Nine Meals from Anarchy

I hate to start the weekend off with a depressing post, but if you wonder how long after TSHTF that chaos starts, the answer is three days.

From theMailOnline in Britain (the whole article is worth reading) ...

It was Lord Cameron's estimation that it would take just nine meals - three full days without food on supermarket shelves - before law and order started to break down, and British streets descended into chaos.

A far-fetched warning for a First World nation like Britain? Hardly. Because that's exactly what happened in the U.S. in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. People looted in order to feed themselves and their families.

The place that is most vulnerable here in the US is Los Angeles -- it's in a basin, there are only three major roads in or out and most of the supermarkets there practice "just in time" inventory. It's estimated that Los Angeles would start to run short of food 24 hours after disaster struck.

This is why we're building up our own stockpile of food. And it's time to get those wrist rockets -- those squirrels are looking like good eatin'.

From another blog, here is a list of “Basic Foods: A Shopping List” from a message board during the Y2k days:

1. Dried Beans
2. Dried peas
3. Rice
4. Flour
5. Macaroni
6. Noodles
7. Brown sugar
8. White Sugar
9. Powdered Sugar
10. Corn syrup
11. Maple Syrup
12. Baking powder
13. Baking soda
14. Cornstarch
15. Yeast
16. Grits
17. Cornmeal
18. Powdered milk
19. Cocoa/baking chocolate
20. Crackers
21. Rolled oats/oatmeal
22. Boxed macaroni & cheese (especially for kids - they love this)
23. Bouillon (several flavors)
24. Popcorn
25. Assorted kinds of nuts
26. Coconut
27. Raisins
28. Dried prunes
29. Jellies and jams
30. Shortening
31. Olive oil
32. Clarified butter
33. Vinegar
34. Cream of tartar
35. Tea
36. Coffee
37. Powdered drink mixes
38. Candy
39. Ramen noodles
40. Jalapenos
41. Cream soups (mushroom, chicken, tomato)
42. Tomato sauce
43. Stewed tomatoes
44. Canned vegetables (get a variety)
45. Pie filling
46. Chilis and tomatoes
47. Canned chili
48. Canned chicken
49. Canned tuna
50. Canned beef or dried
51. Canned salmon
52. Salt cured country ham
53. Eggs
54. Cheese
55. Barbecue Sauce
56. Hot sauces
57. Mayonnaise
58. Mustard
59. Ketchup
60. Parsley
61. Sage
62. Rosemary
63. Oregano
64. Basil
65. Thyme
66. Nutmeg
67. Allspice
68. Cinnamon
69. Cardamon
70. Dill
71. Mace
72. Cumin
73. Chili powder
74. Vanilla extract
75. Lemon juice
76. Onion powder
77. Garlic powder
78. Black pepper
79. Salt
80. Coriander

The same blog this list came from also recommends stocking up on charcoal when it goes on sale around the holidays, and storing it in a plastic trash can. Hmm. Do we think things are going to get so bad that we won't have electricity or natgas for the grill?