Monthly ration in Poland, early 1980s

This is what Conservatives around the world want and glory hallelujah we are almost there! The only difference is all those rations will not come from the government but from corporations paid for by the government.

• 4 boxes Kraft Mac and Cheese
• 6 cans Heinz Beans
• Etc.

This ladys eating better than I do

12 packs of cigs seems like a huge luxury

Was this meant to be supplemented?

Reminds me of the leftist venezuelan regime monthly rations in the form of cajas clap.

Absolutely disgusting food.

Thank goodness I was able to escape the dictatorship with my family

Looks equivalent what you'd get at a Canadian food bank nowadays that's meant for 3 days.

ah 12 packs of cigarettes and a half a litre of vodka. a complete balanced breakfast.

Unpopular opinion: we need to ration electricity consumption as well as fuel today, even in capitalists countries. Because that stuff actually has incredible impact on the planet, and will (must) drive consumption down, so that companies / individuals start integrating "efficiency" into their thinking

I don't see any other solution to the "exponentially growing power consumption" problem.

That's not enough butter. I would have been put down young for rioting about criminally low amounts of butter.

Alright, where are the anti capitalist tankies defending this?

0.5 liter of vodka? What were they supposed to do the other 29 days of the month?

That's like, half a days worth of vodka

Can someone calculate the calories in that? I'm too lazy.

Maybe don't include the sugar. That's a shit ton of sugar to go through in month.

Oh, she looks so happy!

That is around 970 calories a day if you take 1/30th of each edible item on the Table.

It's not enough, but surprisingly almost half the needed amount.

I was trying to figure out how to make it work for week but a month?

They have almost as much sugar as starch, 2.5kg of meat, and no other protein?

I'm not gonna say that's anywhere near sufficient, but as a US citizen where do I sign up

Half a liter of vodka monthly? Aren't the Poles known for their consumption of vast quantities of the stuff?

Their priorities were fucked up. Cigarettes and alcohol, obviously, but more sugar than rice? Huh?

Also, lots of meat but no other food groups?

I'm as anti-capitalist as it comes but how the hell would this even last half a week, let alone a night with the vodka, rice, and sweets

This thread is basically:

Scarcity in socialist countries 40 years ago: pearl clutching.

Scarcity in capitalist countries fucking now: yawn.

I find it funny that a lot of people seem to be assuming that this is everything that they were allowed to eat. Fruits and veggies have been completely banned, in this world! Haha

More on the history of this photograph here: https://rarehistoricalphotos.com/food-rationing-communist-poland/

Vodka and cigarettes are not necessities. Different times, obviously. If the vodka was being made either from potatoes or grain, even if of lower quality, those would be better put towards adding extra available calories for people.

p.s

This made me remember being told there was a time, my country being at war then, where cigarette packs were distributed to soldiers with a banner stamped on it that stated "Have a cigar and relax".

If you still gained a salary from work and could buy the rest of what you need this really isn't that bad

Four and a half kilos of carbohydrates and sugars, goddamn.

If you could even get all that, and if you could you had to queue for days

I wonder how they used it. Fancy baked goods the first days, then a rush to bake long lasting good before the perishables spoil? Did widowers ask family to bake with their rations?

Is that like for a whole family?

For a month, that’s only about 600 kcal/day from carbs. Maybe potatoes are unrationed.

500 ml of vodka? Bullshit, there was plenty of vodka and it was distilled legally and illegally.