Melvin's blog

Nshima & Curry

Melvin's  Blog

Nshima & Curry

FOOD DONATIONS MAY CREATE GOODWILL

Most Americans are familiar with the expression "It's
raining cats and dogs." Well, people in Afghanistan are
starting to use an expression that's just as strange: "It's
raining bombs and food."

The bombs were dropped by U.S. and British forces in
response to the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks on America,
retaliatory strikes that, depending on which country's
newspapers you read, can be described as "attacks on
terrorism," "assaults on the Taliban," or "unfair strikes
against poor, innocent, peace-loving, Gandhi-like people."

The food packages were dropped by U.S. troops flying over
remote parts of the country, an unusual gesture that,
depending on which country's newspapers you read, can be
described as  "humanitarian aid for starving families,"
"manna from heaven, courtesy of America," or "junk food from
the infidels."

The food drops were intended to show the world that America
is eager to help the Afghan people, while punishing the
Taliban rulers and the terrorists they've harbored. U.S.
Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld gave strict instructions
to the military: "Remember: Bombs for the Taliban, food for
the civilians. Whatever you do, don't get those mixed up.
The last thing we want to see on television is Osama bin
Laden eating our food."

American troops initially used two cargo planes to drop
about 37,500 individual Humanitarian Daily Rations (HDRs).
The food packages were wrapped in double-thick plastic and
designed to survive extreme conditions and high-altitude
falls. It would have been simpler and much cheaper, of
course, to drop the only type of food that naturally
survives every condition known to humankind: fruitcake.

But, as I keep reminding my friends and relatives, dropping
fruitcake on innocent people is considered, in most
countries, a form of cruelty. Every Christmas thousands of
complaints are filed with Amnesty International. "It fell on
my foot and now I'm disabled!"

Perhaps concerned about liability, U.S. authorities didn't
consider dropping a single fruitcake on Afghanistan, not
even the Rev. Jerry Fallwell. That's a pity, because I'm
sure he's eager to preach to bin Laden.

Don't get me wrong. I'm not suggesting that Fallwell should
be just tossed out of a plane at a high altitude. We'd give
him a parachute, of course. It would be fun seeing exactly
how well Fallwell falls.

Even without any fruitcake, the HDRs weighed almost two
pounds. Each 2,200-calorie package contained not just bean
and potato vinaigrette, beans with tomato sauce and a
biscuit, but also a shortbread cookie, a fruit bar, a fruit
pastry, peanut butter and strawberry jam. Who was the
nutritionist behind this meal? George Foreman?

The label on the package reads: "This is a food gift from
the people of the United States of America. This bag
contains one day's complete food requirement. Sorry about
all the beans. Keep a lookout for our medicine drops, which
may include some Gas-X. We hope and pray you can find your
own meal tomorrow."

Just in case the Afghan civilians can't read English, the
label is printed in two other languages: French and
Spanish. How thoughtful!

Though it's clear that the initial food drops will do little
to save the estimated 5 million Afghans who are starving, I
like the thought behind them. In some situations, dropping
food can be more effective than dropping bombs. If a
country's citizens expect violence, why not stun them with
kindness?

But I can't help imagining poor people running around
excitedly every time they spot a U.S. plane dropping
something. "Is it a food package? Is it a bomb? Oh no! God
save us! It's a fruitcake. Take cover! The infidels are
trying to kill us again."

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