Time to recognise that western greed is one of the causes of global hunger | Kevin McKenna
World Porridge Day salutes the humble oat. Charities feed it to the starving due to our gluttonous policies
The world has recently paid homage to the oat, stalwart comestible of Scotland’s larder. For the last decade, 10 October has been deemed World Porridge Day, thus canonising the brawny cereal that kept Scottish armies on their feet and built cities. Sadly, in recent years, this most unostentatious and proletarian of foods has been gentrified and made to dress up gaudily with superfluous additives such as honey, Nutella and cinnamon. In this way, I suppose it is deemed sufficiently respectable to be included among the breakfast choices of the mighty.
World Porridge Day shares its holiday with World Homeless Day and World Mental Health Day. Other dates play host to more frivolous holidays. The blessings of today, for example, are shared by the holidays of brandied fruit, suspenders (braces, not the foundation garments) and office chocolate. These flippancies are put in their place, though, by the sloth, a languid and phlegmatic wee beast whose name is taken in vain to indicate indolence; 20 October is its day to shine.