This box contained the same rations that a Syrian refugee would consume in Jordan for 7 days. Along with just over 14, 000 thousand people across Australia, I took part in the during . The result: one eye-opening and very humbling experience.
When I saw , it wasn't much at all and was no bigger than two loaves of bread placed side by side. For the whole week, I was only allowed to eat from the contents of this pack, which included: rice, kidney beans, lentils, chickpeas, oil and canned sardines - which I vetoed, as they're not really something I eat. The pack also contained coupons for flour and more rice. The initial thoughts that ran through my head included: does this pack represent the best food solution for refugees? Who created this ration pack? And on a more personal note, how would I go rationing in a house filled with all my creature comforts - no avo toast and coffee?!
This small box contains a typical one-week supply of food. Source: SBS Food
From Day One it became apparent that what I had come to know and love most about food - it's flavour! - would be drastically tipped on its head. Without flavour what's the point of food? It was clear I needed an action plan. So, this is how it went and what I learnt along the way.
1. I needed to ration my rations...
Until I opened and started using the contents of the box, I really had no idea just how plain the week would be. I was conservative with my rations for the first two days - black tea for brunch and rice with a little oil and rationed amounts of a tuna (to replace the vetoed sardines and which I seeked permission to replace). Dinner was the same every night: flatbread, with pureed chickpeas, quartered egg-whites and some broccoli - and by some I mean two small pieces. Then come Day Seven, I went gangbusters with kidney beans, a little sweet potato, and you guessed it, more rice!
2. I was super thankful to those who donated.
Source: Farah Celjo
Once you sign up to the Ration Challenge you are immediately encouraged to fundraise and you quickly understand why. What many might not know is that the more you fundraise the more rations and options you get. Options are always a good thing, especially when they are in the form of fresh vegetables, protein and milk powder, during a week where options are dire, to say the least. Thanks to stellar donating power by friends, family, and co-workers, I raised $2,151, which meant I could add to my rations. I was fully cognisant that there are no cheats like this for refugees, and I did battle my moral compass over this one, but the extra rations (of vegetables and protein, in the form of two eggs) made a huge impact to my week. So if your pals jump on the ration challenge, do them a solid and show them some love - it might just mean the difference between hungry or hangry for that week.
3. I sponsored myself.
I had no shame in sponsoring myself. This would be one of the hardest week's of my life and this was as much about self-care as it was about psyching myself up for it. The ration I unlocked was a choice of spice to use as much as I wanted for that week. For me that was ol' faithful salt - which saved my rice bowl and my tastebuds. By Day Three, I found myself licking salt on its own.
4. Flatbread saved my life.
I was riced out by Day Four. Flour, water and salt combined to form the alchemy that is flatbread and this became my saviour. (For the record, I love rice; I just love it with anything other than tuna oil.) 
5. I told myself I do NOT need coffee.
Source: Farah Celjo
Turns out, I didn't. I don't know how, but I survived the week without any caffeine withdrawals or sugar headaches. While some of my fellow ration-ers were on a caffeine-detox downward spiral, I maintained chirpiness and functionality - somehow. This one is still a mystery to me and my barista.
6. I needed not to lose my job over a hangry outburst.
No, I didn't lose my job. Given I work for SBS Food and was in the midst of filming behind-the-kitchen videos for The Chefs' Line (read: food coming at me from every which way), I still managed to keep my cred and my job.
7. I didn't know vegetable withdrawals were a thing.
To say the rations were dense and felt nutritionally lacking was an understatement. By the halfway point, it felt like I was eating to survive, not to thrive. I was at the point where 170 g of fresh veg for the whole week didn't cut it. The vegetables that I did have were the only signs of colour on my plate. And man, did that broccoli taste sweet. I was having vegetable withdrawals, something I never thought I would actually have let alone say out loud. All I wanted was a big bowl of fresh vegetables, a salad, some crisp lettuce, cucumber skin...
8. Food for me is about flavour but I learnt it's also about survival
According to Act For Peace, the calorie content of the food eaten during the challenge (i.e. the contents of the ration pack provided plus the specified additional rice and flour) is less than 1,738 kcal/person/day. This does not meet the Sphere Minimum Standard of 2,100 kcal/person/day, nor is it consistent with the daily calorie requirements of an average adult recommended by the.
I mentally opened up a can of worms about what the long-term health implications this would have on a person, their lifestyle, as well as the overarching effects of healthcare costs on the government infrastructures in place. Day Seven has passed but that mental can is still open.
I know I haven't even scratched the surface of what these refugees or what my family would have experienced. I used this week to reflect on what may seem dire, impossible and difficult for some but was actually hopeful, meaningful and so important to my family. This was the . My family were refugees of the Bosnian war and with little access to fresh food and clean water, I wanted to acknowledge the power of food, (even if just for a week) what eating this ration pack has meant and what it could mean for people such as my family who endured extreme hardship for several years.
My body and its ability to adapt when pushed to its limit surprised me and I send strength and resilience to those who live the ration challenge each day. This week certainly hit home for me and being able to share the experience with those around me felt so important - a little perspective can go a long way.
