The Coronavirus Diet

Here's what rationing food has always meant to me.

--Don't eat your popsicle too fast because if you finish it before your brothers finish theirs, you'll be sad.
--Keep the Reese's Minis and Heath Bars that friends from the States have brought to Italy in the fridge so they'll last longer.
--Cut the round Lindt chocolate balls that showed up at your Christmas party in quarters.  Eat one quarter of one ball every day and you won't get fat.
--When you go to a Chinese restuarant and order Szechaun green beans tell everyone at the table that if they want even one bean, they have to order their own.
--Eat a peanut butter and jelly sandwich at a picnic in Italy because it will be all yours.

Unfortunately, the Coronavirus  has given new meaning to rationing. But I'm not sure I've figured it out yet. 

A couple of weeks ago when I was interested in the issue in China I read about people that weren't sure how to ration. They'd loaded up on food, but were then perplexed as to how to go about saving it and eating it.  I certainly never thought I'd be contemplating the same issue weeks later. Maybe you're reading this now, wherever you are, and you'll be faced with the same dilemma one day.  I certainly hope not, but it wasn't on my list of worries last week either.

Friends tell me that I shouldn't worry.  And I know that's probably true.  But in the lockdown areas in China once a week one person per household is allowed to go out with their mask for the shopping.  This rule isn't really my cup of tea. Speaking of which, at last count I had 72 bags and a few canisters of dry leaves because I think it's cool to drink it with the mesh tea thing even though it's more work and a little messy.

With my new fear of the virus spreading to the home of Mr. Trump, I occasionally google in English.  That way it's harder to  accidently bump into the latest developments in Italy.  I've decided the US Department of Homeland Security seems safe.  It currently has a list of what Americans can do to prepare. They recommend storing a two-week supply of water and food before a pandemic strikes. Well, I've just lost a little faith in that group......or maybe it's just the CNN journalist.  I found a typo. Hopefully it was just a punctuation typo and they didn't also accidently type 'two week' when they meant to type 'two year'. 

In any case, there's no real need to ration at the moment.  The other morning I was shocked to see that my weight was lower than it has been in years.  Instead of the joy I'd expected seeing a number like that, my first thought was a serious health problem.  Not the Coronavirus, because as far as I know losing weight isn't a symptom. I'm trying to convince myself that the weight loss is due to stress.  So, I'm trying to pay attention and eat more. But that means I'll run out of food. And then I'll be stressed again. It seems to me like I could get rich selling the Coronavirus Diet.