It's The End Of The World!
I recently watched a post-apocalyptic film in which the protagonist awakens to find breakfast prepared by other "survivors" in his own home. He loses it (for various reasons), but what sets him off is that he was "saving that bacon." The chilling thought of a world without bacon resonated with me, long after the movie was over.
SO - It's suddenly the end of the world as we know it. You're alive, but stores, restaurants, etc. are gone. You only have what's in your house RIGHT NOW. What do you eat? What do you save, and why?
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34 Comments:
love that movie btw
well, considering i am in a dorm room, i would be at a slight disadvantage. but what i would save would be the bag of werther's originals, for special occasions. also i would save the 4 cans of mandarin oranges for when im dying for fruit/vegetables.
listener at 3:42PM on 01/09/09
Ah, this made me think of Cormac McCarthy's The Road. Talk about a dark book. I heard they're making into a movie. I'm not sure that's one I'll go see. It's just so bleak. Anyways, to the question at hand. The perishables would go first. What ever is in the fridge and freezer. I would save the seeds from any fruit. I would also make a starter with the yeast on hand, so I could keep on making bread--I have tons of flour. Canned goods would go next and then the dry goods. Dry goods last because they're light and easy to carry. I do have seed packets leftover from past seasons and I would try to germinate them--provided there isn't six inches of ash on the ground.
dhorst at 3:47PM on 01/09/09
Slightly different scenario, but I was hospitalized and asked my bro to take the fresh food home. He cleaned my fridge and threw out all my hard cheeses. I know he has no idea what they were, since he and his wife use generic green can powdered parmesan. I didn't say a word. I'm still devastated because I can't afford to replace them.
So, I would have saved my cheese. *sniff*sniff*sniff*
PerkyMac at 3:48PM on 01/09/09
@ hungryinhouston
Not to got too off topic, but that scene was my favorite in the movie. For some reason it resonated with me: The poor guy lives through the end of the world and his one bright spot, his one thing to look forward to, is just a simple package of bacon. And he can't even be allowed that one pleasure. That, and I know how it feels to have a little something special that you've stored away eaten before your very eyes-by someone that is not you.:(
Anyway...
I'd take my chickpeas. The 20 or so cans that I have and the 5 bags of dried that are stashed in various cupboards and cabinets (there's a bag in my car, too.)
Those, with some spices, and I'd be totally set for the wasteland.
Alyrmc at 4:01PM on 01/09/09
Perky if you need cheese email me. I will get you cheese. You have friends. A friend with cheese is a friend indeed. Now is a great time to ship cheese, it will stay nice and cold.
I'd say we can live very nicely for a long time. I keep a large freezer and two refrigerators, full pantry, more supplies in the cellar. Full wine rack up here, some in the pantry, some in the cellar I am thinking 6 months easy. If I rationed food, maybe over a year.
The question is; is there electricity? I have two grills and smoker. I could make a firepit. Are we talking power or no power?
JerzeeTomato at 4:06PM on 01/09/09
Yay Houston!
@dhorst~Wow. I'm impressed, seeds, starter? Have you thought of this before?
Ok, so I'll steal those ideas.... We would survive for a very long time because I am such a hoarder. It's a big joke that the entire neighborhood would survive quite happily for a very long time. I have a large pantry in the kitchen and a huge pantry in the basement. aka-small grocery store. I also have a second refrigerator freezer in the basement. All are stuffed full. All of the produce and perishables in the refrigerator would of course go first. Coffee and tea would be parceled out to last longer. I'm with the Perkster on the cheese, it's my guilty pleasure. I'm going on the assumption that we still have power and can cook and make our way slooowly through the freezer. Oil cured olives, a little extra virgin olive oil and some goat cheese would be saved for my last meal.
carolrsfMISSESTEXAS at 4:08PM on 01/09/09
@Jerzee~Send wine.
carolrsfMISSESTEXAS at 4:10PM on 01/09/09
@JerzeeTomato you need to invest in a generator to keep you refrig. stuff going....when we had the bad ice storm I just rigged the generator thru the drier outlet and powered up the frig. freezer and lights...of course when you do something like that pull the outside electric meter so it doesn't back feed to the main line
Markbb at 4:14PM on 01/09/09
I'm thinking that if there wasn't power there would be some serious drying going on--set the grill on low, salt, season and dry. I'll bet Jerzee would make some mean jerky. Wonder how that Tony's creole seasoning would be for turkey jerky?
dhorst at 4:14PM on 01/09/09
I would need the capability to grow and supply my own kush, and all the tools needed to keep crops growing for fresh vegetation. Endless supply of olives from spain.......... and ill be good
poeticalmath at 4:31PM on 01/09/09
@texxie~two books in particular made me think about this scenario. The Road by Cormac McCarthy (he wrote No Country For Old Men) which is set in a post-apocalyptic world describes the struggles of a father and son to survive. The father is quite resourceful. The other book is Drop City by T.C. Boyle and is set in the 1960's and involves a hippie commune that decides to move to Alaska to live off the land and homestead. Boy, their first winter really sucked. It's a great book. And it got me thinking about being prepared to survive a winter when the nearest store is a ten to twenty mile canoe trip away in the dead of winter and you're broke.
dhorst at 4:37PM on 01/09/09
Eat: cheese straws, cookies, chocolate. Who cares about calories or weight loss if it's the end of the world?
Save: Dinty Moore beef stew, in cans (don't ask). By the time we run out of everything else and have to eat that, it'll REALLY be the end of the world.
akk328 at 4:40PM on 01/09/09
I'm doomed......
izatryt at 4:41PM on 01/09/09
@perky contact me please jam186@msn.com
huneybumper at 4:44PM on 01/09/09
@Jerzee ~ after you've made the turkey jerky for perky, please send a car and I'll sleep in your barn. Everyone has a barn during the end of the world, right? I'm living with my bro and SIL now.
PerkyMac at 4:50PM on 01/09/09
what movie did you watch?
i'm totally in this situation. lost my job this past monday.
have dined on buttered toast for the last 4 days.
did make it to the grocers today tho. just got staples.
whee. i could use some wine too there, jerzee...
gastronomeg at 5:05PM on 01/09/09
I think this is that will smith movie right? where all the people get some sickness and it is kinda scary but not oh dear god leave the lights on scary?
My BFF for my entire life says in that situation she will want to live next door as I can cook a lot of things out of basic staples and she can only order delivery, yes, we have discussed this! :)
love2cook at 5:15PM on 01/09/09
@gastronomeg - so sorry...go get some ramen noodles, I know they're not great food but they run around 10 cents a package. If you get the spicy kind they will make you have to eat slower and so you will think you ate more...
akk328 at 5:16PM on 01/09/09
Sorry to hear your bad news, gastronomeg. I agree w/ akk about the ramen. When money is tight for me, I also do a lot of eggs and rice. An egg in your ramen really fills you up and gives you some protein. Rice with an egg and soy sauce is a decent breakfast. I've also had good luck with generic canned tuna. It tastes good enough.
I hope things turn around for you soon. My thoughts will be with you.
Kerosena at 5:38PM on 01/09/09
I've got a pantry full of dried beans and a huge bag of short grained brown rice. I'm set for a while, not to mention SO and I both hunt so we'd be able to feed ourselves. However I would limit and horde my supply of dove chocolate!
huneybumper at 5:59PM on 01/09/09
So sorry to hear your bad news as well. Things haven't been too great on our end either. I have found though, if you can locate and have the guts to go into some ethnic food stores, things are dirt cheap! Most staffs don't speak english, but, you can figure out most things are once you open the jar!
Best of luck.
donnie at 6:26PM on 01/09/09
Love that REM song btw. I would want my beer to be there. But I know that down the street from me would be the China First rest. because no matter what......If the end of the world happened cock croaches, Keith Richards and that China First rest. would survive.
pjracz10 at 7:44PM on 01/09/09
@poeticalmath, dont worry I got you on that. That would be the most important crop in my eyes. After that I would take all the cheese and cured olives I could find and go sit in the cellar amongst the 4,500 bottles my parents have stored away for such a day.
twoojoe at 7:50PM on 01/09/09
Problem solved. We're going to @Jerzee's to pick up her and her food, then we'll hunker down with @twoojoe and have a drunken feast. Holy moly, that's a lot of wine! What a way to go out.
PerkyMac at 10:25PM on 01/09/09
Somebody swing by here and pick me up!!!
renee59 at 10:42PM on 01/09/09
@g-meg sorry about that. I got hit by it in August and 2 weeks after I started my new job on October, my husband got laid off. It just plain sucks. Keep your chin up, it gets better once you get through the initial shock. Don't forget to file for unemployment!
The only silver lining has been being too broke to eat out has forced us to cook at home more and we're really enjoying it. Even if we can't afford the more expensive ingredients, it's still better than most average restaurant meals.
In the event of an apocalypse, I would need to befriend a farmer because I can't live without eggs and dairy. I'm sure I could figure out how to churn butter and maybe someone could give me cheese lessons. Did the goats survive? I need feta.
Luckily, I have a pantry full of salt so I will be able to season everything.
KTempesta at 11:19PM on 01/09/09
I'm down to pretty much nothing fresh since I usually shop on Sundays or Mondays but I have a small chest freezer full of food that I figured out will take me three to four months to finish. I don't have much cupboard space my canned goods are pretty limited. Lots of pasta, asian noodles and rice in my "carb" cupboard though.
@gastromeg: another vote for asian noodles. Last night I made a packaged rice noodle soup (minus the oil), added half a leftover portobella from a recipe I tried last weekend, a green onion (again leftover from a recipe) and some sriracha. It was surprisingly good! You can add little bits of anything you happen to have to packaged noodles or to rice to make them different and filling. If you can, buy in an asian grocery. The packaged noodle soups are generally less expensive and better quality (although you can find some good ones in larger groceries.)
CooksForOne at 11:39PM on 01/09/09
With what I have in the freezer, fridge and cupboard now - I can throw a huge party that would last a month:-). I have to explain something about me - I'm like a mouse (the industrious mouse, if anybody remembers the tale) - I can't stand a mere thought of running out of anything, so I always make sure I have enough of everything to last me quite a while:-). Between Jerzee and me, I think we're all set! Provided we have electricity, that is...
Seriously, we have veg (all kinds of stuff I froze and preserved), pork (shoulder and tenderloin), chicken (whole and pieces), beef, turkey, berries, stock, bones....and don't even get me started on my cupboard! I even have 2-4 dozens of eggs at all times. I'm also stoked on hard liqueur, but I'm afraid I don't have enough wine...bummer!
@gastronomeg - so sorry to hear about your bad news. You're welcome for dinner any time!
brooke29 at 12:03AM on 01/10/09
I'm on the curb waiting to be picked up. I got a Pod for my pantry stuff. I do have liquor, but you have to know, I'm drinking while I'm waiting. Come on you guys, this will be ONE HELL of a cooking/eating/laughing party!
@gastronomeg~Are you near Balt/Annap? I've been in that situation more than once and I'm very glad to lend support through the sitch. It'd be fun to be friends. Found that out in a good way with Izzy.
carolrsf@yahoo.com
carolrsfMISSESTEXAS at 12:37AM on 01/10/09
Um. Compared how well-prepared all of you are .. I think I'd starve.
Oh wait -- I forgot my roommate has enough frozen Kosher & vegetarian faux-meat products in the freezer to last at least three apocalypses. Eurgh, tofurkey and snausages.
@houston -- great movie, great scene, mediocre ending, OUTSTANDING short story.
kfarrel3 at 12:38AM on 01/10/09
@Anyone come get me too. I will bring a massive load of beer and the BF has about 40 bottles of good champagne he would bring, but someone who has a boat because of the flooding in Washington.
pjracz10 at 5:21AM on 01/10/09
I know this doesn't *quite* fit, but it reminds me of my brother's remark upon learning of lost power after he and his gf evacuated Baton Rouge when Hurricane Gustav came through:
the saddest thing is is that i have 10 lbs of smoked sausage in the freezer. it's like you never think it could be you and then POW your slippers are wet and you can't have any jambalaya and all you can do is cry into the floodwaters.
joyyy at 10:06AM on 01/10/09
@pjracz10 - you're in!
brooke29 at 1:28PM on 01/10/09
@gastronomeg--the movie is I Am Legend. One of the few movies where the movie is better (by a long shot!) than the book.
When I read The Stand (similar scenario, much better book), the thought I had afterward was that I would want to know how to make my own beer and wine.
buffy at 2:06PM on 01/10/09