Fresh? Frozen

(There are so many interesting things to write on but since I have started the discussion on food on Facebook I decided to elaborate on it in my second journal piece in Bristol.) 

  Despite living in this developed country called the United Kingdom, eating fresh food has become a luxury for me. Believe it or not, I eat expired food almost every day here... Or, well, technically speaking those food items have not yet "expired" but have gone beyond their "best before" dates. But I still suspect this living quality indicator might have put me under the unofficial poverty line laid by NGOs in my home city of Hong Kong...

  Shopping for food is a real headache. Packs are either huge or of unreasonably high prices. The first loaf of bread I bought in Bristol took me more than a week to finish. How come? Sparing no efforts to finish it before the "best before" date, I was seen making sandwiches in the kitchen day after day while my flatmates stir-fried delicious dishes. I also occasionally had a slice during afternoon tea time when feeling a little hungry. Yet reaching the last slice seemed a remote goal. I asked my flatmates whether any of them wanted to share a loaf with me when shopping next time so that each of us could eat fresh bread. This appeared equally difficult. One said she didn't eat bread that often and the other said she preferred white bread but not the wholewheat bread I ate... (Luckily one later changed her mind and shared a loaf with me.) But bread was only one of the food items I struggled with and the others were worse. My tomatoes, carrots, hams and turkey meat all went beyond "best before" dates but I continued to consume them anyway. I felt so helpless but it is understandable for people sharing a flat to have different eating habits and it is hard to share food like a family does. Perhaps I should immediately marry someone here so that I won't have to bear with "worse after" food for the whole year...

  I posted the bread story onto my Facebook wall and subsequently several friends who have studied in the UK before responded that they also used to eat expired food here and gave me an unanimous advice of using the mighty invention called the freezer. So I just followed their recommendation. A piece of good news is that I still manage to drink "still best" milk every morning.

  Since moving here I have thrown away some carrots, one third of a cucumber and two slices of ham, all of which having turned bad despite refrigerated. I feel so sorry to the environment for the food waste I generated but my flatmates have encountered the same problem. While we were all complaining about the short lives of British food products, one asked the intelligent question of whether those we ate at home contained too much preservatives!

  As I wrote this personal story today the UN has warned of a possible worldwide food crisis next year. So I'd better stop complaining and be thankful for the food I have. ( http://www.guardian.co.uk/global-development/2012/oct/14/un-global-food-crisis-warning )

  P.S. I am trying to write down some thoughts or experiences every week. Any feedback from friends will be an encouragement for me to keep it on!