LucyCoen

Usually I get through the day at my part time job as waitress safe in the knowledge that I am getting a fairly decent wage and constantly tell myself that it is worth all of the interfacing with the rude public. But not today. Each time I looked at the clock I thought about the fact that I was working for free today, instead donating my wage to Oxfam to end the challenge week. I couldn’t even console myself with a juicy cream cake or scone, sad times.

As the challenge comes to an end and I am dreaming about what I will eat tomorrow I can’t help but think that I have only experienced a fraction of what people in poverty deal with everyday. I am also a little sad that I will no longer be writing blog entries as I have come to really enjoy doing them and reading all the others. This is turn has made me think about Burma and the unfair elections that have been held there today. People in Burma have no freedom of expression so do not get the luxury of writing a blog and I am here whining to the world it is nearly over.

I did get a response from my local MP, who lauded everyone’s efforts for undertaking the challenge, it was a polite reaction but didn’t answer my questions on what he was doing personally and as part of the government to alleviate poverty. More lobbying will need to be done!

So at the end of the week I am a few pounds lighter, in both weight and cash, and I feel that I have begun to understand how hard life can be without choice over your diet. I am astonished at all the other challengers achievements and really hope that we have made people think about what poverty means and even encouraged people to do a little bit more to help those people who struggle to survive everyday but do so with strength and do not whinge about the hot chocolate that they have had to live a week without. I will definitely be trying to cut  back on dairy in my diet and will be talking to people about my experience this week in attempt to get them to think about what they could live without or do to make a difference.

If you have been intrigued by the blog then please do your bit to change, challenge and care.

So as the challenge draws to a close and I have yet another bowl of rice and beans I am really thinking about what I have learnt this week. To say this has been one of the hardest things I have ever done would be a bit melodramatic, it is not as if I have starved or been forced to eat tasteless food three times a day, although I have come close to both of these!  I have still eaten, albeit not as well as normal and have bouts of hunger throughout the week but I am still here and well.

The amount of choice I allow myself over my diet has definitely been the biggest eye opener throughout the week and this is something that I will be more aware of post challenge. Although I will not carry on began a strict vegan I think I am going to cut back on the amount of dairy I eat as well as remaining vegetarian. For me it is really important we realise how much pressure we put on the planet by over demanding meat and dairy in our diets so I am going to try and do my bit to cut back.

Tomorrow at my part time job I am going to work for the equivalent wage of a sweatshop worker, in no way is my job as laborious of uncomfortable as working in a sweatshop but I want to further understand how it feels to do a hard days work and not be adequately paid for it. I will donate my wage to Oxfam instead.

As you can see I am feeling a lot more upbeat today, simply because Edinburgh is soooo Vegan friendly!!! I woke up thinking about what I could possibly eat as my stomach roared at me and I was feeling quite pessimistic. However a stroll into Edinburgh centre took me to a great little Eco friendly café adorned with Elephants where I had a hearty meal, maybe I will have to move to Edinburgh?  

Despite my upbeat tone, and who wouldn’t be in this lovely city, I did have a really interesting and thought provoking chat with a guy who was street fundraising for Shelter. As he reeled off the statistics of how many people were homeless in the UK, I thought about the challenge and how it is important to remember that so many people live in poverty right on our doorstep. Oxfam does some really valuable work in the UK, to see what have a look at http://www.oxfam.org.uk/oxfam_in_action/issues/poverty-in-the-uk.html

Off to see the fireworks I go, minus a toffee apple as I’m pretty sure that toffee is made with some kind of dairy product so even that is out of the question now!

Today has been a tough one!! I handed in my first two pieces of MA coursework and made a voyage up to Edinburgh in the torrential rain, totally unprepared for the fact that every single food outlet on the East Coast isn’t Vegan friendly!! So I survived on a peppermint tea and some crackers and hummus.

For the first time all week I have felt really hungry and lethargic, possibly due to the distinct lack of protein in my diet. In turn this made me think about the West African Food crisis and how hungry the people must feel there. A lot more than me I imagine.

Choice has been severely limited today and really made me think about how much choice I normally have and quite frankly take for granted. I even took to googling ‘Vegan Chocolate’ earlier. Hard times!

Bonfire night tomorrow though and I am pretty sure that I am allowed a toffee apple!! Yippee!!

For more information on the West African Food Crisis and what Oxfam is doing to help have a look at:  http://www.oxfam.org.uk/oxfam_in_action/emergencies/west-africa-food-crisis2010.html

I am getting more into this vegan thing now and I will be definitely considering cutting back on the dairy products that I eat after my experience this week. Aside from the screaming cravings for chocolate and cheese I realise that I am eating quite well and that I am very lucky compared to some of the other challengers who are only eating rice and beans all week.

I even managed to have a vegan lunch at a local café today and it was lovely, clearly demonstrating that a vegan diet is doable and enjoyable, although I couldn’t help but stare at my friends Monster cheese sandwich, all that bread and cheese!!!

My challenge has inspired my carnivorous Uncle to cut back on meat, which is great. He proudly proclaimed in an email earlier that he was having a meat free day! How fabulous and exactly what this is challenge is all about, to get people thinking about where their food comes from and what they could live without.

A trip to Edinburgh will be the next challenge, as I head up there tomorrow for the weekend. Hopefully I will be able to get a warming lentil soup or something?!

Haven’t managed to get that hot chocolate off my mind all day though, only 4 more days to go! But then this makes me think that people living in poverty don’t have a time limit on their diet choice and sometimes do not know where their next meal will be coming from. For me, life will never be that difficult and I feel incredibly privileged as a result, so I am going to man up and enjoy my bean stew, lentils and soya for the next few days.