Day 30

Today is day 30. Praise Jesus. While I have learned a lot from our experiment, I am grateful to be done. We originally did this to raise awareness about world hunger. I am not sure exactly how much awareness was raised, but I do know that I learned a great deal about myself, my society, and my God.

In the beginning the challenge was turning down all of the food around me and being bored by what I had to eat. I got sick of rice and beans on day 1 and instead had pasta for dinner. Turns out a serving of pasta is only $0.13. This is frightening when I think about all of the times I eat out or buy food based on convenience. A little preparation can save you a lot of money. Emily started experimenting with flat bread and became good at making it with only flour and water. Add a tbsp of peanut butter and it is a lovely snack (at a whopping $0.06!).

I think the most surprising thing throughout this was watching my mental state deteriorate. I had never realized how what I ate affected how well I could think. I was at a friend's party this past weekend and was embarrassed at how many times I would be talking to someone and forget what I was saying half-way through the sentence. Tyler and Emily both talked a lot about how difficult it was to sit in front of a computer or attempt to study and concentrate. Luckily my job does not require a lot of mental stamina, but I did notice a difference when I would try to read or have a conversation.

To sum up-

• We eat far more everyday than we need to.
• $1 can buy you a lot of food.
• I often eat based on convenience, not cost.
• I really missed dairy, fruit, and vegetables.

This experiment has led to conversations about possible future 30 day experiments. Emily and I have decided that in the month of August we will only wear 4 outfits. This is something I talk about doing a lot (throwing out all of my clothes and only have 4 or 5 outfits) and I think it will be a good starting point. We have also discussed monitoring the amount of water we used everyday (for showers and washing the dishes, etc.). Have another idea? Let us know- we just might try it.

I was listening to the radio on the way to work this morning and a McDonalds commercial was trying to amaze me with the thought that they offer a cheeseburger for only $1! That used to seem like a good deal, but it can buy a heck of a lot more than that. Like, let's say, a serving of oatmeal, 3 eggs, a serving of pasta, a banana, and a Tbs of peanut butter.

Ignoring Temptaion

I have eaten similiarily to what I am eating now when I lived in Uganda. An egg for breakfast, beans and rice for lunch, beans and rice for dinner. The difference is that when I was there, that is what everyone was eating. There were no other options. Occasionally we would buy a pineapple from the market or a chocolate bar from the canteen on campus, but for the most part we were living just like everyone else.

The hardest part of this experiement so far is having to ignore the thousands of options that are under my nose. Tuesday was particularily rough. My roommates and I have started a community dinner on Tuesday night. Every week we cook dinner and invite everyone we know (literally) over for dinner. We had decided beforehand that we would not be allowed to eat at these, but would still attend. Twenty people showed up for beef and brocoli wellington, pasta salad, brownies, cupcakes, and chocolate pie. I ate a bowl of rice.

I don't doubt that I can make it another 26 days eating bland, uninteresting, boring food. It's just that, right now, I don't want to.

Sacred Cattle Are For Eating

"I had a conversation with a little girl, God bless her, who's really struggling right now, and she came to service several months ago and then left on a Sunday night and then just went and took a walk on the dark side if you will. She just came into my office, just heart-broken the next week, talking about how she doesn't know why she does this. And I always try to just figure out what's going on, so “How can you do it? How can you go from this moment where you feel near to God and you feel close to Him right an hour later in what you were into?” And she said, “Well, I didn't....I think it's okay, because I didn't do communion.” Okay, so you've got this symbol, you've got this picture of Christ indwelling in us, and she thinks that's the important piece, the picture's the important piece. The picture's not the important piece. The shadow's not as important as what's casting that shadow. So, be careful. Cattle, even sacred cattle were given us by God to eat."

In case you missed it, the speaker here is saying that the Creator of the symbol is ultimate, not the symbol itself. It needs to be said out loud, that this is exactly the case with our little experiment here.

Since I started telling people I was going to try this out, try to live on a dollar a day. I've had more suggestions than encouragement. More "your message would be more effective if..." moments than I care to talk about. Strangers, co-workers, and friends, all seem to know how I could better posture my actions. I have one thing to say to these:

The message, will long out live and, thankfully, is more important the implementation.

There's room for discourse, disagreement, and learning; but only after you've made the consideration that what we're doing IS enough and was thought through by participating parties. Until that concession is made, I've little prerogative to listen to you.

Mind over Matter

It's day number one, meal number two. I'm sitting at my desk at work eating 3/4 a cup of rice mixed with 3/4 a cup of kidney beans, and the difficulty of this challenge has just become clear to me. Let me explain.

In the last few years, I've taken to fasting food for an entire day at least a few times a month. It's a discipline I've learned to value and enjoy. So, when Holly mentioned that we would get to eat on a dollar a day, I figured it couldn't feel any worse than fasting does, and often fasting doesn't bother me at all.

But here I am, sitting at my desk, during what would normally be my lunch break, wondering if I'm going to make it 30 days like this. Doubting. Not necessarily because I'm extremely hungry 4 hours into this experiment, but because already my mind doesn't want to endure the trauma of ignoring the counters full of fruit, pantries full of pasta, and refrigerators full of soda.

It's become readily apparent to me that my mind is going to tell me more lies in the next thirty days than my stomach will.

Grocery Shopping 101

Tyler and I just got back from our first grocery shopping experience. Buying food for 3 people for an entire month was a little overwhelming, so we bought enough food for the week for Tyler, Emily, and me. This way we can learn what works and what doesn't, and go back next Sunday. We found a Price Right in Bridgeport and I was surprised at how much food we were able to get for $18.00. The next 7 days will involve oatmeal for breakfast, eggs for lunch, and pasta or beans and rice for dinner. Tyler and I also decided that $3 for a large can of iced tea mix was worth it.

At the moment I am excited for this adventure. I am also sitting on the porch eating ice cream, so I am not sure that feeling will last very long.

Holly

Rich Christians in an Age of Hunger

I am currently reading Ronald J. Sider's book, "Rich Christians in an Age of Hunger." I had read parts of the book when I was studying in Africa, and again last summer during a leadership training. In the book Sider gives an example of what it would be like to live like more than half of the world...

"We begin by invading the house of our imaginary American family to strip it of its furniture. Everything goes: beds, chairs, tables, television sets, lamps. We will leave the family with a few old blankets, a kitchen table, and a wooden chair. Along with the bureaus go the clothes. Each member of the family may keep in his "wardrobe" his oldest suit or dress, a shirt or blouse. We will permit a pair of shoes for the head of the family, but none for the wife or children.

We move to the kitchen. The appliances have already been taken out, so we turn to the cupboards... The box of matches may stay, a small bag of flour, some sugar, and salt. A few moldy potatoes, already in the garbage can, must be hastily rescued, for they will provide much of tonight's meal. We will leave a handful of onions, and a dish of dried beans. All the rest we take away; the meat, the fresh vegetables, the canned goods, the crackers, the candy.

Now we have stripped the house: the bathroom has been dismantled, the running water shut off, the electric wires taken out. Next we take away the house. The family can move to the toolshed...

Communications must go next. No more newspapers, magazines, books- not that they are missed, since we must take away our family's literacy as well. INstead, in our shantytown we will allow one radio...

Now government services must go. No more postman, no more firemen. There is a school, but it is three miles away and consists of two classrooms...There are, of course, no hospitals or doctors nearby. The nearest clinic is ten miles away and is tended by a mid-wife. It can be reached by bicycle, provided the family has one, which is unlikely...

Finally, money. We will allow our family a cash hoard of $5.00. This will prevent our breadwinner from experiencing the tragedy of an Iranian peasant who went blind because he could not raise the $3.94, which he mistakenly thought he needed to receive admission to a hospital were he could have been cured."

It is easy (for me, at least) to read something like this and become passionate about change. But then a day goes by, a week, a month, and the feeling wears off and I forget about our Christian neighbors around the world who are struggling to survive. Hopefully the next month will give me a new understanding of my world, my neighbors, and what I can do to encourage change.
Holly

And so it begins

Beginning on Monday, May 17th, four friends and myself will eat only $30 worth of food for the next 30 days. Our goal is to raise awareness about world hunger and social injustice. 1.2 million people live in extreme poverty, trying to live on less than a dollar a day. Another 1.6 billion live on less than $2 a day. This is a little less than half the world's people. If they can do it, so can we.

Our guidelines are as follows:
-We can each only spend $30 on food for the next 30 days.
-We cannot accept handouts or free food from friends/family.
- We can eat things that are available to everyone else (i.e. plants, bugs)
- Water is free.

Personally, I am not looking forward to this. $1 a day will not buy me caffeine, ice cream, or chocolate. I assume I will often be going to bed hungry, waking up the next morning dreading oatmeal, rice, and beans, yet again. I am, however, excited to see what God has in store. I think it will be humbling to see just how much I do spend on food, and how much of it goes to waste. Here goes nothing.
-Holly