[RP TownTalk] Bread...

Wed Mar 19 16:46:33 UTC 2008

On the other hand, isn't it possible that they're oblivious to the tastes of the neighborhood?  I don't know the owners, but I'm guessing they're not likely to do any market studies...

Nancy A

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I believe that Dum's owners should consider the social responsibility they have and realize the impact of bread on our neighborhood... (I hope everyone will recognize the jockey tone...), with potential for mass populace exodus and potential riots.

-----Original Message-----
From: annelbv <annelbv at yahoo.com>
To: towntalk at riverdale-park.org
Cc: David Paul Zuk <david.zuk at mail.house.gov>
Sent: Tue, 18 Mar 2008 1:31 pm
Subject: [RP TownTalk] Bread...

Having grown up in France, I find is really difficult that there is no bakery I can walk to. Unthinkable in my home country. While here we have wonderful choices in terms of quality, it's a shame that not only one would have to drive over 3 miles to get the breads mentioned, but also that one would have to pay an arm and a leg for it (Mom's prices are plain theft!)

Mind you, I am *special*: I have the opinion of someone who comes from a country where the price of bread was one of the major cause of The French Revolution!

"A series of crop failures caused a shortage of grain, consequently raising the price of bread. Because bread was the main source of nutrition for poor peasants, this led to <A title=Starvation style="FONT-STYLE: italic" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Starvation" target=_blank>starvation</A>. The two years previous to the revolution (1788-89) saw bad harvests and harsh winters, possibly because of a strong <A title="El Niño" style="FONT-STYLE: italic" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/El_Ni%C3%B1o" target=_blank>El Niño</A> cycle caused by the 1783 <A title=Laki style="FONT-STYLE: italic" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laki" target=_blank>Laki</A> eruption at <A title=Iceland style="FONT-STYLE: italic" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iceland" target=_blank>Iceland</A>. The <A class=mw-redirect title="Little ice age" style="FONT-STYLE: italic" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Little_ice_age" target=_blank>little ice age</A> was also affecting agriculture: many other areas of Europe had adopted the <A title=Potato style="FONT-STYLE: italic" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Potato" target=_blank>potato</A> as the <A class=mw-redirect title="Staple crop" style="FONT-STYLE: italic" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Staple_crop" target=_blank>staple crop</A> by this time, whereas the French generally refused it as a dirty food or the devil's food. The potato was more resilient to the colder temperatures during the little ice age and also could not be easily destroyed by <A title="Scorched earth" style="FONT-STYLE: italic" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scorched_earth" target=_blank>scorched earth</A> warfare<A title="" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Causes_of_the_French_Revolution#_note-12" target=_blank>[13]</A>. A normal worker earned anywhere from 15 to 30 sous a day while skilled workers received 30 to 40 sous. A family of four would need about 2 loaves of bread a day to survive. The price of bread rose by 88 percent in 1789, going from 9 sous to 14.5/15 sous. Many [[peasant]s were relying on charity to survive. The peasantry became a class with the ambition to counteract social inequity and put an end to food shortages. The 'bread riot' evolved into a central cause of the French Revolution. Mass <A title=Urbanization style="FONT-STYLE: italic" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Urbanization" target=_blank>urbanization</A> coinciding with the beginning of the <A class=mw-redirect title="Industrial revolution" style="FONT-STYLE: italic" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Industrial_revolution" target=_blank>industrial revolution</A> led residents to move into French cities seeking employment. French cities became overcrowded and filled with the hungry and disaffected. The peasantry suffered doubly from the economic and agricultural problems." (from Wikipedia)

I believe that Dum's owners should consider the social responsibility they have and realize the impact of bread on our neighborhood... (I hope everyone will recognize the jockey tone...), with potential for mass populace exodus and potential riots.
Just hear the TownTalk listserv whisper... (Tracy Chapman's song stuck in my head)

Anne

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