Tuesday, May 6, 2008

Dirt Cookies = No Good

A lot of times, it's very easy to get caught up in your own world. Things like high gas prices and a bad economy make you forget that, while you're in a bad situation, there are people way worse off.

Take, for example, the people of Haiti. Within the last year, food prices there have gone 50 to 100 percent, which in turn has caused rioting on the streets.

With 4/5th's of the country having to survive on $2 a day, it is little surprise that people are angry. What's worse is that because of high food prices, the people of Haiti are resorting to drastic measures to fill their stomachs.

The lack of proper food has become so bad, many are relying heavily on eating "dirt cookies" to survive. Basically, a dirt cookie consists of dirt strained of rocks and clumps, mixed with shortening and salt, and then set to dry out in the sun.

The 5 cent cookies are a bargain compared to the 30 cent cups of rice, so they become the main food sources for many poor families. Obviously, this is a dangerous trend. Beyond the risks of parasites and toxins in the dirt, a person eating solely dirt cookies as a food source runs a serious risk of malnutrition.

Such horrible living conditions puts into perspective the complaints we have about our daily lives. Let's hope that the situation in Haiti improves quickly.

3 comments:

Jorge J said...

Haiti is right next to the Dominican Republic. Dominicans have held animosity towards Haitians because of historical events. Because of their proximity I think some of the world super powers expect DR to help out Haiti. Unfortunately, DR is in no condition to help out Haiti as much as others can. I don't agree with the way Dominicans view Haitians at all but help has got to come from somewhere else.

Anonymous said...

You can help by funding Sang Hoon Kim and his Haiti mission team :p Expect to recieve some letters. More on that later.

-Sang

Anonymous said...

oh and AWESOME post by Yuri Kim. winner of this week's post I must say.

-Sang