Desperate For
Food
By Dahr Jamail
02 June, 2004
The
New Standard
A
friend recently asked me to write some about how Iraqis are getting
by in regards to feeding themselves amidst 60% unemployment, the fuel
crisis, and the already terrible security situation that continues to
degrade.
The increased number
of women and children begging for dinars on the streets of Baghdad shows,
more than anything else, how desperate the situation has become here.
Every time Ive ventured to the Coalition Provisional Authority,
there have been women and children lingering about holding out their
hands outside of the front checkpoint, hoping for the generosity of
visitors.
The last time I
went there I noted a boy sitting against a concrete barrier meant to
protect from suicide car bombs. He had a collection of tan foil packages
from the C-rations of US soldiers. He was licking his fingers and dipping
them into the small packets of the dried powder US soldiers use to create
chocolate pudding. The dust of which swirled in a dry, hot breeze as
he dumped the remaining contents into his hand to get the last bit.
Iraqis continue
to receive monthly food rations from the UN's oil-for-food program.
They receive a large piece of paper from the Iraqi government which
has all of their family information. Each month they take this to certain
stores who distribute the rations, where they have one of the coupons
taken from their sheet, and in return they are granted a ration of basic
foodstuffs comprised of rice, beans, soap, cooking oil, sugar, chai,
salt and flour.
Most of these products
are imported as Iraqi companies, in general, are not producing them.
The monthly food
ration does not include any meat or vegetables, so Iraqis must buy these
for themselves in the markets. By itself, the ration is not enough for
anyone to survive on, at least in a healthy way.
Meat and vegetables
in the markets hasnt grown much more expensive than it has always
been here. However, the gas crisis, like those in the past, has pushed
prices upwards... meaning of course, less fresh vegetables and meat
for Iraqis.
Outside of Baghdad,
most people grow their own vegetables, and sometimes have their own
goats or sheep. Inside the capital city, however, the majority of Iraqis
dont have the land to even have a small garden, and certainly
no goats or sheep of their own. So if they cannot afford to buy meat
and veggies at the markets, they go without.
My friend Farah
works as a translator, which by Iraqi standards pays better than most
jobs in Iraq. Her husband, Aziz, works two jobs as well. Between them,
even though they only have one child, they are only able to afford meat
for 2-3 meals per week. Keep in mind that they are in an above average
situation financially, compared to most Iraqi families. In addition,
most families here have far more than just one child.
As far as cooking
without electricity, most Iraqis in Baghdad already use propane gas
for cooking... the tanks of which are delivered by men and boys who
push carts loaded with the old cylinders through the streets, banging
on them repeatedly with a metal bar to alert people of their availability.
Usually this is done in the early mornings, around 7 o'clock.
The propane is inexpensive,
and most can afford to purchase it. Those who cannot are forced to collect
rubbish and build fires if they want to cook anything.
Thus the vast majority
of Iraqis can ill-afford to eat out at a restaurant. While many restaurants
were simply unable to reopen after the invasion last April, those that
have are slowly being forced to close their doors, one by one, due to
the lack of patronage.
Purchasing soda
or candy -- or anything beyond the basic staples, for that matter --
is completely out of the question for most Iraqis.
Nevertheless, every
time I am invited into someones home to conduct an interview,
they insist I stay for lunch. Someone is sent out to purchase some soda,
chicken, and usually kabobs. There is always more than enough food provided
for their guests, even if it means they have to go without later. Offers
to contribute are never accepted, and if one does not accept the invitation
for lunch or dinner, the host is offended and hurt.
Yet another irreconcilable
situation in the long line of them Ive encountered in Iraq. The
generosity and warmth extended by a people who are in the midst of such
suffering and strife, goes far beyond anything most people in the West
may ever know.
And as the situation
here continues to degrade, the majority of Iraqis face a daily struggle
of simply feeding themselves during the occupation.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Dahr Jamail is Baghdad
correspondent for The NewStandard. He is an Alaskan devoted to covering
the untold stories from occupied Iraq. You can help Dahr continue his
crucial work in Iraq by making donations. For more information or to
donate to Dahr, visit The NewStandard.
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