"We never leave anything without taking it out, everything is taken out here, everything is taken out, everything is taken out, nothing is left in the cellar here"
HERE IS EVERYTHING
Diana Sánchez is 35 years old, lives with her husband and two minors of age in San Miguel del Padrón
Who in your family usually does the shopping at the grocery store?
Well, my husband does the shopping in my store, he's the one who goes every month to run errands.
Do you buy other “controlled”, “regulated” or “regulated” products? for this system?
Through this supply book system, we buy products from the warehouse and once a month in the local currency store, which used to be in CUC, now in national currency, we buy chicken, detergent and oil; that's the same for the notebook there once a month.
What products from the supply book do you consume most frequently? Do you leave any without removing in the month?
From the basic food basket, what we consume the most is rice and beans, and we never leave anything untaken, everything is taken out here, everything is taken out, everything is taken out, nothing is left in the cellar here. Nothing is going to be returned to the State here, in short, that does not return to the State, but hey, you and I know how things are, here nothing is left anywhere, everything for your house.
How much of your formal income does the monthly purchase of the products in the notebook represent? Do you consider that your ability to acquire them has been affected since the monetary reform?
This monthly purchase of products from the supply book represents 6% of our income. And, I do consider that my purchasing power has been affected since the monetary reform, before with less than 100 pesos we used to buy 3 people's errands here, now we need more than 400 pesos.
How many days of the month would you say that the basic products of the notebook are enough for the family?
We could say that these products last approximately 12 days, that is, they are enough for me for 12 days, an average more or less 12, 15. In my case, the rice lasts for me at the end of the month, because we do not consume that much rice, or be the children eat little rice. Here the one who eats the most is Jose and he doesn't have lunch here, since he works he has lunch at his job. But hey, the beans last a week, the coffee more or less 15 days, because I don't strain in the afternoon, I just do it in the morning, it lasts a little longer for me, there are those who last less. The chicken is 2 to 3 meals, if you distribute it in portions, here the chicken is divided into portions, and well, you distribute it and well, more or less you get 2 to 3 meals. The picadillo per child is enough for 1 meal, the oil for 10 to 12 days because that doesn't last any longer, and it lasts for me from 10 to 12 days, because I don't get cold that much, because Jose doesn't eat fried foods, because we take care of ourselves, because I try not to eat excess fat, anyway, but there are those who don't get it after 12 days, at least it gets to me, but there are those who don't.
Does any member of your family receive a special diet?
Here Jose, my husband, receives a special diet, but it is because it is a diet that they gave him when he was a child, as a gastro. Now diets, so they grant you diets for any diagnosis, that has completely changed. Because of any diagnosis they don't give you a diet , and well, since he has been on that diet for so long, and as such, what he has is chronic: "it's intestinal malabsorption syndrome", well the his diet yes no
Now diets, so they grant you diets for any diagnosis, that has completely changed. Because of any diagnosis they don't give you a diet
they have removed it. We are going to see, because they already said that they were going to remove the diets, we are going to see if they leave his diet, because that is once a month, a little piece of beef, I don't know if the two pounds will arrive In fact, I think the two pounds are not enough, but well, at least once a month (laughs) you eat a little piece of something different, you see? But hey, it's once a month, or you give a meal or maybe two, and that doesn't matter either. And sometimes they don't give him beef, sometimes what they give him is chicken, but hey, it solves something, at least once a month that you have something there.
Do you trade, buy, resell or give away any products from the what do they assign you?
What I do is that sometimes I give a little rice to a friend or someone from the church who I know does not have enough to make ends meet. Where Jose has lunch, precisely there I send rice to the one who cooks, because she doesn't have enough for the end of the month, and so he has lunch there every day, and well, since here it works well for me, I always set aside a little and gift always a little rice,
Do you think that the family diet could survive without the notebook?
I consider that the family diet cannot survive without the notebook, at least, even if it is that little bit, a few days help. Even if it's a few days, that helps you, because where are you going to get it from? At least you know it's there in the warehouse, and well, it solves a few days for you, that's my consideration, that without the notebook you can't survive the family diet. We are not prepared for that, for them to remove the notebook like that, I think not.
I consider that the family diet cannot survive without the notebook, at least, even if it is that little bit, a few days help.
If they delivered more released products, do you think you could pay for them with your income and that it would be a positive change or would you prefer more subsidies?
Well, I think that if there is such a deficit in supply, the delivery of other released products would help, in the sense of more or less equitable distribution, that is, each person could access a product. But I think that if they delivered more products they should subsidize it, since the basket has increased its price more than 4 times, it has become too expensive and there are also other needs to meet, if prices continue to rise, if they continue to sell things like that, what he! There are those who will not be able to afford them.
Do you consider that the products assigned by the notebook supply condition the way you prepare food?
I believe that the products assigned by the notebook condition the way food is prepared, for example, you can't fry bananas when you don't have oil, if you run out of oil, in that case you have to eat it boiled. And then yes, it does condition in a certain way.
Have you received any donation or external product at prices subsidized during the Covid19 period by the book? Can describe it, as well as its origin?
Well, during the pandemic I remember at the beginning they gave some products from the agro-market, at the beginning of the pandemic. I remember some aubergines that weren't even good, cornmeal also of poor quality, Ah! And some spaghetti all parties. This, I believe that, if it was at a subsidized price, these products are. And, they also gave two little toys for children under 10 years old, that is, the rest are not children, from 10 and under, the others are not children. They gave two little toys; They charged those two little toys at their value equivalent to national currency, because at that time the CUC still existed, and well, they took it to national currency, but it was at the same price, at the same store price, as in national currency.
And well, after July 11, well, the events of July 11 gave a module, that is if they didn't charge for it, because they are very intelligent. So, he brought poor quality Venezuelan rice, by the way, he brought spaghetti, lentils or beans depending on some places, and a bag of powdered milk; that was what that module brought. They did not charge it, but for what it was. And, well, now they are no longer going to give milk diets, they already said they were going to remove powdered milk, so they gave that milk that time, to finally remove the diets, really no one understands them, but hey .
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