WAR AND FOOD

B8 - The Terrace Standard, Wednesday, November 10, 1993

Remember victims of

the hunger weapon

EMEMBRANCE

Day is set aside 10

think abou! — the

people who fought
for us in past wars.

For such a unique day, |
thought about what to wrile about
in a nutrition column.

What I came up with {s some
stories about how food has been
(and is now) used as a weapon in
wars,

We are all familiar with the
story of the Trojan’ horse - You
know, the big horse that was
filled with soldiers; and left out-
side the gates of Troy?

It was taken into the city, and
the soldiers climbed out during
the night and conquered the city.

But have “you ever ‘thought
about why the horse was there in
the first place?

The city of Troy was under
siege. This is a tactic used in war
to try lo starve the people of a
city into surrendering.

The soldiers of an opposing
force surround a city and don’t let
anything in or out, Thal means —
that no food can be taken in,
nothing to drink, and no supplics
of any other kind. = _

This military tactic has been,
used throughout history . with
varying degrees of success.

In the American civil war, the
North blockaded the Soulh. They.
surrounded all the southern porls
with their navy, and wouldn’t al-
low any goods through. A mas-
sive black market developed trad-
ing in coffee and sugar, a3 well as”
other perishables,

Margaret Mitchell’s Rhett But-
ler gained his fame as a blockade
runner during the civil war.-.

During the second. world war
there were a number of sieges.
The most famous of these are the
sieges of Paris and of Leningrad
(now Saint Petersburg). .

Paris was placed undersiege by
the Nazis, and was eventually
starved.into submission. It was
occupled by the Axis Nations
during : a good part of World War .
2. °

dee ane

people, ‘about one half died.

Teabhins
Values and
Virtues to
Children

Mr. E> MUTTART,

B.8c., M.Ed, BSc (Camegia inctituta of
Tachnology, Pittsburgh) and Master of
Education (U1B.C., Vancouver)
educator and worldtraveler,
presents a stimulating workshop
for parents, teachers, and social
workers on how to teach chitdren
those values and virtues that
make for harmonious human
relationships and positive self-
esteem.

The workshop fea of $7.00 can
be.paid.at the door.
Refreshments served,

DATE: Monday, Nov. 15/93
PLAGE: Kermode! Friendship
Centre

TIME: 7:00 - 10:00 pm

NEED To KNOW -
SOMETHING sour

YouR NEW
call ‘COMMUNITY?

“Mean :

Prione Elaine 645-3018
Ptigne, Diana 638-8576
Phone Gitfian 835-3044

NUTRITION NOTES .
GERRY KASTEN

| Goldstar.

The siege started with food
strictly rationed, and restaurants
closed down. By the time the
siege had progressed, people
would boil bricfcases to make jel-
ly, and cat their pets or the local
crows. Bread sold for 600 rubles
per. kilo on the black market,

“Today in Africa we have some
of the best (or actually the worst)
examples of using food as a
weapon against people.

We first saw this phenomenon
in Ethiopia; where “people were
driven and herded from fertile
areas into “refugee camps", The
fertile area were razed, and be-
came dry and barten, and soon
the nation wasn’t able to support
agriculture.

Only now is Ethiopia finally

rebuilding their food supply.

_ This year we've faced the spec-
tre of Somalia. People eat only at
UN run soup kitchens. Prior to

the world’s intervention, over

350,000 people had died,

But in ateas without a foreign »
black .
market still thrives, selling stolen

military presence, - the,

relief supplics.
Next year it’s likely we'll sce

the same thing happen in Sudan. ~

Food shipments have already
been interrupted by both rebel
troops and the government.

Relief. workers have been at-
tacked by troops, This is ‘that
much sadder because the
Sudanese have always been good
at supporting their own food
needs.

What solutions do we have to
the problem of food being used as
a weapon?

One option is to support relict
organizations like the Red Cross
or UNICEF.

' One suggestion is to live for a
few days on skim milk powder, _

rice and vegetable oil. This is the
emergency rations that we send to
nations that need relief. The
moncy saved can be donated to

. charity.

Another option is to add your
voice to those calling for dis-
armament. Do we need to spend
money on more arms? Do we
need’ fo carn money by selling
arms?

Wars are unlikely to stop hap-
pening overnigh!, but thinking
about ways to stop the effects of
war on people like you and me is
the first step in ending the horror.

Gerry Kasten is a community —

nutritionist with the Skeena

Health Unit.

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