All the commentators talk of the coming global recession almost with dread as if it is the worst thing that could happen, and the consequences will be dire. Politicians try to persuade the electorate that in order to 'stave off' the recession they should keep on shopping, attempting to build confidence when it is draining away daily. Images of soup kitchens, starving children and welfare flash through minds and produce a cold sweat, old black and white American newsreels from the thirties are played on TV for generations which have known only affluence and overconsumption - and many have the figure to prove it. But it isn't necessarily bad news for the global economy to go into recession; with an environmental collapse threatening on the horizon, a slow down in consumption, especially the gross overconsumption of many in the developed world, can be good news for the environment, and ultimately for all of us as we all depend absolutely on the environment, it's where our food comes from.
Less consumption means less manufactured goods sold, which means less truck journeys necessary to deliver them across the country, and increasingly internationally. Less shipping and flights, less fossil fuel consumed, less carbon footprint; isn't that what everyone has been banging on about being needed? Trouble is, politicians, ever aware their job depends on voters liking them enough to put them back in it come the next election, are fearful of upsetting too many people and losing their lucrative employment, so they constantly want their cake and eat it. The continue to make the mistake of thinking the economy can grow while at the same time the carbon emissions from that economy can shrink. Not so.
For decades, many of us have been arguing that what needs to happen is for people in the rich world to reduce their gross overconsumption, and buy what they need. Downsizing is the buzz word, but few fully understand what it entails. It's not about selling the Kensington flat for a million and buying a listed cottage in the country and commuting. It's about reducing our personal consumption, making do with less, re-using and recycling, cutting out waste, using a car as little as possible and cutting out the international flights. Shopping locally, especially for food, is another move we can all make to reduce our carbon footprint, and many are now growing their own vegetables to supplement those grown on local farms.
The PM argues that people should waste less food, should buy less in the first place, but still he promises a vibrant economy that's still growing, which is a contradiction with his stated aim of reducing waste and cutting carbon. When people are affluent and have money to waste, they usually spend it on trivial things beyond their real needs; they buy clothes they don't need which sit in drawers until given to a charity shop to make space for more purchases, they buy nick nacks and trivia made to attract determined consumers which have no practical value. And while those in the rich world have money to waste, others in poor countries barely have enough for their next meal.
A recession will sharpen minds grown fat and self-indulgent on excess. People will learn once again how to manage on less, cook and eat only enough, use up leftovers in fun and tasty ways and make do rather than go shopping constantly. I grew up after the war when food was still rationed and scarce, and my mother never wasted a scrap. I learned never to waste anything, especially food, even then there were people starving in Africa. Now, billions are wasted on food that ends up in the bin, having cost all of us in carbon emissions.
My favourite meal then, and one which brings back memories now when I cook it, is bubble and squeak - which may be unfamiliar to those who aren't British, and possibly to many Brits also! It consists of mashed potato left over from the previous day's dinner, mixed up with cooked runner beans, also left over, and fried in cakes similar to fish cakes or burgers. It is delicious! And costs hardly anything, as many would have put it in the bin after the meal. Some use leftover cabbage and call it bubble and squeak, but to me this isn't right, it has to be runner beans. Cabbage, if fried, tastes totally different, and will make you fart.
I forecast TV chefs bringing out 'frugal cookbooks' in the coming months and years. The excesses of the late 20th century and the early part of the 21st will be looked on as virtually criminal overindulgence in the years ahead as climate change bites harder, and food, already getting scarce and expensive now, will become more so, and the idea of wasting it will become unacceptable to all.
Perhaps I should write my own frugal cookbook, there must be other recipes from the post-war years, if only I could remember...
