Volume 2, Number 4
February 15,1996
A column by Ed Rochelle
The Food Gatherers'I'm sure you all remember a recent How Come? article( 1/15/96 ) that had to do with the over abundance of acorns on the ground and how that was obviously nature's way of warning of a severe winter ahead. Some how the animals that had to know about that, have read the signs and are certainly going to get through the season. As I ponder the nature of us humans I seem to notice a deep connection to the animals(like you needed me to make that profound observation). It has to do with certain events triggering off the human 'food gathering reaction'.The advanced technology that is available to the weather forecasting services, has gotten more and more sophisticated. One of the major advantages of this increased forecasting capability is the fact that they are able to warn us of impending weather problems with enough time for us to prepare for the oncoming storm. The TV has become a wonderful place to watch the approaching weather and follow it's path. The sun could be shinning on Long Island while I'm watching the wind driven snow fall "as we speak" in Washington, DC. The next break in regular programming shows the reporter with a 12" ruler dipping into freshly fallen snow to give me an accurate measure of the amount of snow fallen up to the minute. The warnings are loud and clear. When they have changed the 'winter storm advisory' to a 'winter storm watch' and then to a 'winter storm warning', the games begin. I don't know what word triggers off a special response in us humans. It's the reaction that I refer to as the "Food Gathering" response that most of us have. I don't know if it's genetic or learned. It seems that the change from "watch" to "warning" is what triggers the reaction. It's like the beginning of the automobile race when the announcer says, "Gentlemen, start your engines". Everyone in my area makes a bee line for their cars and right to the local supermarkets, grocery stores, deli's and drive thru convienance stores with one thought in mind. "Get the basic foods before the cubbards are bare". Within moments, the shelves of all the stores are just about bare of milk and bread. People who haven't had a sandwich or a glass of milk in years, are loading up on the stuff. It doesn't seem to be limited to those items. Cakes, cookies, candy, and meats and potatoes are all in the baskets. It's as if there won't be any food in the area for weeks. The frenzy is catching as it spreads from shopper to shopper. I wouldn't want to be going in the opposite direction of these frantic gatherers. I can understand the desire to provide for the basic needs of a family. What I can't understand is the riot like atmosphere that prevails as this phenomena takes place. I could understand the phenomenon better if it meant that the predicted snow was going to cover up all the tracks of the 'game' I needed to hunt for food for my clan. If that were the case, then I would panic and feel that I would have to get the food before the snow fell. I can't remember any time in the past when the weather conditions were so bad that I was stuck in my house for more than a day. Twenty-four(24) hours and it seems like it's all over. Sure, it might be a bit difficult to get to the stores. There never was a time that I thought that I wouldn't have enough food to eat and that I would have a problem getting food for my family. No one ever told us how to adjust our food gathering instinct to modern times. ... How Come?
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