown veggies were normal.
I remember seeing photos of children of Austerity Britain sitting on a wall eatting chilled carrots on a wooden stick in summer, hard to imagine now. I live in a flat in London, so growing veg isn't possible.

[Leftist Agitator]

31. "I remember seeing photos of children of Austerity Britain sitting on a wall eatting chilled carrots

I have seen the same photo, and plan to use it for my cover page of my thesis!

Those kids don't look too happy, do they?

:)

Carrots were used for all sorts of things during the war, from filler in marmalade to replacing sausages in rolls. That's also where carrot cake came from!

[MillieJo]

35. As someone that loathes carrots, I would have struggled with that diet...

I think carrots were considered patriotic. Children were told it carrots would make them see in the dark. The Germans were told that the RAF eat lots of carrots, to help them see to hide the fact that they had radar which helped them win The Battle of Britain.
I remember being told that carrots would help me see in the dark, that spinach would make me strong and I was actually told that eatting crusts on my sandwiches would make my hair curl, my hair was curly from birth. I was born in the 70's austerity Britain was still alive and well then.

I do think that growing up without much sugar did that generation good, neither of my parents has ever had much of a sweet tooth.It is such an interesting generation my Mum and Dad's born to war and rations, they grew up to change the world and are now changing old age.

[Leftist Agitator]

30. Out of curiosity...

Is your father still living? If so, do you suppose that he would mind writing a short account of his experiences of life under rationing?

Oh, and as far as the black market is concerned, I greatly want to include an analysis of black market food economics, but records are unfortunately sparse, as due to the inherent nature of the black market very few written accounts were made, and even fewer remain.

:(

That being said, I would be willing to compensate you for your time and postage if you were willing to acquire various documents that are only available in the U.K. for me. Working on a foreign topic is quite difficult from the United States, and alas, I know nobody who lives in Great Britain.

[T_i_B]

39. My dad died a few years ago

And as he was a vehment right-winger I'm not sure what he'd think of me being on a site like this!

I'm sure if you look around you should find plenty on the WWII black market as it was a big thing. I know that there are plenty of resources life during WWII in British libraries so there should be plenty around if you look.

http://www.youth.net/memories/hypermail/0189.html
http://www.worldwar2exraf.co.uk/Online%20Museum/Museum%20Docs/foodration.html
http://www.fortunecity.co.uk/meltingpot/oxford/330/ration/ratn1.html
http://www.johndclare.net/wwii10.htm
http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/2WWblackmarket.htm
http://www.bbc.co.uk/ww2peopleswar/stories/17/a2692217.shtml
http://www.webwanderers.org/10_wartime/world_war_ii/
http://eastlondonhistory.com/crime-in-world-war-ii-london/

[Dover]

24. Does your flat have a balcony patio?

If so you might find this inspiring:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=246x7986


Also this article from the NYT: Cutting Out The Middlemen, Shoppers Buy Slices of Farms

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/10/us/10farms.html?_r=2&oref=slogin&ref=us&pagewanted=all&oref=slogin

[MillieJo]

38. No I don't...

I have a very small patch of garden, with room for herbs and a lavender bush. The other reason that growing anything is we have a high grey squirrel population, they eat all the bloody bulbs. The best idea is to get an allotment, which has a long waiting list. www.londonallotments.net/wantplot.html

[htuttle]

34. I think it goes back a bit farther than WWII

I think that what most people consider 'British Food' is more accurately described as 'Food that the poor ate in Britain'. I doubt that many members of the British aristocracy have found themselves tucking into a plate of bubble & squeak with a side of yorkshire pudding. I think the rich were probably more likely to eat French or other continental cuisines.

That being said, I kind of like traditional British dishes. They tend to be pretty filling. :shrug:

[The Croquist]

36. I don't think it's WWII that is why the UK's food is in disrepute.

Sorry to be rude but the only time I was there as an adult, I found the food to be tasteless. I like spices and most of the traditional UK food was just bland. I loved the middle eastern food but that was about it, except for the ales. They were GREAT!

[MillieJo]

37. If it is cooked right it can be fab, rich and filling

British food but herbs and spices were pretty foreign to the Brits until 30 years ago.Now the favourite food of the nation is Chicken Tikka Masala.
My Grandmother was a truely terrible cook, never used much seasoning, during the war even onions were hard to come by. My mother on the other hand is excellent,she embraced herbs and spices because she grew up eatting very bad food.

[dipsydoodle]

11. Keep an eye open for this

http://www.homegrown-film.com/trailer.html

It was mentioned here on DU last week. Please do watch the trailer. I'd already emailed the director asking when it was likely the film would be out on DVD. It has yet to be released but he hoped it would be by the end of this year.

[grilled onions]

12. The Food Industry Here To Take A Few Notes!

Fast food places that have a "toss out" rule after food has been sitting for a few minutes should be willing to bundle it for those shelters that serve food.
People should also consider leftovers a bonus meal and not a form of punishment. Many of us grew up with leftovers and considered them as golden as the first time around.
Everyone should try to grow something be it a small vegetable garden, a patoe or even a couple herbs on the windowsill.
Those with a extra bounty should be willing to share with others,swap for services or make sure extra gets frozen or canned.
There is no excuse for wasted food even in a country such as ours.

[Newsjock]

14. Welcome to the Greatest Page

Signed, Rosie the Riveter

[The River]

15. I Grew Most Of My Own Food

for a family of 3 for about 10 years.
It's a lot of work but I enjoyed it.
Foraging for wild foods was also a hobby
I could indulge during my work day.
Now days however, I keep a 30 supply of canned food handy.

[paparush]

16. I think Brown suggested this just before the shrimp course at the G8 Feast of Fun (tm)

[bluesmail]

18. They can urge all they want ala US, but that's not going

to do sh*t. These countries need reforms in economic policies for example regulations in banking and commodities. I give up! It's going in circles. Around and aroud with no solution in sight. I give up!

[PaulaFarrell]

22. And no mention of the supermarkets

and all the food they out, and their policy of rejecting food from farmers which isnt pretty enough, but it still perfectly edible. Just like global warming, brown wants all the little people to do things voluntarily to solve things rather than actually lead from the top.

[Dover]

25. Cutting Out The Middlemen, Shoppers Buy Slices of Farms

Article from the NYT: Cutting Out The Middlemen, Shoppers Buy Slices of Farms

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/10/us/10farms.html?_r=2&oref=slogin&ref=us&pagewanted=all&oref=slogin

[formercia]

26. "I wonder what the hedge funders and speculators are having

for dinner?

Somebody has to eat the pate. They get the liver, we get the goose.

[End Of The Road]

28. Has anyone else noticed some bare shelves at the grocery?

I live in central Texas, I shop at HEB. Actually, I shop at four different HEBs, depending on my schedule. I've noticed that the shelves are not as well-stocked as usual at all four stores. In one store, an entire area was empty with a sign posted that read something like "temporarily out of stock due to manufacturing delay" (sorry I can't remember what the product was -- but it was a grocery food item, not paper or plastic). Overall, the stores remain full, just not as full as usual. Nothing to panic over, for sure.

But I wonder if any of you have noticed the same thing in your area? Or is this just a local, temporary phenom?

[tpsbmam]

32. I haven't but....

a friend who lives about 45 minutes away has. I'm in the mountains of NC. While I have noticed some sparse shelves in one store, I think that's more a matter of really consistently crappy management in that store. I live in a rural area but only about 15 minutes east of Asheville -- I haven't noticed it at all. He lives west of Asheville in a REALLY rural area and he's been seeing it nearer to where he lives.

[BluePatriot]

33. I've noticed...

...HEB keeping their stock out longer vs pulling it when it's due to expire, and, selling veg. that are going to go bad super soon at a discount.

It's not in your head, I think they like any other business are trying to stretch out what they can do when people have less $ to spend on food. I love shopping there though, their anti inflation ads are the only ones run by any store in the area, it's like they are taking a gamble by being "in touch" with reality and I want to reward them, lol.

Lovely specials on whole fryers (.49/lb) and quarter briskets (.77/lb)lately.

[Ilsa]

41. I'm SE of you and our shoppin is done at an HEB Plus also.

They usually aren't out of anything these days, but six months ago, it seemed like certain packaged food items, like jams, sauces, etc, were hard to find and took a week or more.

I think the HEB distribution network is being very careful, so it doesn't surprise me that some shelves may get thin.