BBC People's War, Rationing - extraordinary tales of food

Where's your five-a-day?

Image from PostSecret

Fresh fruit and veg and meat are expensive, highly perishable, and bland compared to processed food.

71% of consumers are aware of the government’s 5-a-day target but only 55% meet the target.

- FSA 2007, via Changing Families, Changing Food project

But sometimes I secretly wonder, wouldn't all the money spent on alcohol and ready meals and confectionery be quite enough to maintain a steady supply of five-a-days?

A bottle of soy sauce please. Err, which one?

Soy sauce aisle in Walmart (Shenzhen, China)

Soy sauce is the salt and pepper of Chinese cuisine. The versatile, unobtrusive condiment adds a touch of umami - the crucial 'fifth taste' - to any dish you happen to be cooking. It's part of our national identity, not unlike what Henderson's Relish is to Sheffielders.

15 years ago you could only get it at specialist Chinese supermarkets, all of which were a couple of hours' drive away, but since then the Brits have caught on and acquired a taste for the salty stuff:

Me: ...went to Tescos today, got a new bottle of soy...
Mum: What?? They now have soy sauce at Tescos?!

Times change, mum. Soy, falafel, pâté, hummus and all manner of outlandish food have been known to turn up in the student's pantry. Apparently Chicken Tikka Masala is the new Fish 'n' Chips!

Though our food culture is ever-changing, I wouldn't like to see the demise of English classics such as the Sunday roast and Yorkshire pudding. But I do dream of the day when you get to choose your soy sauce at the local corner shop:D

Feeling peckish

I was walking pass Weston Park Museum today, and happened to see a massive yellow poster advertising this exhibition called 'Food Glorious Food':

Image belongs to Museum §heffield. Not me.

Look a bit familiar? Apart from the iconic Henderson's Relish bottle I mean. Well it turns out the masterminds behind it, the Changing Families, Changing Food research group has a branch in our very own geography department!

FOOD - oooh yes please. I'm particularly excited about the 'rationing' section, as I've always been fascinated by how people cope in times of hardship - a favourite haunt of mine is the BBC WW2 People's War Archives, especially the Rationing category. I've even pestered my parents for stories of 'how to make the most of your ration tokens'! (They were issued from 1955~1993 in China, and thus still on most people's memories.)

Alas it was late and Weston Bank Museum was calling it a day. So I sauntered home and splashed a healthy dose of Henderson's Relish over my chips instead.

My food and I

'Eat well' is my mum's mantra, and as a result I can skimp on practically anything but food. I like my food fresh and simple; tins and frozen fare are inevitable for a busy student, but whenever I've got the energy and budget I pop down to the local shop for greens and cuts.

Now I've given little thought about where it all comes from until today. I was looking at punnets of red and green grapes (you can tell how fresh they are by their stalks), when a really good one caught my eye: the best before date was same as the others, but obviously these were fresher. Why are most grape stalks brown and withered anyway? Where I come from, green is the standard. A little box stamped on the film held a clue: 'Produced in Chile / S. Africa'.

That's a long way to travel for a bunch of grapes! Naturally I had to find out where the rest came from...

View in a larger map
O fodder, a long, long way you've come...

In case you get the wrong impression, this is not at all what my weekly shop looks like!! It's fancier than normal because a friend is staying over:)

I try to buy whole, in-season, and locally-sourced food whenever possible, but it's not that easy. For one thing, good food is usually more expensive, for another, some things simply aren't grown on this island.

It's a fascinating topic, and we'll be starting the 217 'food' block right after Easter, so keep your eyes peeled! Meanwhile why not make a map of where your food comes from? Send it to and it may even get featured on the blog!