Life on Saba is a constant struggle with scarcity.
As an American, I expect water to flow from the tap. Power and internet are reliable. Grocery store shelves are always stocked-to-bursting.
I already wrote a post about water conservation on Saba. FIND IT HERE.
Today’s post is about the scarcity of food on Saba.
Because around ninety percent of Saba’s terrain is vertical, it is impossible to grow food on much of the island. Six cows hunker down on a muddy slope in Hells Gate. Goats proliferate like rabbits or deer, but their meat is not desirable. Fishermen depend upon nature’s moods for their livelihoods.
The ocean can be a nasty beast.
Regular windstorms whip the sea into a boiling cauldron. Divers cannot dive. Fishermen cannot fish. And the food boat cannot dock.
When I arrived, the food boat had not stopped at Saba’s only port for two weeks. Imagine a visit to the market with no fresh greens. No vegetables of any kind really, unless they’re frozen. In lean times, even those run out. No fruits. Cheese and milk and juices non-existent.
On Wednesdays, the market is awash in people eager to buy fruits and veg. Boxes are stacked waist-high on both sides of a long grocery aisle. Refrigerator cases teem with earth-grown goodies. People stand in line for a crack at the good stuff.
I learned how to push my way to what I wanted. It’s like Black Friday every Wednesday.
Restaurants have an even bigger challenge: Filling stomachs of paying customers when half the menu is unavailable. Every time I dine out on Saba, I get a rundown of what menu items are depleted that day. One learns not get to her heart set on something, because it is inevitably not available.
Scarcity teaches us to cope with less.
I have never been hungry here, but Saba has stretched me in other ways. For example, I am more flexible mentally and emotionally. I have forged deeper friendships, connected with new readers.
And I definitely learned to buy only what I will consume.
If you’re new to this Saba adventure, go to THIS POST and read forward for context. Maybe you’ll discover a hidden part of the world to enjoy someday.
7 Comments
The first phrase that came to my mind: welcome to the real world.
Right? So much of the world lives with scarcity while we prop up billionaires in our rush to buy more crap.
Ooh…don’t get me started. America’s economic “model” has been broken for a long time. It is not a sustainable model and we, the unwashed, are lied to and led to believe we have centuries of abundance before us.
Agreed. We fight about symptoms instead of addressing corruption at every level of government.
Corruption…. no way….yeah that….
I learned to cope with scarcity as a child during the depression and WWII. Still can’t bear to waste anything, especially not food. I do use disposable Kleenex and napkins, although the latter are usually used more than once!
We are a soft bunch. I fear the next wave of true scarcity.
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