On Sugar Rations

Posted on March 4, 2010 - Filed Under Guatemala, Simple Life | 8 Comments

Food prices in Guatemala have been going up for a while. When I first arrived, 8 years ago, you could buy just about any veggie for 1 quetzal a pound on market day. These days, we’re seeing up to 6 or 7 quetzales for some things! I went to buy onions the other day and the woman in San Juan wanted EIGHT quetzales for a pound, which is like three onions! In the market, I got them for 5, but still felt that was high.

However, recently, sugar prices have skyrocketed and today, we were informed that there will be no more sugar. That’s right, Guatemala is out of sugar. Apparently all the plantations have been selling to Mexico which pays more and leaving their own country without. Let me tell you that Guatemalans LOVE their sugar! They have it in their coffee, tea, and just about everything else, so this is a big deal.

We recently bought a “roba” of sugar, which is a big canvas bag, so we have enough for a few months if we ration it. However, I’m thinking this could be a good thing . . . we can start using alternative sweeteners like honey. Sometimes we find molassas here, as well, but it’s rare. If the sugar plantations were smart, they would start marketing this byproduct as a healthy sweetener and make a double profit, but I doubt they’ll think of that.

So, this is starting to feel more and more like a simple life! :D

Comments

8 Responses to “On Sugar Rations”

  1. Cristina on March 4th, 2010 9:44 pm

    We Guatemalans are not into molasses, but into panela, which is basically hardened molasses. You can find it in the market, but seeing how sugar is so scarce, I bet panela is also going to be hard to come by, since it’s an intermediate product in sugarcane milling.
    I always buy an arroba (25 lbs) of sugar, and it usually lasts like a month. I bet not many people will be making pan de yemas for this Semana Santa. :(

  2. gblued on March 5th, 2010 1:14 am

    I do have panela, actually, but I’ve found it very difficult to break apart, any tips? From what I hear, there is still going to be sugarcane milling, the sugar just won’t be staying in the country, so hopefully there will still be panela. Might stock up on that anyway, though!

  3. Leiani on March 5th, 2010 10:00 pm

    Life around here would be, lets just say, not as pleasant if I didn’t my 3 sugars in my coffee. Yes 3! In my defence it’s the only thing I add sugar to though.

  4. gblued on March 6th, 2010 12:14 pm

    I like a lot of sugar in my coffee, too, I have to admit. :D

  5. Cristina on March 6th, 2010 12:51 pm

    Yeah, I know panela is really hard to break apart. Maybe you could use a pestle, kind of like what you use to make chirmol? I’ve tried using a grater, too.

  6. gblued on March 6th, 2010 5:58 pm

    I’ve been using a grater, too, but it requires a lot of muscle! Course, Dante gets into the cupboard and digs into it with his bare fingers and eats a cup of the stuff, no problem!

  7. Trudy on March 7th, 2010 1:08 am

    An arroba is a 25 pound bag, so you should be set. I had no idea there is no sugar! I haven´t run into such a problem with our distributors, but it is a good thing to know.

  8. gblued on March 8th, 2010 7:32 am

    Yup, as long as I don’t do a lot of baking (not an issue in this heat), we should be good for a few months. :D

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