Emergency food.

[Lucky]

If you are in a grocery store being looted, and you focus only on getting nutrition, not hydration, what food do you go for?

I don't know, but the best emergency foods I know are GORP (granola oatmeal raisins peanuts) and butter/margarine/lard whatever. In school arctic explorers who traversed Baffin Island once gave a presentation, aside from snow-baths I remember that he said a great food source is blocks of margarine, the ones wrapped in tin-foil, about 1 inch by 4 inches by 4 inches. They had pictures of them eating a block like you would a candy bar.

Well, that's my ideas. I know I'm missing protein, but I hope other people will have good ideas on that, and other great foods for emergency.

It just makes me queasy to think that people were so, unfortunate, as to loot potato chips.

 

[Moondoggie]

Peanut butter!

Spam. (No can opener required - has it's own key!)

Soda Crackers.

Fruit Juices...the real stuff like grape juice. Grab the small bottles.

Nuts.

You could easily carry enough in a few (triple bagged) plastic sacks to survive for a couple of weeks.

Just add water, and you're good to go!

Edited to add: I'd also snag a pkg of baby wipes so you could at least clean your paws before eating, a pkg of plastic knives/forks & a bottle of multi-vitamins.

I could be in and out in under 10 minutes.

Might not be a bad idea to add a qty of empty plastic grocery sacks to your emergency supplies.

 

[Lucky]

Yea, I forgot that peanuts have some protein :banghead: But it's obviously not complete with all the amino acids.

I also think the 'shopping' would be fast, because I suspect many people wouldn't recognize the whole-grains section, let alone take food from it

I also thought of another good one, pet food! Cans of cat food would be great, because I think I remember that cat food has more protein than dog food. But dry dog food would also be good, because it wouldn't need extensive storage solutions.

One time I went to an event where a used-car lot moved a hundred cars into an empty store in a shopping mall, and made an event for early in the morning of a cold cold saturday. They had 5 cars with red stickers which would only cost $100, and the first people to touch those cars could buy them. I didn't win, and the contest was fair, but I certainly got a good feeling of mob mentality, especiall as the minutes toward the door opening grew closer. Even with absolutely no malicious intent on anyone's part, I saw at least one person get knocked over and injured. I think it was a great learning experience.

 

[Sindawe]

Cat food

Cats have a higher protein requirement than dogs, and a different required amino acid set as well, which is why they can not survice on dog food.

Cat Amino Acid needs:

arginine
histidine
isoleucine
leucine
lysine
methionine
phenylalanine
threonine
tryptophan
valine
taurine.

Compare this to the AA requirements for humans:

Histidine
Isoleucine
Leucine
Lysine
Methionine (and/or cysteine)
Phenylalanine (and/or tyrosine)
Threonine
Tryptophan
Valine

So cat food would supply those to our needs, along with arginine which we can make, and taurine which I don't recall if we use at all or not.

I can't speak on palatability, since I've never sampled cat food myself.

I'd grab canned meats/fish and the highest fiber dry crackers I could find (Triskets IIRC) in addition to Moondoggie's list.

 

[yorec]

Just cause I was in a store being looted doesn't mean I'd participate. I have stores at home and will not steal "just in case."

However, in a worse case scenario where the store will be the only source of food for the next few weeks...

Grab waht I could of substance - canned meats, chilli, stews, etc. Then a few canned veggies and fruits.
And a lot of chocolote candy bars. Gotta wicked sweet tooth.

 

[coylh]

"It just makes me queasy to think that people were so, unfortunate ..."

They're unprepared, not unfortunate. A bag of rice and a water filter would solve most of their problems.

 

[NMshooter]

Butter contains materials your body finds useful, margarine does not.

If you are going to be mobile the MRE is king. Or as close to it as possible. Does not require water or any preparation.

If you are able to stay home anything will do for a couple days, after that you will want things that do not spoil like pasta, rice, beans, peanut butter, crackers.

Canned food is good to keep handy, chili con carne gives you meat and beans (and occasionally real chili, the green stuff! ), "chunky" type soups are also good especially during winter.

Bouillion cubes are always useful.

Keep a years worth of multivitamins.

 

[Sam]

As NMShooter said MRE's are the king, really full of everything you need plus a bit. Most folks could work HARD and get fat on 2 a day. No prep required and all the minor consumables you need are in there.

Make yourself a big batch of jerky, real honest dry jerky. Keep it dry and it will last a long long time, eat it as is, bust it up and throw in stew, reconstitute and do what you want.
Sam

 

[Lucky]

Big batches of beef jerky don't last as long as you'd think around me. Far as I'm concerned it's it's in a league of it's own.

About butter, how long does it take to turn rancid? We stopped using it, and I guess the stuff we had sat around for quite a while until my uncle visited and asked for butter for his toast, and he politely informed us that it was strongly flavoured... He didn't make a scene, but from what I smelled the butter must have tasted awful.

As I remember the arctic travellers were just eating margarine for the calories.

 

[LAK]

Multivitamin (like GNC) and as much Vitamin C as possible.
Sardines/other canned fish
Jerky
Oatmeal
Dried fruit
Rice
Mung beans
Salt/pepper/spices
Tea/coffee
Nestles canned cream

Canned items like soups, meats and fruit are good longterm staples. I would also grab as much fresh fruit (Oranges, bananas, apples etc), spuds, onions and broccoli etc as I could carry. While the latter are heavy and won't keep indefinately they will greatly enhance the short term energy requirements.

Best to be prepared as the saying goes. Stock up while you can, rotate regularly. Keep at the ready in a modular system; what you can carry, what you can haul, and what can be kept and used as long as one remains at home or retreat.
---------------------------------------

http://ussliberty.org
http://ssunitedstates.org

 

[armoredman]

Dinty Moore beef stew, and their new flavors, chicken and dumplings, and chicken noodle. Good stuff, but grab a couple of bottle of soy sauce or worsteshire sauce of you can. This is my emergency stash, plus cans of vegetable like corn and beans. Poor man's MRE....

 

[El Tejon]

I'd go with tuna. Can go hard on just tuna for a few days.

Need a big salda to balance it out though.

 

[41mag]

Just cause I was in a store being looted doesn't mean I'd participate. I have stores at home and will not steal "just in case."

For some reason I can envision a High Roader calmly walking through the melee @ the local wundermart.He'll(or she'll) be wearing either jeans or 5.11's,either a flannel shirt or photo vest.On one hip'll ride a Randall,the other a 1911A1.In a "Mad max" holster on the back'll be a sawed off shotgun(either a 870 or S X S seems likely) & slung(safety on!),a FAL,SKS,AK,AR,M-1A(bows),or a Garand.Just calmly shopping & probably getting a nice sized bubble of personal space.

 

[MillCreek]

^^^ You forgot the armored wheelbarrow in which to carry all the provisions. All true THR members have one, of course.

 

[Polishrifleman]

Don't forget the little packets of Tabasco. That stuff makes everything but milk taste good.(Don't ask )

On a side note how did Avery Island fair? I should probably stock up before it doubles in price.

 

[Derek Zeanah]

Peanut butter and dates. You ought to be able to run hard for 30+ days on that with no major deficiencies...

 

[Cosmoline]

Here's my top ten list of provisions to get or horde, from experience living on the edge of civilization for a few years:

"HEARTY" STYLE SOUPS AND DENSE CANNED STEWS
The high fat content is excellent for emergency situations, and the food comes with its own water which is also very useful. It can be kept with no refrigeration. They taste good and are satisfying with minimal preparation.

PEANUT BUTTER
Again, a high fat content is a GOOD thing in a pinch. PB can be used to boost the calorie value of breads, crackers, and lots of other things. It keeps without refrigeration as well.

SPAM
Yes, Spam. You folks thinking your going to live on lean meats are nuts. When the world is falling apart around you, you'll be burning off a ton of calories just surviving. Fat is good. Fat is your friend. Fat is life. And Spam has a whole lot of fat.

SARDINES
These fatty little fish are packed with nutrients. They're like fat vitamins. They also store very easily and keep a long time. They can be mixed with other foods if you are brave.

RAMEN
These noodles usually need preparation, but a dirt cheap and easy to stockpile before things get too bad to shop. If you don't have anyway to cook them, they can absolutely be eaten raw and digested. It's not too much fun, but it gets you some calories as long as you also have clean water to drink.

KNACKBROD
These wheels of Swedish hardbread will keep for ages. They hold up under multiple toppings and make a good munching food in a pinch.

SAILOR BOY PILOT BREAD
These large round pilot bread crackers are only avaiable in some specialty stores in the NW and in Alaska, where they remain staples. But these days you can also get them on line. SpanAlaska sales sells them by the case to the lower 48, and a lot of folks stockpiled them in the runup to Y2K. They keep forever and taste good. Add them to ramen soup to bolster it up. YUM! They are about ten times more resiliant to damage, weather, fungus and time than mere soda crackers. In a fight, a Saulor Boy would beat the bejesus out of an entire bag of soda crackers.

CANNED BEANS
These are standard staples, and are useful

CANNED VEGETABLES
Just remember to DRINK the broth not toss it

FIVE GALLON JUG OF FRESH WATER
Not really a food, but essential to digest.

 

[Dave Markowitz]

Found this article on making tradional trail food:

http://www.backwoodshome.com/articles2/rohdenburg81a.html

Jerky, pemmican, hardtack and parched corn.

 

[Cosmoline]

Just a note--I've found jerky far too salty for situations when you're trying to conserve water. Kipper snacks seem to be less "thirsty" as a food.

Also, FYI Sailor Boy Pilot Bread (not the other Nabisco "pilot bread" you put in chowder) serves the same function as hard tack, and is very similar in construction.

 

[geekWithA.45]

Soylent Looter!



{ducks rotten tomatoes and runs...}

 

[wingnutx]

I once found a can of smoked SPAM while clearing away some taifun wreckage on Guam.

It was delicious.

Stockpiling liquor isn't a bad idea if you have space. It would be great for trading.

 

[wingnutx]

"Cans of cat food would be great, because I think I remember that cat food has more protein than dog food. But dry dog food would also be good, because it wouldn't need extensive storage solutions.
"

Have you ever smelled cat food? Dog food smells almost like poeple food. Cat food smells like a bag of rancid ass.

I second the Dinty Moore and MRE votes.

 

[Jeff Timm]

Lucky commented, "I also thought of another good one, pet food! Cans of cat food would be great, because I think I remember that cat food has more protein than dog food. But dry dog food would also be good, because it wouldn't need extensive storage solutions."

To quote Jerry Pournelle, "A pound a day of Purina Monky Chow (TM) will keep a large primate alive."

But it tastes terrible, unless you like British cooking.

Geoff
Who prefers MREs, but compared to C-rations, they look real good.

 

[White Horseradish]

I've read somewhere that just about all cat food contains fish and fish byproducts, which is what makes it smell so bad to us. Dogfood should be a lot more edible.

 

[entropy]

I'll have the Butcher's Blend waiting when you come out tomorrow, WH! Although the killer dachshund might have something to say about that.

At any given time, you can use what you have, in addition to having stuff set aside. Eat the perishables before they go bad, just the meat in my freezer would be several day's food. I keep plenty of Ramen noddles handy, I at a lot more of those in the field while in the Army than MRE's. (I'd usually have Ramen for breakfast, an MRE for lunch, Ramen for supper.) I do have some of the Tray packs handy, picked 'em up at Sportsman's Guide for cheap. By the time I at all I had at home, the markets would be well picked over. But there are plenty of deer near here, and I have a bow....