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My final words on the Solidarity
Challenge is that it really was a challenge. That sounds like a bit of a
funny thing to say but I think its important to acknowledge this. We
did have some good times learning to cook from people and sharing
food but it was really hard for a number of reasons.
The Planning
Each meal had to be planned. We had to
think ahead on what we would eat next and hold back food for lunch
the next day. There was a detailed budget on how much money we had to spend and what we
could afford. Everything that you did
involving food required extensive thought. My week became consumed
with what we could eat when.
The Cooking
Everything had to be made from
scratch. I like cooking but most of what we ate required a lot of
prep time. There were no quick meals. We ended up eating a lot of
raw vegetables at the end of the week because no one wanted to cook
any more.
High Carb Diet
I found the whole
diet could really turn my stomach. There was so much rice and
potatoes and other types of starch. Even if I was hungry there were
times I'd starting to eat and then I'd just want to put down my
plate. I'm never been one to advocate for low carbs but after that
week I may be taking a break from them.
The week also got me thinking about what an impact this sort of lifestyle had on people around us. We stopped eating out for the most part so
the women who sell us breakfast and the place we eat lunch at
suddenly had no business from us. We were just four but if you
multiple how many people in the world can only eat what they grow or
the few things they can buy or trade for that are still in raw form,
the impact on business and growth is huge. No room for selling "value-added" products means a very small economy.
Last Solidarity Day Meal
Breakfast- Tshs 250
Toast and a banana.
Lunch- Tshs 650
Leftover beans on a piece of toast
Supper- Tshs 900
Peas with coconut and rice.
And the our celebratory meal the next morning! No more solidarity challenge!
Last of all I just want to say thank you to everyone who supported us
by giving to the challenge or sending us encouraging messages. It was a great help to have that community around support me. In total we raised $1535 dollars for the challenge!
I also want to give a big thanks to my partner @AliaK for documenting the challenge in Toronto. She is a big part of what makes this blog happen even when she isn't writing and I couldn't do any of it without her!
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