please put a penny in poor Maddy's hat, if you haven't got a penny, a ha'penny will do, if you haven't got a ha'penny, may the Gods bless you.
This time of year has long been difficult for me. For pretty much all of my adult life it's been a pretty much solo affair, i never got to spend it with my daughter, sometimes with my parents but with them now gone, well its just me again. I always try to have some sort of 'special' meal but there is little joy in preparing everything to sit down alone to eat it, much like drinking alone, i'd advise against it. And then of course, there's the costs, not just the food, gifts, cards, seasonal treats, it quickly adds up and when you are already on the bean line, well something has to go.
And so i was 'looking forward', to a very lean festive season, not for the first time of course. A fairly late change in plans has changed things, Aunty Bev will be at home next Thursday and last night fetched the mekkin's for a celebratory meal which i will get to share as cook. Thank's Bev, i literally wouldn't be here without you.
Financial insecurity has been a constant most of my life, every time i thought i had it cracked it's been pulled out from under me, you can't save for a rainy day (or anything else) when it's already raining. My expectations are low, i do my best to live within my means but even a small unexpected expense like Friday's bike shop visit, will put a hefty spanner in the works.
The point of this diatribe? I'm not sure there is one other than a hope that you all have somewhere to go, folks to be with, food to eat at this often difficult time of year. Be thankful for what you do have and if that's not much, well just know that you are not alone.
So what have i been up to this week? Well not a lot, my tentative plans to visit a couple of UK Christmas markets have been abandoned so its same ole, same ole agenda. Monday was a damp walk along the Frome and yesterday was a ride down to Bath, both got me out of the house but neither brought me much joy. I have started the next Gaby chapter - i'll be cracking on with that today, i'll have a short walk first, its damp again so not far.
I'll be back at the weekend but for now,
Ciao,
Madeline Anafrid
Comments
Bath
If you have to be alone in drizzle or rain, and the Christmas decorations are looking limp and forlorn, then there are a lot of worse places to be than Bath in my opinion. Try Clacton or Frinton, or Walton on the Naze to to be supremely dismal in mid winter or try St.Osyth for wall to wall urban misery. Their tawdry gloss of Kiss-me-quick hats and Candy floss seen in the summer holiday season wears very thin when it is dark by 4.30pm and the rain is driving down.
Price inflation due to flu
Here in Germany it seems to be traditional to have either duck or goose as the main component of the holiday meal. This year, with the migratory birds spreading the bird flue, at least in north-western Germany, over half of the flocks for market got decimated in November. So with the supply being unable to satisfy the demand, it appears that the price of fowl has spiked around 50%. That is not good for those with limited financial means.
On average, pork is the cheapest meat for bigger cuts. But for those who can not tolerate pork, the options become more limited. Chicken wing tips retail for about €4/kg, though they are mostly skin and bones. Turkey/chicken hearts are €6/kg. The upper leg of a turkey can be found on sale for €9/kg. Chicken breast sells for around €12-15/kg. Duck and goose was around €17-20/kg. Beef can be anywhere from €18/kg to over €50/kg, though there are monthly rotating offers for under €13/kg. Lamb starts at €28/kg.
For those of us with limited finances, potential portions for a festive meal have certainly shrunk in size.
Cooking only a single serving at a time, or for only one person for that matter, is certainly not fun and a disproportionate expenditure of time. And when you have very limited storage capacity, meal choices get old very fast, because you have to repeat the same menu for several days in a row to avoid spoilage and having to throw expensive food away.
And a lack of good companionship around the table, while sharing some tasty food, can certainly be a downer on the emotional mood. As well as lead to some less than ideal nutritional habits.