I really am living my life on the edge: The anticipated devaluation in the Kwacha is contributing to such a shortage of foreign currency here that I can't get any tinned tuna!
An imported product, the shops need foreign currency to pay for it, and no one has it, so they can't get any. I did see one tin a few days ago for about MK500 (approx £2.30) and thought, nah, I'm not paying that (still smarting from salmon escapades...)
Humm....I could really go a tuna, olive & tomato pasta and I'm going to have to wait – hardship!
Anyway, there are no tins of tomatoes either (which I don't really understand as I think they must be grown here, but the price has doubled in the past few weeks and now I can't see any.....). Didn't bother checking for olives.
Nor was there any chicken yesterday (I don't count the packs of chicken feet that were strangely left on the shelf). Now, puzzle this: I know there are chickens here. I can hear them all the time, I see them strapped to bikes. This can not be caused by a lack of foreign currency. Perhaps people are buying more chicken as a result of tuna shortage (demand side substitutability) or perhaps people are stocking up in anticipation of possible civil unrest following today's election (demand shock).
Humm....I haven't stocked us up. Maybe I should. Wonder how long we can survive on a tin of peaches, some popcorn and a near empty packet of wine gums....
Anyway, we had sirloin steak last night. Plenty of that still cheaply available! Omelette for lunch today (so the chickens must still be laying). I'm going to book club tonight so it is someone else's concern to sort my dinner. Andrew can have popcorn peaches.
Fx
PS - No yoghurt either, though the diary market has always been variable.
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