STARVED
CHAPTER 1
Elwood City greeted the morning with open arms. It was a beautiful summer day, and the temperature was supposed to hold just below ninety, making it much more comfortable than the scorchers they'd had up 'til now. Children planned to use their free time to visit local cool areas, namely parks with water features so they could have some wet fun. Adults planned on going to work like always, though they were already making evening plans with their closest friends. Things felt normal, and no one had any reason to think any different.
David Read put on his uniform, buttoning his chef's coat meticulously before adjusting his white and blue hat on his head. Today he was to prepare for a get together at the country club. To his understanding, a young couple was supposed to be announcing their engagement to their parents' friends at the club, and he was supposed to create the food that would be featured at the event. Roasted chicken seasoned with citrus notes, beautiful fruit salads, and grilled vegetables were the features of this summer fun menu, and as a special dessert, he would be putting together several homemade ice creams for an upscale sundae bar.
As he got into his van and started it up, the local radio station put out the news for the day:
"Breaking news out of the Midwest, where wildfires have taken hold after months of drought. Scientists warned of this months ago, and many areas already had evacuation plans in place. Most of the land is farmland featuring corn, wheat, and other staples. Preliminary reports suggest ten percent of the crops are gone."
David knew this was going to happen as well. He and his coworkers already contemplated how to deal with shortages and out-of-stock seasonal items. They always tried to have a backup plan in case something didn't work out, and he knew dealing with a corn shortage would be alright. There were plenty of other vegetables they could use for the same effect. Or they could just remove it from the menu. That often worked as well—it's not like corn was really that important.
But as the reports continued, David sensed a problem:
"In other news, the CDC has confirmed the entry of bird flu from Canada into northern chicken and turkey farms. Farmers have contained the spread to four farms in Minnesota and Iowa, but scientists are concerned about wild birds spreading the illness southward once winter comes."
David thought about all the other bird flu warnings they'd heard over the years. Swine flu, H1N1, and other illnesses joined in his thoughts. Then came the biggest thought of all—So what? None of those turned into anything major, from what he remembered, other than the egg shortage. That shot the cost of eggs through the roof, and while most of his clients forked over the extra cash to cover the difference, his own family went without eggs for months. No cookies, no scrambled eggs, no homemade pancakes from scratch, and so many other No's. They learned to cope, but the kids were unhappy to keep getting rejected when they asked for their favorite menu items.
If that was as bad as it got, David knew he could deal with it. Oh wow, a few weeks without eggs. That sounded fine. They'd just switch to powdered or not make things with eggs until they could afford them again. Their family and friends did the same. Arthur was always coming over with baked goods from Binky's mother, who practiced making egg-less items during the shortage to save money.
But the next headline, also food-related, started to make David think that maybe he was taking this all too lightly:
"And finally, Europe has announced that some of its poorer areas are experiencing famine as prices of bread rise beyond many people's means. A beetle got into their grain crop two years ago, and the shortage has now spread as Europe's grain stores reach dangerously low levels. The economic impact is beyond what poorer citizens can handle, and top leaders are concerned this famine could spread as the shortage continues."
David shook his head. Famine in Europe. That was something he hadn't heard about since he looked over a history report Arthur was doing on World War II Europe. Famine now was caused by different reasons, in this case a grain shortage that increased food costs in areas already experiencing economic difficulties.
As he pulled into work, he knew this wasn't something that could happen here. America was a hearty country, and while the poor would face difficulties if there was an egg shortage that raised costs, or a grain shortage, or whatever else, he knew people would pull together to help their own. People were probably sending supplies to help with other people's problems. That's what America did.
But as he stepped into the kitchen and noticed his associates talking with the young couple from that night's event, he sensed that something was wrong.
"So you're telling me that nothing is right because of what?" the young soon-to-be-bride asked with a harsh, emotional tone.
David's supervisor, a woman who'd been in the catering business for years, sighed, "Listen, I'm just as frustrated as you are. This is like a scene from a bad movie, this phone call. I mean, I thought the guy was really pulling my leg, taking me for a ride. David, let's fill you in," she said, noticing him standing with a stunned expression near the door.
David's assistant, Lee Anne, stepped forward, "We called the supply company when we didn't get a shipment last night or this morning. No strawberries because there aren't enough, something about a late harvest due to early frost and limited numbers. Pineapples got held up in customs and no grocery stores will sell us the fifty we need so they'll have enough for others. We've gotten canned pineapples instead, but they're in heavy syrup. We're soaking them now to get all that extra sugar out of them in time for the prep work we need to do," she said, looking down to a notepad before continuing, "The chicken is here, but the limes or lime juice is having similar problems, something about mold or bacteria or FDA nonsense. It's not coming together. Nothing is."
"Well what do we have?" David asked, smiling, "I mean, we've had to deal with problems with seasonal items before. If we have other things we need—"
"That's why I brought them in," his supervisor said, looking up to him with sad, concerned eyes, "No matter what we try, there seems to be something in the way. More money can't help us on most items. We've tried. Even the milk guy wouldn't take an extra couple hundred for more than a few gallons."
David shook his head, stunned, "Wait, there's something wrong with the milk shipment too?"
"Shortage from some bacteria outbreak with our supplier. We've sent Carlos to get a few gallons from different stores around town, even drug stores, but we can only get one per shop. Everything is in short supply, even the basics. We brought them in to tell them to hold off on the party, or just serve drinks. Or use the country club's kitchen—"
"They're having the same problem," the young soon-to-be groom sighed, crossing his arms, "I think the world is coming to the end. Even the country club couldn't help us three weeks ago, so we came to you. I guess we're all screwed though, aren't we? I mean, if grocery stores—"
"Stop, you're getting worked up," his fiancé whispered, her eyes giving away that she too was holding back tears. She looked up to David and the others, "Thank you, for everything, but we'll figure something out. We can just have a get-together without food or something, try this all again when this blows over."
When they were gone, the company decided to call it a day. David drove back home, the radio off, in his clean clothes. He put his hat in the passenger seat, wondering when he'd get to wear it again.