The Ghost of Socialist Christmas Past

[Draggingtree]

Mises:

 

The Ghost of Socialist Christmas Past

 

DECEMBER 24, 2015Carmen Elena Dorobăț

Every Christmas for the past 25 years, Romanians have remembered the revolution of December 1989, and the communist regime that ended with it. Only few still think fondly of those days; many remember the regime for what it really was: a time of poverty, fear, and lack of freedom.

 

Perhaps one of the most trying limitations was the “scientific alimentation program”, which stipulated maximum quantities of goods a person could buy each month. These purchases could only be made with a special card, where these quantities would be checked off. The ration included the following quantities per month:

Chicken – 1 kilogram

Pork or beef – 500g (when unavailable, replaced by canned meats from the USSR)

Cold cuts or liver pate – 800g

Cheese – 500g (every 3 months)

Butter – 100g

Oil – 1 litre

Sugar – 1 kg

Flour – 1 kg (every 3 months)

Eggs – 8-12

Bread – 300g/day