My Ration Challenge Experience (Part 2)

Believe it or not, folks, I have made it to the middle of the challenge! (Forgive me if my writing sounds nonsensical right now. Brain fog is taking over me right now.) Since I used to have an eating disorder as a teenager and I’ve done religious fasts many times for Lent, I’m no stranger to what it’s like to be hungry by choice and to watch the world around you eating tasty treats. I must mention that on the night of Day 2, I started to feel leg cramps. (A result of potassium deficiency and a side effect of starvation.) I also had a fitful sleep. My stomach was turning with nausea and I kept burping up the taste of the flatbreads. But so far, that’s been the only awful experience at night that I’ve had so far.

 

Day 3

 

As of Day 3, there were still no severe cravings. (Maybe because I’m dead inside, anyways.) For some reason, the leg cramps were the most prolonged symptoms. I started to get them in my arms, too. Brain fog got pretty bad since I was unable to remember a lot of things. I repeat, it’s a good thing that I’m not employed full time right now. All I have to do is stay at home and avoid temptation. I’ve also noticed that people around me smell stronger. Everyone smells extremely salty/garlicky/onion-y. I wonder if this is how Americans smell to the rest of the world?

For the first half of the day, I worked on my little cousin’s worksheets (we’re conjugating present tense verbs right now) and I did the “nasty chores”. (Cleaning the toilet and the bathroom sink, that is. I usually don’t have an appetite two hours after I do those chores because they’re awful and nasty and I’m a germophobe.) I also swept and mopped my bedroom floor.

For the first time during the challenge, I decided to take a hunger nap. For whatever reason, I wasn’t terribly hungry that day. Maybe because the lentils have protein and fiber, so they were more filling. But then again, the third day is usually the hump that people have to cross over when they fast. After that, the hunger just kind of starts to fades. That night was the first time in the whole challenge that I defecated. (TMI, I know, but I’m keeping this here as a record for any future Ration Challengers.)

 

In the morning, I had congee with a lot more cumin in it. I figured I’d treat myself since I was well into the challenge, anyways and the tastier rations would be saved for the later days.

I had been looking forward to the lentil soup, but that was a mistake. I was so excited to have something besides rice that I didn’t realize how awful saltless lentils can taste. Especially when they’re pureed in a blender. It was like having baby food. And the worst part was that they absolutely stunk once I pureed them. But at least the tea and the flatbreads made it more palatable. Thank goodness that day was the last day to have flatbreads. Since I nearly vomited at the thought of their taste the night before, I had to get rid of them quick.

Even though dinner was more rice, I looked forward to it. Everyone in my Ration Challenge Facebook group said that the rice was infinitely tastier when fried. The crunchy and toasted parts were especially tasty. Since it was already Day 3, I was allowed to use an allotment of my tofu. I fried one strip with a ton of cumin and tossed the rice right in. With the final flatbread, it was a tolerable dinner.

 

Day 4

 

I woke up earlier than usual since my aunt asked me to pick my brother up from school. I wanted to get a head start on making the crepes and the falafel, since I’ve never made them before. Turns out that my brother didn’t go to school, so I got to stay home after. I made fried rice with tofu and paired it with the fresh crepe. 

As for the crepes themselves, they all fell apart because my batter was too thin. As a result, I ate my breakfast with some thinner flatbreads.

The night before, I messaged some friends so I could earn another teabag. (If you message five people on Facebook or in an e-mail with the link to your fundraising page, you earn one teabag.) Of course, it makes the difference in how enjoyable a meal is.

As for the falafel, it was a disaster. Granted that the char added more flavor to it, it was hard to form it into little patties since it keep sticking in my hand. It didn’t help to flour them, either. I got tired of making them, so I saved a quarter of the chick peas for more falafel tomorrow and half for hummus on Friday.

After that, I kept busy by doing some work on the computer, dusting my room, sweeping and mopping my bathroom and taking a car ride during the day. I needed to get out of the house because I was going stir-crazy. But the Starbucks reminded me of why I should’ve stayed home in the first place.

For lunch, I had the rest of the awful baby food lentil soup with falafel and tea. The falafel easily made the lentil soup more edible.

For dinner, I had some simple fried rice and tea. Not terribly flavorful, but still satisfying.

 

So far, the struggle is getting easier. I don’t wretch at my flavorless foods anymore and I’m not dying of hunger. So far, my cravings are incredibly mild. But, I always remember the ways in which I’m fortunate. I can quit anytime I want and go out for pizza, sushi or nachos if I want. (Even if I pay a $50 penalty fee for it.) But refugees can’t quit. They’ll stay in their camps for years at a time, surviving on far less than what I’m eating right now. That’s why I ask you to donate to my fundraising page if you were touched by story. Here’s the link: https://my.rationchallengeusa.org/savannahsalazar?fbclid=IwAR1b9rAtpYNLsNK1wD4SdLR-oU4_5zT8kBcHnIzW9mccl33SIzRYIQDFslU . Until next time, I’ll be looking forward to having beans tomorrow!