Bring me your gold...I will give you food. (See how that works)
If you’re starving, what is worth more—food or gold? Gold won’t save you from inflation in that scenario, because if you want to buy some of my, say, potatos, I’m going to charge you quite a bit of yellow metal. Hell, I might just turn you down and find someone trading something I actually need, like goods and services, or usable commodities. Shiny metal won’t cut it.
Definitely have to have a secured exchange. Or go the way of the Incas, Aztecs and Mayas...