Posted on 03/23/2013 6:34:00 PM PDT by Kartographer
Imagine if suddenly, and completely without warning, the world experienced a total blackout – no electricity, no mobile phones, no banks, no internet, no TV, no emergency services. Nothing. Highways quickly become jammed with cars that have ground to a halt; an aeroplane falls from the sky; a satellite view of the planet shows it rapidly plunging into darkness. As it becomes apparent that the lights are never coming back on, nations are plunged into chaos, mass riots break out in major cities and, without electricity, governments are toppled. Into the vacuum step ad-hoc militias, armed and ready to enforce their own rule of law. This is the apocalyptic premise of the hit American TV series Revolution, which begins on Sky 1 this week. In the first episode, viewers are pulled through this nightmarish chain of events.
(Excerpt) Read more at dailymail.co.uk ...
On the upper range of lighting.... I have a generator, pure carbon 3/8" rods, and a 30" parabolic reflector. Some assembly required, but I could make an arc-light suitable for shooting down Zeros if I was required to.
Nothing like having a good scrap pile.
/johnny
My doctor yells and screams if my numbers are bad so I try to make him happy and he was laughing at these good numbers.
If Texas beings back hanging, we'll get you a good lawyer and if that doesn't work, I'll get a seat up front when they hang you.
ping
Uhh, have you read a recent history book? We are not at war with Japan anymore - we won that one. You need to shoot down DRONES at this time in history.
Besides, 2 years ago, right around the time of the air show, a Japanese Zero attacked the base to the south of me.
It was early in the day, and part of my brain said: "Prop aircraft, landing on 18". And another part said: "THAT'S A ZERO!"
Confused, I stepped out the back door, and sure enough, the big red meatball was about 400 ft over my roof. Along with a Corsair behind it.
I went back to reading Homer.
/johnny
Save at least 3 seats for my ex-wives. ;)
/johnny
styro coolers then old blanket stuffed on top of the pot is the way to go. Done it mucho times. I have a few stro coolers in reserve....People get steaks sent to them and toss out the styro cooler
you got freepmail!
She may just need potassium. Banana's should do the trick.
Marcella: If you really want to help me, send me an unmarried brute of a man who can lift very heavy weight...
Gee, you want a high maintenance monkey that looks like this: 
or this:
When all you need is this" 
Remember, that spotlight leaves you open to observation too. I hope you remotely operate yours.
That looks like a candidate for #7 lead shot from a 12 gage.
/johnny
Can I get the chapters of your cookbook?
If you chose that option, you are required to be critical of grammar errors and factual errors.
Say yes if you want me to post the thing in my next reply. ;)
/johnny
/johnny
yes!
You asked for it:
Poverty food
Like oriental food? Like Italian? Mexican or Tex-mex? Cajun? Scandinavian food? What do all these foods have in common? They are poverty foods. The ones that everyone eats everyday.
Take Oriental food... It’s cheap stuff. Local. Cooked simple. And good. Some of it takes time to prepare.
Same with all the rest.
The traditional food of the people is the cheap stuff that is available prepared with care and whatever time it takes.
What does that mean for preparedness? You may not be able to get stuff you eat normally. But you can eat well with local stuff, or people wouldn’t be living where you live. And don’t give me that excuse about living in the city. Pigeon is edible. And good, done well. Baby pigeons can fetch $28 a plate done well enough in the right restaurant.
And those weeds you walk by every day? Your great-grandparents waited for them to show up in spring.
All this pre-supposes that you have the knowledge to use the available resources and the training to turn those resources into mouthwatering meals. And that means you have to study.
Techniques.
What makes food good, instead of just something to eat to keep from dying? Flavor, texture, smell, familiarity and perceived value.
Start with good, fresh, local ingredients. Learn to identify them, and how to cook them, and when they are in season. I can’t help you with details since I don’t live where you do.
Take a little time now to add some traditional spices to your landscaping. I can get cilantro, cumin, basil, rosemary, thyme, garlic (volunteer and cultivated), onions (native and cultivated), and several types of local herbs and peppers within a two minute walk from my back door. Those spices and herbs can go a long way to making your food taste better and seem more familiar. Squirrel pot pie tastes a lot like chicken pot pie if you have the same spices in it.
Learn how to cook. Learn the basics of frying, sauteing, braising, roasting and baking. Some of that requires a mentor to teach you. Find one. Commercial cooks like to show off and talk about food and techniques.
One thing I see a lot with home cooks is a fear of ‘burning’ something that is just getting some color and flavor. Black doesn’t mean burned. Scorched flavor means burned.
When I make a stock for soup, I sweat the onions, carrots, and garlic for flavor. If I want a ‘blanc’ stock, I don’t let them get much color, but for things like game, and a ‘brun’ stock, I saute them pretty hard, well past what most home cooks are comfortable with. It’s ok if they have some black spots on them, if they don’t tasted scorched or burned. And the depth of flavor they add can make a dish work.
And it’s ok to screw up when you practice. Burn it? Toss it and try again. Failure is part of the learning process.
None of this requires expensive equipment. I’ve cooked over an open wood fire on 50 year old pans for 300 GIs. And they liked the rations that they got, with some additions from local sources. Even GI spaghetti in a can is palatable if you can enhance it a little with techniques and a few local additions.
Menu Fatigue.
Menu fatigue is a real thing. The military has recognized that and gone to 14 day menus.
If you try to feed someone the same thing, day after day, morale suffers and efficiency falls off. Rice and beans, or beans and rice is not much of a choice. Especially for children.
That doesn’t mean you have to load up with a bunch of different foods to get different meals. One thing you can consider when purchasing something is how many recipes it can be used in. The more versatile, the better. I rarely buy single menu use items.
Personally, I have some basics that are always around. Mirepoix (2:1:1) of onion, celery and carrot are the basics for most stocks, soups, and many meals.
Since I live alone, fresh celery will go bad before I use it all, so I dehydrate the left-over celery right before it starts to turn. Same with carrots. Onions keep if you store them correctly. I actually prefer to use re-hydrated carrots and celery for stocks. I think the flavor is better and richer.
The basic spices I always have on hand are garlic powder (not garlic salt), pepper, thyme, oregano, basil, cinnamon, dill, sage, cumin, and chili powder. You can do a lot with those, and most, can be grown around the house.
Main meals should include meat, starches, and vegetables.
Meats can be a problem. Beef is expensive. Pork is expensive. Chicken is expensive. Hunters or those that have family that hunt can get by for less.
Starches are generally inexpensive. For starches like pasta and rice, 2oz of dried product per serving is the minimum for meal planning.
Veggies can often be found on sale, with fresh vegetables in season being cheaper than vegetables out of season. Vegetables can be grown at home, with a little effort. I generally only use fresh tomatoes when they are in season, and use canned tomatoes when they are out of season.
A reasonable amount of versatile ingredients can help to keep morale up, and overcome menu fatigue.
I have cooking tricks myself. Such as why do people waste fuel and money by filling a pot with water just to boil a few corn or lobster? Lobster and shrimp should be steamed anyway to retain the juices instead of have them leak into the boiling or simmering water
Very good! Check out Indian stores for great deals on spices. I get my cayenne there. I get the more mild cayenne which has a deep red color. They have cumin seeds whole and other useful stuff. Also beans you have never seen before. Chinese and Asian stores can be good. They have good deals on five pound bags of brown rice from Thailand. Also a red rice from Thailand which is whole grain.
Ultimate cheap meat is frozen ground up turkey. About $1.50/pound last I looked
/johnny
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.