Government and Food.

[Hukalakanaka]

In the novel, Julia made a big deal about bringing real coffee, real sugar, and real bread. Why does the government have the fake sugar and coffee for the people? Does the government control and ration all the food for more power?

[VeggieGirl666]

I thought of it as government control. Food tastes good! Orwell makes it a point to show in the novel ways that Big Brother tries to erase all other feelings other than fear and hate. (Junior Anti-Sex League, Two Minutes of Hate...) This could be another example of this. Also, I think this is the inner party members being greedy as they are the only ones getting the good food.

[kev67]

The book was written in 1948 when food rationing was still continuing in the UK after the war. During the war, rations used to include foodstuffs such as powdered eggs, ersatz coffee and poor quality sausages called bangers. Good food was available, but on the black market, if you had the right contacts. In 1884, Oceania is constantly at war, so everyone (except inner party members) is on rationed food.