The Pricier Sandwich

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Yesterday we drove upstate to go rock climbing and stopped in the usual awesome little bakery in New Paltz to get our sandwiches. A little sign on the counter warned customers that the price of flour, which was $8 a bag just a couple of years ago, had gone up to $30 a bag, and other foods were also more expensive. They said they were doing their best not to pass along too much of the increased cost and asked customers to understand. Since folks were lined up out the door, it didn't seem like too much of a problem yet (and my sandwich was still just $6.50). But it served as a scary reminder of the way the world is interconnected.

Krugman on rising world food prices today: Over the past few years the prices of wheat, corn, rice and other basic foodstuffs have doubled or tripled, with much of the increase taking place just in the last few months. High food prices dismay even relatively well-off Americans -- but they're truly devastating in poor countries, where food often accounts for more than half a family's spending. There have already been food riots around the world.

Food. Riots.

Combined with yesterday's story about the revival of survivalism -- in the frothy Styles section, no less -- it's definitely a sign that no matter how cocooned you are, it's time to wake up.

Here's what I'm going to do, whether practical, ritualistic, or merely symbolic.

-Write about this.
-Plant a better container garden this spring on our balcony in Brooklyn.
-Fix my bike.
-Take fewer cabs.
-Donate to Oxfam.
-Buy 20 pound bags of rice and beans, batteries and a hand-crank radio.
-Pray.

What about you?

Comments

[biwee]

If you are fortunate to live where the possession of a firearm is legal, you should also buy ammunition.

[jozap]

My $600.00 from the stupid stimulas plan is going to end up in my pantry and freezer.

If it is worth $600.00 today, it will be worth $450.00 when I receive it. If I wait to long to spend it at the market, it won't fill even part of my pantry. That is unless I need gas to get to work, then I won't be buying much at all in the way of food.

[Pandu]

Encourage cannibalism of meat eaters. Hunters could target each other for food and sport. Why waste the casualties of war? Butcher them to feed the troops. It's not like we have much humanity left to lose.

Feed people, spare the poor animals, and reduce the population all at once. Just leave us vegetarians alone.

[youthmoneypower]

another shitty day in young america

i'm going to keep reminding folks that budgeting is not enough. financial leverage is straight from the republican play book and warm fuzzy enough for the democrats to embrace. ie bipartisan or better post partisan!

like a costco or sam's club that leverages their shoppers to tell manufacturers," is that the best you can sell an ipod for? a car? a house? health insurance? 4 year degree? cuz if it is we"re taking our young asses to a competitor and they"ll get a focused piece of our 3 trillion in spending.

so budget, ride bikes, get a hand crank radio b/c evidently the rice was too expensive and we can"t pay the electric bill to charge our thinnovation apple air to charge our ipods) but join the aayp for free to make your spending power felt. like a buyer at costco, and use huge purchasing power to say hey nation of manufacturers, grocery stores, cinemas, clothing stores, gas companies give us a &^$&^ break or we're taking our 3 trillion in annual spending to other shareholders!!!

need it? hell yes you need it. 225k jobs just got cut this quarter. world is in recession. 100 year old london banks fold, american banks are on their knees asking foreign governments for money to pay their bills. $100+ a barrel gas,. no insurance. you have a job that can be immediately outsourced & you can"t take road trips to rock climb in upstate ny.

[WorkingClass]

Please don't hoard rice and beans. There are people who need to eat them now.

[robinhood1]

China's one child policy doesn't look so dumb any more. Maybe the rate of obesity will finally start to drop in the US.

[vippy]

People are obese mostly because of the additives in food the government allows. MSG and
hormones in meat, all for fast growth of the animals and for more money. And then they call
us FAT like they call us oil dependent when they control the market.

[gala1]

HuffPost's Pick

It's not what we are eating . It is what we are DRINKING.

If all the corn fructose were to be used for other purposes or eliminated tomorrow, imagine how much more food supply we would have. Not to mention less obesity, diabetes and heart disease.

One of the thriftiest, healthiest and most sensible things we can do for ourselve sis eliminate sweet drinks from our diets.

Somebody eats all the crap we see on grocery shelves or it wouldn't be there. Health care providers need to realize that sugar and starch are the poor person's Prozac. And they need to be shown a better way to deal with their stress.

I had no idea what was making me so unwell until i found out it was the MSG in many of the processed non-essential food products that I bought. The side benefit to avoiding them is that keeping my weight down is a lot easier. Cheaper, too.

gala

[ImmanuelGoldstein]

This whole thing is caused by the biodfuels fiasco. Will you now admit that filling your Canyonero up with FOOD makes poor people starve?

[worldtraveller]

Yep, exponential population growth has nothing to do with it.

[madprophet]

You nailed it. The planet is a closed system. It can only support so many animals, including people. Sooner, rather than later, there will be more than food riots. How about wars for water and food.

I am one of the lucky ones who live in North America, truly the land of plenty. But even we are starting see the limits on our capabilities of supply versus demand. Canada, Australia, and the U.S. just saw reduced production of wheat this year. Yes, some of the reduction was due to more corn being grown. But there was also a massive drought in Australia, and to a lesser degree, similar conditions in North America.

What happens when we have 2 or 3 consecutive years of growing conditions in North America like they just had in Australia?

[josephjsalas]

I've got it! Lets let the World Bank/UN erase the 2nd ammd, take over our economy, force us into
Communityism and deliver us from whatever evil! Thanks, but I'd rather blog "till i drop!

[Pieface]

Plant a garden, clean my guns, and get ready to go hunting.

[ConcernedAboutRFuture]

Hear, hear!!!! I already have the garden... and a freezer full game meat.

I get extra comfort from knowing at least 50 edible plants from the forest..... so I know neither I nor my family will starve.

[Aaror]

Fowl, Faun, or long pig?

[ConcernedAboutRFuture]

All!