What Freaking Country Are We In? - Gawker Comments

What Freaking Country Are We In?

winniemc — Wed, 07 May 2008 13:28:58 EDT

@FitnessMadeSimple: No kidding, the sushi place on 20th and 7th in Manhattan serves fried cukes in their mixed tempura. Bon appetit!

winniemc

What Freaking Country Are We In?

PomPom — Wed, 07 May 2008 13:02:31 EDT

@MisterHippity: Now that's some stellar planning because, as we have learned, donuts are not just tasty treats but also make blowjobs better. Come the revolution, you'll be SET.

PomPom

What Freaking Country Are We In?

fortqueenmean — Wed, 07 May 2008 13:00:42 EDT

This has got to be bad news for vodka prices. Which should I hoard: potatoes or wheat?

fortqueenmean

What Freaking Country Are We In?

MisterHippity — Wed, 07 May 2008 12:17:25 EDT

All I can say is, I got a bomb shelter full of donuts and if you want in, you'll have to pry the key out my cold, dead hand.

MisterHippity

What Freaking Country Are We In?

valarmorghulis — Wed, 07 May 2008 12:13:18 EDT

@FitnessMadeSimple: True, hops are pretty difficult to get growing well youself. I'd check out the bar...but considering I live on the left coast won't be anytime soon (but this definatly goes towards making me want to visit NY). It does however, sound like a beer after my own heart. Kinda like those Sam Adams special brews.

valarmorghulis

What Freaking Country Are We In?

Smitros — Wed, 07 May 2008 12:07:38 EDT

David Byrne said it all back in the wayback:
"I've got some groceries, some peanut butter, to last a couple of days."

Smitros

What Freaking Country Are We In?

hypocriteoath — Wed, 07 May 2008 12:05:16 EDT

@ADismalScience: and there isn't even a real rice shortage here in the US. there is a MASSIVE shortage in poorer/developing countries so I think the rationing rationale is more along the lines of "look at the sacrifices we're willing to make for the rest of the world". This will be about as effective as the federal summer gas tax exemption that Hil loves so much.

hypocriteoath

What Freaking Country Are We In?

City_Dater — Wed, 07 May 2008 11:52:58 EDT

I have a box of Saltines, a Snickers Almond bar, a pair of flats, and three Whole Foods plastic bags (neatly folded), all stashed in my desk. So after work, I'll change my shoes, throw my provisions in a bag, and walk a little further to a store that hasn't had the shelves cleared by insane, rice-hoarding alarmists.

City_Dater

What Freaking Country Are We In?

FitnessMadeSimple — Wed, 07 May 2008 11:52:16 EDT

@arguablythemostfamous: My mom made rice pudding a few weeks ago and has a tupperware full of leftovers...I insisted she save it so she could sell it on ebay for a royal sum in the near future.

FitnessMadeSimple

What Freaking Country Are We In?

ADismalScience — Wed, 07 May 2008 11:50:47 EDT

@arguablythemostfamous:

The economics are the easy part. It's the behavior in response to the economics that doesn't always make sense. And it's the government response to the behavior in response to the economics that rarely makes sense.

Rationing is ridiculous. Just raise the price!

ADismalScience

What Freaking Country Are We In?

dado — Wed, 07 May 2008 11:50:29 EDT

We should have seen this coming when throwing rice at weddings was outlawed in favor of birdseed.

dado

What Freaking Country Are We In?

flipper baby — Wed, 07 May 2008 11:49:06 EDT

@koala325: Banana bread? How am I supposed to feed my family with banana bread?

flipper baby

What Freaking Country Are We In?

FitnessMadeSimple — Wed, 07 May 2008 11:48:25 EDT

@valarmorghulis: I like my beer malty, not hoppy. I brew Belgian-style ales, so I don't require much hoppage. But still...don't you think you IPA people go a bit overboard with the hops?

I actually did look into growing hops...but you need a pretty big space to grow them, and, like I said, I just don't like 'em that much.

But if you like IPAs, you should check out this bar called dba on First Ave between 2nd and 3rd. They have an IPA that's 20% alcohol.

FitnessMadeSimple

What Freaking Country Are We In?

koala325 — Wed, 07 May 2008 11:47:49 EDT

Oh! So this explains why I just paid $9 for a slice of banana bread.

koala325

What Freaking Country Are We In?

arguablythemostfamous — Wed, 07 May 2008 11:42:07 EDT

my banana, egg and rice casserole is getting really pricey

arguablythemostfamous

What Freaking Country Are We In?

valarmorghulis — Wed, 07 May 2008 11:40:15 EDT

@arguablythemostfamous: I really do have 5x 50 lb bags of rice in my garage.

valarmorghulis

What Freaking Country Are We In?

valarmorghulis — Wed, 07 May 2008 11:39:08 EDT

@FitnessMadeSimple: Grow your own hops, and stay the fuck away from my IPA! Seriously though, if you are really into beer making you might be able to grow your own. There is an area near me where hops grow wild, and I used to use them in my beer-making. I need to do that again soon.

Also, rice is the seed.

valarmorghulis

What Freaking Country Are We In?

arguablythemostfamous — Wed, 07 May 2008 11:38:47 EDT

my coworker has 8 huge bags of rice in the trunk of his car. true story.

@ADismalScience: If only economics were that simple. oh, wait...

arguablythemostfamous

What Freaking Country Are We In?

ADismalScience — Wed, 07 May 2008 11:37:30 EDT

@dado:

Rice is less elastic than most food products, but it has replacements. In the case of extreme poverty, sorghum.

In addition, raising the price of rice will have a major impact on rice derivative products, which are largely less efficient than direct consumption of rice. Thereby increasing the available calories for human consumption.

Wheat and beef are having a similar interaction. It's all good - not only are healthier eating habits becoming necessitated by price fluctuations, but worldwide commodity usage is becoming more efficient.

Next up: stop bottling water and burning corn

ADismalScience

What Freaking Country Are We In?

theruraljuror — Wed, 07 May 2008 11:36:35 EDT

I almost forgot about rice until they mentioned the shortage and now it's all I'm craving.

Also, this clip on the Daily Show is great.
[www.thedailyshow.com]

theruraljuror

What Freaking Country Are We In?

depardoo — Wed, 07 May 2008 11:34:11 EDT

I just bought saki futures.

depardoo

What Freaking Country Are We In?

FitnessMadeSimple — Wed, 07 May 2008 11:33:28 EDT

@Smitros: According to mrbeer.com, where I get the ingredients for my home-brewed beer, there is already a world-wide hops shortage. I think we need to put a moratorium on IPAs and other hop-heavy beers. Save some hops for the rest of us, assholes.

@AuntPeniston: Yeah, I'd get started on that pronto, before we run out of rice seeds (?) to plant.

FitnessMadeSimple

What Freaking Country Are We In?

Smitros — Wed, 07 May 2008 11:14:06 EDT

@blix:
Unfortunately, growing conditions for hops may yet bring about a beer shortage.

Then we just fast-forward to hard liquor.

Smitros

What Freaking Country Are We In?

blix — Wed, 07 May 2008 11:03:36 EDT

@Smitros: A cold shiver ran through me as I contemplated the possibility of a beer shortage. That's it, screw the polar bears!

blix

What Freaking Country Are We In?

AuntPeniston — Wed, 07 May 2008 11:00:23 EDT

@FitnessMadeSimple: I'm in possession of a plot of land in Colorado that my great-grandfather secured during the Homestead Act. It's been a wheat field for the past hundred years. I was hoping to strike oil there or something, but now I know that a rice paddy is the way to go. Fuck my IRA!

AuntPeniston

What Freaking Country Are We In?

Smitros — Wed, 07 May 2008 10:55:12 EDT

Rice is a'ight, but he who controls barley controls the world.

Smitros

What Freaking Country Are We In?

UnstableMabel — Wed, 07 May 2008 10:54:54 EDT

If I'm going to be stockpiling anything, it will have to be chocolate.

and wine, lots of it.

UnstableMabel

What Freaking Country Are We In?

FitnessMadeSimple — Wed, 07 May 2008 10:52:45 EDT

I suddenly regret talking my mom out of buying those 400 acres in Kentucky that she was going to use for a giant rice paddy several years ago.

FitnessMadeSimple

What Freaking Country Are We In?

FitnessMadeSimple — Wed, 07 May 2008 10:49:54 EDT

@CodePink: Fine with me...I make a point of never ordering anything with a side of rice anyway...except when eating Chinese, of course. Also, fried cucumbers sound delicious.

FitnessMadeSimple

What Freaking Country Are We In?

CodePink — Wed, 07 May 2008 10:46:58 EDT

Everyone's overreacting. All this means is that instead or rice and corn our "choice of sides" will now be fried cucumbers and drill bits.

CodePink

What Freaking Country Are We In?

FitnessMadeSimple — Wed, 07 May 2008 10:45:40 EDT

I got Chinese food the other day, and let me just say...pork fried couscous does not fucking cut it.

FitnessMadeSimple

What Freaking Country Are We In?

CaptainFantastic — Wed, 07 May 2008 10:40:42 EDT

Bravo to all. The range of comments above is why I read Gawker.

I'm hoarding chickpeas.

CaptainFantastic

What Freaking Country Are We In?

dado — Wed, 07 May 2008 10:37:24 EDT

@ADismalScience: My premise on the inelasticity of rice will soon be borne out.

dado

What Freaking Country Are We In?

cupcakes — Wed, 07 May 2008 10:35:43 EDT

Obviously you have not been keeping up with postcardsfromyomomma. All life's answers can be found right there.

cupcakes

What Freaking Country Are We In?

ADismalScience — Wed, 07 May 2008 10:33:32 EDT

This line is supply, this line is demand, the demand line is shifting and the supply line is not. Very simple - this means raise the price. What is this rationing crap? If people want to hoard, let 'em!

ADismalScience