Hoping to be Wrong

Before moving to Caracas we heard/read myriad reports concerning rampant food shortages throughout Venezuela. It seems following the local elections last fall, Hugo Chavez decided, under the guise of stimulating the economy, to fix prices on many basic goods (i.e. sugar, flour, eggs, chicken, rice, milk, pasta etc.). The result of this brilliant plan was that local food producers couldn't make a profit with the new mandatory pricing levels and stopped production altogether. And, as the cost to import goods is prohibitive many items simply disappeared from the shelves for months. The food shortages came to an end as the next round of elections neared and morale among the populace plummeted. Luckily, for much of the time we have lived in Caracas the stores have been fully stocked. However, in anticipation of a repeat of last year we have been steadily buying basic necessities in bulk, hoping for the best, but preparing for the worst.

No confirmation yet, but all signs suggest our fears are on the verge of being realized. In the last week I have been to several grocery stores hoping to find flour, but no such luck. I bought the last 10 liters of milk in a store I went to on Friday. I have seen signs limiting the number of quantities each customer can purchase of coffee and rice. And I haven't seen sugar in weeks. The elections were today and while the results are still unknown, Chavez cronies were not expected to do well in many key races. There were rumors of protests, riots, fires, coups and assassination attempts by the opposition and all manner of bribery, false reporting of results and voter fraud by Chavez and his associates. All reports suggest none of this transpired, but the slowly encroaching food shortages might just be the quiet, insidious result of an angry, dictatorial regime seeking retribution.

I know people all over the world go hungry every day, and I am grateful we have always had plenty. I also know we would not go hungry, we just might be eating a more creative fare. That being said, I don't relish an opportunity to put our food storage or my skills at getting 3 square meals a day from it to the test. I hope I'm wrong and that what we've encountered thus far is simply people like us worried about the future stocking up. But, if I'm right, we are entering upon an exceedingly unpleasant adventure.

Note: The pictures of the boys are irrelevant to the post except to demonstrate that presently they are healthy and well-fed.