ne out of five people
regularly goes hungry, says the Social Weather Stations. Well, we can’t, like
Marie Antoinette, tell them to eat cake. Flour is expensive, in the first place.
That baked fluffy stuff – whether the fluffiness is due to air incorporated into
the dough by the action of yeast or of stiffly beaten egg white – also don’t
quite give that proper fullness in the stomach that, say, corn grits give.
We suggest they eat "darak" instead. A quick Google search
gave thus this panegyric to rice bran. "Rice bran is the layer between the inner
white rice grain and the outer hull. While comprising just 8 percent of total
weight, rice bran (which includes the germ) accounts for 60 percent of the
nutrients found in each rice kernel. Rice bran is low in fat and calories and a
good source of dietary fiber, iron, magnesium and phosphorus."
We realize that rice bran does not contain much carbohydrate
(which is concentrated in the rice grain), so it cannot provide the energy
needed to heavy work. But since we are talking of lazybones anyway, those good
for nothing "istambay" at the street corner who play "dama" from sunrise to
sunset instead of seeking a seat in the call centers, rice bran mixed with "gawgaw,"
which we understand is pure unadulterated starch, should do the trick in solving
hunger all around.
The statistics of the SWS tell only half the story. In a
survey conducted from Feb. 24to 27, 19 percent of respondents said they suffered
from hunger. That percentage, which is about the same as the result of a
November 1006 survey, translates into 3.4 million Filipinos. In Metro Manila,
hunger went up during the same period from 17.7 percent to 20.7. The rise in the
Luzon was from 17.7 percent to 18.3 percent and in Mindanao from 22.3 percent to
22.7 percent. Hunger in the Visayas went down from 19 percent to 15.3 percent.
And now for the other side of the story. President Arroyo
identified the problem of hunger as a function of spending.
During the inauguration of the Col. Jesus Lapus Memorial
Sports Complex in Concepcion, Tarlac, yesterday, Arroyo said the poor should
spend their income on basic needs instead of luxuries so that their families
would have enough to eat.
"(Hunger) cannot be totally attributed to poverty and lack of
opportunity but also to the spending patterns of the people," she said. "I ask
our people to spend on the basics first before the luxuries so our children will
have enough to eat." Does she seriously believe that? If she does, the people
are in deep you-know-what.
So, playing the role of nutritionist the way GMA can’t . Mix
"darak" with "gawgaw." Boil the mixture for a few minutes. Put a pinch of salt.
Who needs sissy food like cake?
