Life in South Georgia: When Chocolate Becomes Currency
So I love chocolate. Love, love, love it. However, I was actually looking forward to detoxing from chocolate. We receive a “ration”, that is what our welcome booklet explained. This is a remote rock in the middle of nowhere. You receive your ‘ration’ once a month. And get this. It is issued by the Doctor.
The Plan (That Didn’t Happen)
I was genuinely looking forward to not giving in to the three pm craving for something sweet. It would be like living back in Kenya again at Mwambiti. I would slim down. Lose my sweet tooth. Oh my God. I could not believe the first chocolate ration when we got it.
The Reality
I reckon there was a chocolate bar, or maybe two, for every single day of that month. Every day. And what I did not expect was the crisps. Not as many, but oh so moreish. And back to regular single person bags of crisps. This was not a ration. This was a supply.
Hiding It (Did Not Work)
I hid the ration under my bed. Nope, it still spoke to me. I hid it in the cupboard. Nope, it still spoke to me. It got to the stage that I was using my chocolate ration to make tray bakes for the Larsen family. Mars Bar cakes. Anything to stop the chocolate going straight into my belly.
The Doctor’s Orders
Can you believe that the “drugs” are issued by the Doctor. Too funny. I was convinced we would get five bars of chocolate for a month. I had heard stories of people using half of their 40kg luggage allowance just for chocolate alone. Why? How much were they eating?
Chocolate Becomes Currency
And yes, it did become currency. For a fundraiser, someone donated their entire ration. Swapping and negotiations were bartered in crisps and chocolate. Fabulous.
