cartoon by Craig Rohlfing
For anyone who has been waiting for me to cover the 2013 bacon shortage, I just wanted to report that it was a hoax. So don’t believe what Britain’s National Pig Association says – at least about this.
Another thing to keep in mind, in defense of the Brits, is that bacon doesn’t look the same in all parts of the world. When you ask for bacon on your burger in the United States, you’d be shocked if the Canadian type showed up. That’s served here on an English Muffin with and egg and Hollandaise sauce. Do they have English Muffins in England? Are they called American Muffins?
The English have chips, which are made with potatoes, but look nothing like our potato chips and exactly like our French Fries. It was impossible to consider a bacon burger shortage without wondering about those. Has their supply ever been threatened?
My research reveals that the last time the deep-fried potato was endangered was in 2008. This scary event happened in Switzerland around the time of the UEFA European Football Championship, commonly referred to as Euro 2008. It didn’t advance to a crisis stage, because trade barriers were lifted. 5,000 tons of extra potatoes were imported. What a relief!
On the subject of shortages – I got to wondering about chocolate. After all, lots of people like it, and in moderation chocolate’s anti-oxidants can be good for you. Is that the next panicky news flash – a dearth of chocolate? Could be. There are reports that a couple of diseases, witch broom in Brasil (where Craig’s cartoons are coming from these days) and black pod in Africa, might threaten the cacao bean supply in 2014. Rest assured. The last time I was at the store where I buy my chocolate, there was no scarcity of holiday bunnies lining up to be purchased.
The mere idea of a scarcity, even if it doesn’t exist, increases the demand or our appetite. In economic terms the price goes up. The commodity becomes more valuable. Then, as the market is flooded in order to meet the demand, the price or value goes down. At some point equilibrium is established. The supply is equal to the demand.
When we’ve decided to lose weight, we often go into a supply and demand mentality. One of the first things we do is to cut back on supply, usually of our favorite foods. This increases our demand or our appetite for the very things we are trying to cut back on. Our mind as well as our body quickly figures out that something is going on. We become obsessed with the very items we are trying to avoid. They become valuable. But are they really?
A friend has been losing weight through slow, steady lifestyle changes over the past few months. He tells me that when he feels tempted to overeat, he reminds himself, “It’s only food.” So the next time you feel enticed to binge on chocolate covered bacon with a side of French Fries as if these foods are going to disappear from the face of the earth sometime soon, remind yourself they’ll still be there. You can have some later. Also consider when later comes, that more is not better, and neither is none. Wasn’t it this projected deprivation what got you into this mindset to begin with?
And when it comes to economics, don’t spend your money on quick-fix products. Jumpstarts are okay, but just as the bacon shortage was a hoax, so are products that tell you this-is-your-best-last-chance to buy into the latest-never-before-seen miracle!
This health-change game is a slow process. It has to do with real food and real exercise. People who can find that equilibrium will be the rich ones.
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