Day 3 of Live Below the Line

getting ready to drain the carrots and get rid of the repulsive sludgy bean broth

lunch day 3 - black beans, lentils and rice with cooked carrot, salt and olive oil

So I've discovered if I heat the beans using some of my olive oil allotment for the day, and sort of crisp them up a little, they carmelize a teense and taste much better. Two things (among many other realities) really poor people can't do - refrigerate their food so that they don't need to cook every day, and squander valuable cooking fuel (wood, which had to be carried perhaps for hours, or charcoal, which is costly) to crisp up their bland food.

I measured out 2 tablespoons of oil per day (10 T), and one teaspoon of salt (5 tsp) so that my 5 day allotment was ready to go. I budgeted quite a percentage of my money - 22 cents a day - on oil, because last year my lips got cracked and dry, and I was itchy. One friend suggested that it might have been too much salt rather than too little fat, so I also measured out my salt for the week so I didn't oversalt the bland food. So far, I seem to have quite a bit of both oil and salt left, suggesting that I'm not actually using the daily amount that I'm "entitled" to. And have neither cracked lips nor itchy skin. Hmmm. Maybe the air was drier that week last year?

I feel okay, pretty good energy levels and not too hungry. Last year I actually napped, and also went to bed early once. But I also had both a vegetable (broccoli) AND a fruit (a kiwi) every day. And maybe I got a better deal on the legumes and rice? Have to check back.