Vouchers & Spaghetti Meatballs!

Yesterday was a doddle! I didnt eat a thing from the food parcel apart from a teabag... I am organising some massive (and very stressful) events at college and so I get a £2.50 lunch voucher included for my efforts every day : ) Lunch (although not healthy to be honest) = FREE

I went to see my Gran straight from work and she had bought all the ingedients for fave spaghetti meatballs so I made her a pensioner friendly version (no onions, small meatballs). Frying pan wasn't up to much compared to the one me and big chef usually use! But NOM NOM anyway! Dinner = FREE

I went swimming in late evening which was great exercise, feeling all healthy and free gratis from the day's efforts! When I got back mum made me a coffee so that was FREE too : )

Some students recieve lunch tokens at college. It's obvious now that these provide a filling meal where there might not be another. Might try and see if advice and guidance have stats on how many students recieve these tokens. Quite a few I imagine...

Failure - but not defeat!

I am holding up my hands... I have been terrible and have only been half partaking in the challenge since 11/03/10!

I managed very well for the first 3 days and then a lovely person (who I shall, of course, not name and shame as part of my downfall) bought fish and chips and peas and t cake for tea!! It was free... I ate it .... and I have been on the forbidden path ever since. In fairness, I have had the busiest time of the year at work and needed energy which I don't think the food parcel could have provided...Another lesson from the challenge

So today and from now on, I will be good again...

I am having a black cup of tea, I have my carbo loaded pasta tea on standby and I am good to go. I am not going to set myself a time limit for this challenge, I think a week isn't enough to get a full picture of day to day life but I can't seem to keep it up every day as I have meals with friends and social events which have food provided. I know this isn't exactly to the refugee parcel rulebook but perhaps a more longitudinal look at this issue will actually prove useful. So here's my PROMISE. Where possible I will stick to the challenge until I believe I have gathered enough information to completely understand the issues faced by those on the parcel diet.

P.S. The Red Cross won't let me volunteer for just one night at the parcel handing out station, need to partake in training etc and volunteer long term... thought to consider?

Breakfast with a smile : ) Today's breakfast and lunch

Lesson #3 If you've got it...trade it!

Last night, I was being as creative as possible with a tin of salmon, tin of sweetcorn, green pepper and 50g of rice. The fruits of my labour are shown below. Once again, a salty (due to salmon) and rather bland meal. But it was filling and I enjoyed the rice in the pepper, mostly because it looked pretty good : ) And yes, the snobby salmon kicks the tinned salmon's bottom taste and ease wise. SHOCK! But someone had a very nice time drinking the brine contents of the tin (see little silver EMPTY dish in pic below). In fact you could say it was like cat drugs and there was one very stoned kitty in our midst for a good twenty minutes - pure unadulterated cat treat excitement!

And here's the lesson.... Lesson #3.... Trade. Mum wanted one of my digestive biscuits. She asked and I took a big gulp knowing they have to last me 7 days... but I am kind so I agreed she could have one. Then it struck me... she can have all my biscuits of she's got something to trade.... something yummy that isnt in my parcel. I got a green pepper and she got 3 yummy digestives. Shes biscuit heaven and I've got another lifeline pepper which I can use during the week! Good times!

Lesson #2 Lunch glorious lunch

It's amazing how relaxed I've been about the food challenge today. I think it's all owing to the fact that I made sandwiches and packed them up with a few biscuits and a banana in preparation last night. This morning the only task was remembering them which I think was no mean feat at 6 am!! : )

I lasted until 11.00 and then ate the lot. This is a very carbohydrate rich diet and I don't usually pack in the carbs so I'm feeling it with the full tummy!! Tonight Im going to try salmon, sweetcorn & peppers stuffed with rice. Cooking without stock cubes or spices or even pepper is limiting.

But do you know what's best? I feel amazing! Really really grateful for all the items in the food parcel. Whilst everyone is troughing out on their mega lunch, I feel humbled & very happy. Of to join the peace corps to sing Kum by ah now : ) xxx ha ha

Sophie’s Actual Shopping List

Spaghetti in tomato sauce, Chicken Soup, Vegetable Soup, Soup Tomato Baked Beans x 2, Tinned Tomatoes x 2, Hotdogs (YAK), Canned Sweet corn, Salmon x 2, Spaghetti, Pasta twist Shapes, Rice 250g, Sugar 250g (already present at home), Vegetable oil, Cheap big bar Chocolate, Peanuts 250g, Plain digestive Biscuits, Teabag x12 (already present at home), Bread, Satsuma x 7, Bananas x 6, Pears x 3, Apples x 5, Carrots x 3, Onions x 3, Green Pepper, Salt 250g (already present at home)

They had no semolina or chickpeas at the supermarket so I bought 1 x tin of beans and 1 x tin of tomatoes instead.

I didn’t feel I could carry the following: Orange Juice Apple Juice Milk so I worked out how much they cost and spent the money on butter, cheese and a red and orange pepper.

I wimped out on the tinned sardines and tuna... no excuses but I just didnt want them. In real life, I imagine I would just take them back to the Red Cross place the next week and hand them back in. Or I would get desperately hungry and become a massive sardine fan!

To Market, To Market (and then return... legally)

The actual choosing of the shopping was a doddle. I basically just had to travel down the dried food and tins aisle which I would usually spend about ten seconds in buying overpriced posh pasta and coconut milk to make yummy Thai Green curry!

Eye opener... last week I spent £5+ on fresh fish for 1 meal and this week I spent 2 x 99p on 2 MASSIVE tins of salmon which would last for about 3 or 4 meals. I know the ethics behind how this tinned salmon came into being are dubious but if you are hungry there are ways to make your £ go further! The proof is in the eating however, which I am of course putting off as my snobby £5 salmon will most likely kick this pink bones-and-all salmon's bottom!

THEN... oh then..... Aldi very kindly package EVERYTHING so if I wanted 1 apple I had to buy a pack. I therefore ended up with A LOT more food than I imagine comes in a weekly parcel (the excess of which I have given to my family so as not to cheat). In the spirit of authenticity I waved my step Dad off into the sunset in agreement that I would carry home my wares as it's more realistic.... I made it to the end of the car park with the items shown. OUCH!

I decided I would comendeer a shopping trollley, walk the stuff home and then walk the trolley back but the M and S man was in the car park wandering around. So I waited for 20 mins but he never left so I caved and called for a lift! In reality, if I was a refugee with no bus money and had been given that much food I would have had to abandon what I couldn't carry. Sophie's Choice on a new level.

Pasta with onion, tinned tomatoes and a pepper for tea... salty and bloating! I have been living on a luxurious food budget and this is a shock!

Real shopping list to follow... couldn't get some items and wimped out of the tuna and sardines in favour of the salmon... Disgraceful!

Lesson #1 If it's free - eat it!!!

By midday today I was famished. Desperate for something to eat, I remembered we had a massive meeting at 12.30. I went to the room early to spy if they had laid on food. Room locked. So went to ask the highly covert canteen staff. Using my columbo stylee "oh and one more thing" tactic, I managed to find out the meeting was catered. Hooray!!! Free food!!

2 plates of veg Samosa, onion bagee, spring roll, potato wedges (HOT) and cheese & ham sandwiches, I felt like I'd eaten a banquet fit for a king!! Once again... None of this could be made using the food parcel contents...

So... another consideration... What if lunch hadn't been catered? Hungry til 5? Most likely... I wonder how many students wait eagerly for free lunch? This is going to be a much larger emotional experience than I thought. Going to lidl now. I am going to buy the cheapest version of everything & try and stick to the list. Including manky hot dogs eughhhhh

Lesson one - eat free food - it might be all you're getting!

Kindness in Coffee

Kindness in a cup of coffee...

I am really hungry now, probably due to the extortionate amount of delicious food I ate yesterday - none of which I could make from the food parcel. Another note: there is no scope for creating mouthwateringly delicious dishes with a can of hotdogs!!

Sarah, my lovely office buddy, offered to share her coffee with me. So I am coffee + milk + sugar happy now : )

What a difference one hot drink makes when you're really hungry. Points noted!!!

Still hungry @ 10.14

Sophie xxx

Day One... WELCOME!

Thanks for reading my blog. Hopefully it will be a humourous insight into a real challenge....

I have just finished reading through the food list and already big gasps are a-coming! a) there isn't a lot of food there for 7 whole days and b) I dont like some of it (sardines, chicken soup, hotdogs and semolina YAK)!

So the first thing I've noticed is that refugee or not, there are going a couple if not more, food parcel items that individuals don't like. Makes we wonder if there is any room for negotiation with the people handing them out? Are you really in a place ask if you are receiving such a parcel? What if you are vegetarian or can't eat pork (Hotdogs).....

Mmmm a lot to ponder this morning...

Also... It's 9.22 and I am already hungry and can't get to buy the food until at least 4 pm. This is true to life I imagine as a refugee will have to wait until distribution time to get their parcel and may have had to go hungry for a while before that... WITH A RUMBLING TUM, I BID THE GOOD MORNING!