Living on WWII ration allotment

The blog "1940s Experiment" features a woman losing weight by living on the WWII British ration allotment of food for a woman her age. There are recipes included, too. The daily allotment was approximately 1800 calories. The weekly fat total was very, very sparse--a mere 2 oz of butter and 4 oz of "cooking fat" per adult. Meat was about 1/2 lb per adult per week. Not much food!!! Still, we'd all be healthier if we ate closer to these amounts.

My favorite reality show (well, ok, other than "19 Kids and Counting") is the 1940's House. it featured a modern day British family attempting to recreate life during World War II in London. One of the things the Grandmother especially struggled with was getting enough food for her family--especially the two grandsons who were elementary school aged. It was discovered that the neighbors were sneaking them extra food! Still, try putting together a week's menus with the rationing amounts list provided by the 1940's Experience Blog. Oh, and don't forget that there were no gourmet supermarkets only small shops to which your ration book was "tied." Many spices, fruits, and other items we take for granted were totally unobtainable.Unless you family was Mexican you'd never have heard of a toritalla, refried beans or tacos, either! Maybe some very "generic" Indian curries, but none of the "extreme" ethnic foods we take for granted today. Still, during hard financial times, the 1940's House has been an inspiration to me!

To put it into perspective I would have had about 3/4 lb of meat to serve the 3 of us each week and maybe about the same of beans or a little canned fish. 1 precious egg per person doesn't make much of an omlette! And very little cooking fat reduces the cooking options a good bit too! So, perhaps we'd make Rissolos with a tiny beat of ground meat and oatmeal or lentil "sausages" to serve with anything else available. That would really WOW the family, wouldn't it! Today it's nothing for P to make himself alone an omlette of 6 eggs, 5 or 6 pieces of bacon and a few pieces of toast groaning under their load of strawberry jam! And, I've never repeated the lentil spaghetti fiasco of 2007. Never. Less said the better on that one. The kids still experience (mock) horror at the mere thought of it! We're SPOILED! Or think this way: Two whoppers with cheese and you've shot the meat and fat ration for the WEEK!!!!

Check out both of these great 1940s "experiences" and see what you could come up with. Many libraries have the "1940's House" in their dvd collection.