Sunday 15 March 2020

Herd Immunity or Herd Mutiny!

It only takes one person, to pick up one extra item whilst out shopping, to clear shelves. Unless you see people filling their trollies with multiple items of the same product, then most people would appear to be shopping normally.

Hoards descending and rampaging through stores is a different matter. It could get worse the longer things go on and I personally think it is unfair of any government to ask the shops to be responsible to police how people shop. If things get too bad, get the Army in to prevent everyone from the worst of it.

Younger generations won't have seen anything like this but it does happen every now and then due to one thing or another.

People have always smiled at me for maintaing an emergency store cupboard, such as a Brexit box. Despite this, I carried on and it will become useful in this emergency.

My mother in law ran her pantry like clockwork and I used to smile at her tactics but they worked and I adopted them to a certain extent. Her motto was this, "have a minimum of two of everything and when you are down to one, replenish stock". She did of course have more than 2 of each item that was regularly used. Her fridge and freezers always operated at capacity and she was a prolific preserver of food.

Her utility cupboards were chock full of jams, marmalades, bottled fruits, ginger beer, fruity drinks etc. She baked biscuits and cakes and at supper time, despite still being a little full from dinner, out they would come and we would all have at least one. She was very adaptable in some ways, her skills were passed onto me but I don't really know if I passed them onto our son.

He would have been aware of how I shopped as he came with us and was given his own little list to fetch items for us. He lived and adapted well to wartime rations for 7 years when we had no choice. He would have seen me bake and preserve but his generation is different to mine, we were different (but not to such a great extent) from our parents.

He is now a parent and getting to grips with his now full term if still small daughter. She is doing well but I doubt we will get to see her in the near future which is a damn shame.

Time will tell how this latest emergency pans out. I would like to hope that we all learn something from it but who knows.

14 comments:

  1. My mum often didn't have much money at all for shopping and was able to make a meal out of anything she had in, we never went hungry. I like to think I've learnt well from her and her mother's examples. Not being able to see your little granddaughter for months must be soul destroying.

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    1. Hopefully we will get to see her before other restrictions come into force but who knows.

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  2. My Mum (and now my Dad) also have the 'when you open the last pack, replace it! policy and I do the same. Works well but doesn't take up loads of space and once it is an established routing, it costs no more than replacing at any other point.

    I'm so sorry that you can't see your little granddaughter - that's very hard luck.
    xx

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  3. I've always kept a good stock of things in too - probably comes from having three children all at home a few years ago so always needed the unexpected. I've never been one to leave just one of everything in the cupboards. That's a shame you can't see your granddaughter for a while. Our 3rd granddaughter is now 3 weeks old and is doing well breast feeding - which is just as well as I've heard people are stockpiling formula milk. Son texted today to see if I could get any Calpol - none to be found where they live. I did finally manage to get my mum & dad some Paracetamol today (limit 2 packs). I feel it very odd that on most of the empty shelves there are notices that say "5 per person" for items such as toilet roll and handwash - which I think is a bit greedy when rationing. Surely 2 per person would be sufficient for the time being.

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    1. How strange about Calpol. Yes, 1 or 2 would be better.

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  4. Living far from the shops as we and our neighbours do, it's the norm here to have a well stocked cupboard and freezer. And of course growing our own produce over the last few years has meant I have become a dab hand at preserving, pickling etc.

    But the downside to having a well stocked larder of course is that we usually drive into the main town once and month and replenish what we have used, which to many would now make it look as though we are panic buying and stockpiling food. So if anything I have been shopping a bit more regularly which feels counter intuitive and rather stupid. I decided the other day to visit Asda, Tesco and Aldi all in the same day and buy two of each of what I needed from each store thus minimising taking too much stock from shelves AND saving myself the embarrassment of people thinking I was panic buying.

    Now the larder is replenished both here, and to a lesser extent at the Van, so I am happy and will try not to venture out any more than necessary.

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    1. Same here but I still felt guilty picking up a bag of flour and pasta, in amongst general buying of everyday food.

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  5. Living where I do it just makes sense to have a well stocked home. I am working on getting Kris stocked up as well.

    God bless.

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    1. Hope you all manage okay. Keep yourselves safe.

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  6. If your son has Facetime or Skype, you can see the baby girl online. It isn't the same but better than nothing. Stay well.

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    1. Yes he does and we have been doing that. It would just be lovely though to hold her etc.

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  7. As far as I know, disinfectant wipes, face masks and hand sanitizers are sold out in stores in my area of California, and online too. This week there is plenty of food available in stores, thank goodness.

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    1. That’s what everyone thought here until panic buying happened.

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