11.076
21 (Sat) March 2020
Broccoli with Chogochujang
3.0
by me
at home
-Dasmariñas Village, Makati, Metro Manila, Philippines-
with the Family
The boys are perfectly happy to eat broccoli as is (see for example 11.059 Broccoli), but I sometimes serve a bit of chogochujang as a dip.
Since Tuesday (see 11.071 Bitokes à la Russe), Manila has been in a lockdown due to COVID-19; at that time, just 5 days ago, 167,515 global cases were reported (8,236 in Korea, 140 in the Philippines, 24,747 in Italy, 14,991 in Iran, 1,678 in USA); 6,606 global deaths (75 in Korea, 12 in the Philippines, 1,809 in Italy, 853 in Iran, 41 in USA).
As of today, 266,073 global cases (8,799 in Korea, 230 in the Philippines, 47,021 in Italy, 19,644 in Iran, 15,219 in USA); 11,183 global deaths (102 in Korea, 18 in the Philippines, 4,032 in Italy, 1,433 in Iran, 201 in USA).
During the lockdown, my first concern for our family is the supply of drinking water. So far, the delivery chain appears to be working. And fortunately, the tap water in Manila is usually drinkable or at least edible in a pinch – I cook pasta with tap water. Just in case delivery is disrupted for a week or so, I ordered a few extra 18.9-liter bottles from our regular supplier and purchased additional single-use bottles of various sizes from the store.
With a total of 175 liters, averaging a generous 3 liters per person per day, as per WHO recommendations – I’m assuming that includes water for cooking, because I have never in my life directly drank anywhere near 3 liters of water in a day – 5 persons in the house (including our helper, who shares our water), we should have enough for about 12 days (a bit longer with the Coke Zero).
In terms of food, the main thing is to have a sufficient supply of goods that are durable, nutritious, easily prepared, tasty, and transportable (if necessary). So far, the local supermarkets seem to be maintaining regular distribution, even though some items (e.g., eggs, bread, meats, vegetables) seem to be at about 50% capacity.
Not sure how to measure the potential duration of our food supplies, but I’ll base the calculation on staples.
With about 24 kilograms of rice, averaging 300 grams per meal for our family of four, 2.5 meals per day, we should have enough for 32 days (our helper has her own stash of 10 kg, 100 grams per meal, 3 meals per day, 33.3 days).
Plus about 12 kilograms of noodles and pasta, averaging 400 grams per meal for our family of four, 2.5 meals per day, we should last another 12 days.
The big uncertainty will be the availability of fresh milk, eggs, vegetables, fruits. meats. and of course kimchi, all of which we currently have about two-weeks’ worth.
I am acutely aware that many many people throughout the world, including millions in our host country of the Philippines, are or will soon be suffering shortages of water and food, as well as shelter, power, health services, work, and other critical needs.
This post is in no way intended to boast about the bounty of our cupboards. Quite the opposite, it’s meant to show how precariously short supplies can be even if seemingly plentiful.