During the pandemic they did everything they could to shutdown restaurants, special eateries, and pubs. First they limited the amount of people you can have in, then they closed all the dining areas for take out only
They slowly rolled out progressively silly regulations that created an environment where the only places that could function were fast food. primarily ones like mcdonalds with drive thrus. 60%+ of customers already use the drive thru more
they did the same thing with groceries stores. I watched people have to stand out side with elderly and kids for 30 mins to an hour in -20 weather just to get into a store. this has forced people to use the stupid "curb side pick up" that they conveniently intudunced around the same time.
they will use this up coming food shortage to usher in a new age with no grocies stores, there gonna phase them out (along with dine in restaurants) and create this environment where the largest fast food restaurants that have drive thru/delivery become the only way to get food.
the first wave killed restaurants, this wave with kill groceries stores, this is how they will take control of food distribution.
once they have control they will phase out meat for "alternatives" and GMO garbage. one day very soon we might all just wake up with empty fridges and empty store shelves with our only option to eat is large corporate soup kitchens called Mcdonalds and Burger King.
anyone got any good resources on home gardening?
Been gardening for a few years and while the resources for doing so are numerous (Chelsea Green Publishing is a gold mine), I think at this stage the most-pertinent information relates to keeping you sustained during the initial wave of this madness (while also reading from the above publisher and planning a longer-term strategy). There's a sizeable learning curve to gardening effectively, so if the little voice inside your head is telling you to get on it- start now.
Even if you live in an apartment with only north-facing windows, you can grow a sustainable amount of sprouts for dirt cheap to get most of your needed nutrients in highly bio-available forms. Best method I've ever used (and currently use) is detailed in Year-Round Indoor Salad Gardening by Peter Burke. Stock up on sprouting seeds while you still can. I buy my sprouting seeds from True Leaf Market.
Most grocery stores sell rice in 20lb bags. Buy one every time you go to the store. Don't be a toilet paper Karen about it- there's still time to incrementally amass enough to keep you holed up for a while without starving. White rice has a 30-year shelf life if stored properly.
Potatoes are perennial and grow from other potatoes-- and growing them in buckets is [in my experience] easier and more-efficient than growing them in-ground-- which means you can grow them on an apartment patio. One potato can grow something like 10lbs if done right. This guy does a great job spelling out exactly how to do it: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ICHFDQGKG2k
In addition/alternative to potatoes, sunchokes (aka Jerusalem Artichokes) are sunflowers with edible tubers that grow like weeds. They're like pretty potatoes that are borderline invasive-- but eating them will give you mad gas. Highly recommended.
Most "weeds" that people try so hard to get rid of are not only edible, but also medicinal. Get familiar with your local flora biome- You'll be surprised by how much of your yard is edible (that is, if you don't blanket your yard with glyphosate like a clueless boomer)
Yeah, living entirely off of beans and rice isn't the answer (been there, done that- it's bloat city), but you can sustain yourself for a long time.
Definitely good to have a freezer full of animal proteins if that's a possibility. The local fauna population is going to be decimated before anything else once people start going hungry. It's a lot more accessible for someone with no preparations to shoot something and poorly dress it than it is to get a productive garden going.
I've been gardening my entire adult life (several decades) and it's always stuck me as odd that more people don't have at least a single tomato plant. I bet if most people grew at least a few veggies, the rates of depression and obesity would plummet. Everyone should grow something, no matter how small. Eating and sharing food you grew yourself is one of the most rewarding things a human can do.
We've been conditioned as a society to value convenience over everything--- If people aren't in control of their own food supply, they're very easy to control (and as you said- less healthy, which also makes them life-long customers for "health" care).
When I bit into the first cucumber I grew myself several years ago, I was dumfounded that it tasted so flavorful & full of life. Grocery store produce is crunchy tap water at best.
Yes! Nothing in the stores will taste as good or last as long as the produce you grow yourself!