User:Jokerine/FoodTheory

"Pre-War Food Availability in a Post-Apocalyptic Wasteland"



Many have wondered how it is possible for pre-war food to exist in the post-apocalyptic wasteland in such abundant amounts. Most factories and production lines stopped working after the Great War. So where do all of these edibles come from? To cut a long story short, some of these goodies are actually not "pre-war" anymore.

Food preservation techniques have been known for a long time, starting as early as the beginning of the 19th century by storing fresh rations into glass containers, which would be sealed and then boiled. This way the contents would be sterilized, stopping bacterial spoilage and growth. This process eventually expanded to everyday use, allowing home-grown produce to remain safe for consumption without refrigeration.

Food Preservation and Sanitization
Most food and drink preservation methods do not require electricity, offering most people in the wasteland accessible ways to preserve meals for later use.

Perishable foods such as fruit or meat can be gathered from the local flora and fauna with relative ease. However, without electrical power for refrigerated storage this will generate a surplus that will most likely go to waste, unless the food is stored properly, promptly eaten or hastily sold off to the starving populace.

While some people think pre-war food is actually from an age before the Great War, the actual truth about it is that most of it is actually from the present age; the only thing "pre-war" about it being the packaging. In other words, it is present-made fodder being distributed in old boxes.

In cases where proper liquid purification tools are not available, water can be effortlessly purified for consumption by pouring it into clear bottles and exposing it to sunlight for a minimum of 6 hours. If the weather is cloudy or the water too contaminated, up to 48 hours of exposure are required. The combination of heat and ultraviolet radiation from the sun will kill bacteria, parasites and assorted viruses, thus significantly reducing the danger of catching diseases such as diarrhea and cholera.

Uncooked food may also be preserved in several ways. The easiest and most achievable method is using high temperatures to dehydrate the goods by letting them sit in the sun or placing them near a reliable heat source. Smoking meats over a fire or rubbing them with salt will also help with controlled desiccation.

In a similar vein, carefully sealed glass containers filled with edibles or drinkables can be placed in boiling water (approximately 250o F/121º C). The generated heat should destroy any dangerous microorganisms, bacteria or parasites. This can be done over the same fire previously used to smoke foodstuffs in order to efficiently maximize production rates.

A more advanced method of food preservation is ionizing radiation, which has been proven to eliminate parasites safely without leaving chemical traces as long as the irradiation doses remain below 10 kilogray (kGy). This, of course, requires much more specialized equipment that may not be readily available. The methods listed above, however, mostly apply to perishable foods. When it comes to the preservation of dry goods and non-perishables, vacuum sealing is an effective but slightly more demanding method. It requires at least one functional vacuum sealer, plastic bags, a fastening agent such as duct tape or glue, and access to electricity. However, it has the advantage of taking up less space and producing less debris. Perishable goods can also be preserved this way, although it is recommended to combine vacuum sealing with other techniques such as hot water sterilization to limit bacterial growth. Alternatively, freezing leftovers (if a refrigerator or another similar appliance is available) until there is enough for a full-sized meal is also a viable but rather time-consuming option for those interested in maintaining the original pre-war flavor.

Food Storage and Distribution
Once preserved, the food may be packaged, bargained for, consumed or given away.

Non-perishables, vacuum-sealed or not, could simply be placed in clean receptacles for easy stockpiling, or to increase their desirability in the market. Discarded pre-war food packaging such as boxes or bags can be readily collected, scrubbed, filled and then sealed with glue or duct tape.

Preserved perishables will often require some more work. After being dried, salted, boiled or otherwise processed, these rations can be used to prepare special meals, or simply be divided into smaller servings and stored in sealed bags or containers immediately. Canned foods are a special case that requires welding or lead soldering to close the cans. The latter is not advised, as it can cause serious lead poisoning depending on how long the food remains in contact with the lead before being consumed. To the general consumer, these newly packaged products will be almost indistinguishable from actual pre-war food, due to the centuries of wear and tear the packaging has endured before reaching their table. The flavor, of course, is a whole different story.