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"Would it not be better if they spent more money on wholesome things like oranges and wholemeal bread or if they even, like the writer of the letter to the New
by dukeyukey 2y ago
"Would it not be better if they spent more money on wholesome things like oranges and wholemeal bread or if they even, like the writer of the letter to the New Statesman, saved on fuel and ate their carrots raw? Yes, it would, but the point is that no ordinary human being is ever going to do such a thing. The ordinary human being would sooner starve than live on brown bread and raw carrots."
People will do what people do. Better operate within that than to change people.
- adrian_b 2y agoPeople do not need to "live" on carrots or whatever other sources of vitamins are needed. These are needed only in small quantities in comparison with the main food. Carrots need not be eaten raw. They should be boiled either in a soup or with the rice. In many places carrots are a normal addition to rice, to make it tastier, regardless of any vitamin benefits. I have given the example of a natural source, which should be the cheapest in most places, but even taking a vitamin A capsule per day must be cheaper than replacing white rice with yellow rice and it is guaranteed to provide the right amount of vitamin, unlike eating yellow rice and it also avoids the dependency of a monopolistic supplier. Unlike for a genetically-modified crop, for vitamin capsules or tablets or powders there are many suppliers in various countries and for most of them the prices have become much cheaper than for the equivalent amount of fresh vegetables or fruits.
- dukeyukey 2y agoYou're taking this extremely literally. My point, and the point of Orwell's quote up there, is that people eat what they enjoy, not what's nutritionally best. Poor Asian countries nigh-on venerate rice as the staple crop, and can grow vast amounts of it locally. So working within that does incredible work very easily.