No use crying over split milk

Hello, lovelies. 

        London is an amazing and diverse place. All day every day we are fortunate enough to have the pick of all kinds of foods. If we had a taste for almost anything, all we would have to do is open our phones and within seconds we could find exactly what it was that we were hungering for. From a costly a la carte menu to a humble pie and mash. From the exotic to the mundane. We are spoilt for choice. More than that, we couldn’t even attempt to try every dish that is on offer. That cannot be fair, we can have everything we want, whilst 8.9% of the worlds’ population is hungry. That acquaints to 690 million people. And yet, for most of us, with a few simple clicks of the keyboard and we can have anything we want delivered. Is that right and fair? But what can we really do for all those people living in far off places? Are we just a privileged nation that has earnt the right to have what we want? Or should we be getting our human priorities in order and finally putting an end to hunger. 

      For about 15 years I have been fully vegetarian. It’s been an on and off again vegetarian journey for most of my life, and with the vegan revolution of the past few years, it has made it incredibly easy for me to maintain a healthy and varied diet. The shops are full of meat free options and new and exciting meals. What more could someone like me truly want? Well, to be honest my three main food groups, up until now, have been coffee, chocolate and cheese with a little bit of bread thrown in on the side. And it wasn’t up until a couple of months ago that I realised just how much of those I actually ate. At first I hardly noticed. Yeah, sure. I had some belly aches. No, not an ache. Slowly but surely it became pain. Really bad belly pain. And what followed was a whole lot of fun and exciting symptoms. But because it had rather crept up on me, it wasn’t until one of my besties pointed it out to me, that I called the doctor and to my utmost surprise, my love and addition to chocolate, coffee, cheese and bread may be the cause of all my discomfort. But what is lactose and gluten intolerance and why has it happened to me? 

         Food is one of our most basic needs and requirements. Like breathing, drinking and sleeping, our bodies cannot survive without food. And as food comes in all manner of yummy varieties. Through the years our staple diets have grown, so much so that when I spoke to a dear friend of mine who had lived through the tail end of rationing, she laughed when I asked if she thought that we could live through the same limited diet. Is she right? Have our lifestyles and bodies grown accustomed to our rich fast food? Or am I being unfair. Two years ago, we went through food shortages, and even today with the train crash called Brexit, Covid and the ever-looming threat of a world war three, our food shelves have less and less food on them. Sure, we can still get our basics, but the general shortages are there for us to see. Living in London, my very limited diet isn’t really a problem. I can still eat fruit and veg, brown rice and lentil pasta. Should I really be crying over not being able to eat chocolate?

       Okay, so I may feel very sorry for myself, but that doesn’t take away from the evilness of world hunger. Maybe we should be demanding sustainable foods, and not the cheap and polluting alternative. I have four jobs, and money is always tight, but how hard would it be for me to buy two cans of beans instead of one and donate it to my local foodbank? How about beginning to grow our own food and sharing our produce with our friends and families. In Sweden it is customary to grow fruit and leave it in bags on their fences for anyone to take. Also, when I was at school, home economics didn’t really teach me much, so I am trying to educate myself in finding proteins and minerals in healthier and more sustainable foods such as beans and pulses. But it is also so important that we feed our children. Free school meals for every pupil in the country may be a step too far for some but think of what a full belly would do for the minds of our future generation!

       We need to fight for social change but understand that it cannot happen overnight. However, many social issues, such as war, pose a fundamental problem to halting world hunger. But we need our governments to choose to focus on solving these issues instead of exacerbating them. And with a little government Intervention, both at home and abroad aid could be properly distributed to all those who need it. We also need to empower women with both gaining access to food, being the providers so they can lead their families to a better understanding of food and the ability to change their financial situations and making the right nutritional choices. And it their ability to access safe and officiant birth control. 

       There is an old proverb, ‘If you give a man a fish, he eats for a day; If you teach a man to fish, he eats for a lifetime.’ And that is as true today as when it was coined. The idea that long-term benefits are more useful than short-term needs. Sharing our knowledge with those around us, and with those who live in every corner of the earth will only benefit everyone. The human race is only as strong as our poorest community.   

           I hate that I can no longer eat any of the foods that I love. What I would do for a cheese board or a cheese toastie with chocolate cake and a coffee! But I am very lucky to live where I do. But I mustn’t stop there. I need to fight for those who cannot. And I hope that you will fight too.