Normally these days I do a little bit of shopping every afternoon after coffee as it seems most convenient that way--the Starbucks and the market are in the same mall. I tend to buy just for the day at hand, something for dinner, something for lunch. In this way, I don't have to carry too much stuff on the bike with me, and I don't have to think ahead about what I might eat tomorrow or the next day and so on. No one to feed, after all, but for myself.
Yesterday, however, I found the market aisles jammed with shoppers, long lines cued up at the three open cash registers. It was not until later that I realized that these were people stocking up because of coronavirus (or coronavirus paranoia?). The rush seems to have been kicked off by Australia's two week lockdown, which was responded to by President Jokowi in Indonesia with a two week lockdown on Australian entry into Indonesia, and particularly Bali.
As a result, I bought no groceries and ended up just eating what I happened to have at home--which was fried eggs and toast. I was met at home as well by alarming messages from my ex-wife, who is in Australia at this time and unable to get out of Australia. "Stock up!" she wrote. "Canned goods, dried foods, spaghetti noodles, ramen, water."
This seems like a lot of trouble to me, and a lot to carry on the motorbike. I'm thinking of eating the dog if the situation becomes critical. Or the nearby vegetation (although there may be some competition involved).
I remember that back during the Y2K scare my second wife insisted on stocking up on survival items, including the purchase of a shotgun "to protect our home" from lawless marauders. We never did learn how to shoot that shotgun (which is likely fortunate, as we might not be here now if we had).
In any case, I find that whenever I do have "extra food" in the house, I tend to eat it all at once. I may, for instance, buy a package of cookies to enjoy during the week, but I end up enjoying them all in one day.
I'm not cut out to deal with pandemics, or with the concept of rationing. I was going to say that I suppose no one is--but, in fact, I'll bet you that there are those who are enjoying the ride, the whole scenario of looming collapse and survivalist struggle. Just like a TV series! Popular fiction come to life, infecting life, so to speak, with new meaning, new purpose, a goal, a game that can be won by the prescient and able few.
Sadly, I cannot get a shotgun, as firearms are outlawed in Indonesia. I'll just have to use my wits and bare hands. Wish me lock. I mean luck.
Yesterday, however, I found the market aisles jammed with shoppers, long lines cued up at the three open cash registers. It was not until later that I realized that these were people stocking up because of coronavirus (or coronavirus paranoia?). The rush seems to have been kicked off by Australia's two week lockdown, which was responded to by President Jokowi in Indonesia with a two week lockdown on Australian entry into Indonesia, and particularly Bali.
As a result, I bought no groceries and ended up just eating what I happened to have at home--which was fried eggs and toast. I was met at home as well by alarming messages from my ex-wife, who is in Australia at this time and unable to get out of Australia. "Stock up!" she wrote. "Canned goods, dried foods, spaghetti noodles, ramen, water."
This seems like a lot of trouble to me, and a lot to carry on the motorbike. I'm thinking of eating the dog if the situation becomes critical. Or the nearby vegetation (although there may be some competition involved).
I remember that back during the Y2K scare my second wife insisted on stocking up on survival items, including the purchase of a shotgun "to protect our home" from lawless marauders. We never did learn how to shoot that shotgun (which is likely fortunate, as we might not be here now if we had).
In any case, I find that whenever I do have "extra food" in the house, I tend to eat it all at once. I may, for instance, buy a package of cookies to enjoy during the week, but I end up enjoying them all in one day.
I'm not cut out to deal with pandemics, or with the concept of rationing. I was going to say that I suppose no one is--but, in fact, I'll bet you that there are those who are enjoying the ride, the whole scenario of looming collapse and survivalist struggle. Just like a TV series! Popular fiction come to life, infecting life, so to speak, with new meaning, new purpose, a goal, a game that can be won by the prescient and able few.
Sadly, I cannot get a shotgun, as firearms are outlawed in Indonesia. I'll just have to use my wits and bare hands. Wish me lock. I mean luck.
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