The couple decided to open their farm to the public for gleaning after hearing people were stealing food from local churches. But they had no idea that the response would be so huge. They had to convert dozens of acres of their farm to parking for the 11,000 cars that people drove to get free potatoes, carrots and leeks. Chris Miller told the Washington Post, " 'Overwhelmed' is putting it mildly. People obviously need food." You know the food riots aren't far away when you hear stories like this.

[via Washington Post]

At least two things happened in the world of science and science fiction last week. One was cool, the other was crap.

Crappiest cop scenario in a giant, 24-hour food riot: Koreans are seriously pissed off that their government has lifted the ban on importing U.S. beef. Who knows what goes into U.S. beef, anyway? Ranchers feed them everything from penicillin and bubblegum, to kibble made of other cows. Plus, U.S. screening for mad cow disease is just not up to the Korean standards. Koreans freaked out by the idea of buying U.S. beef started rioting Thursday night after the ban was lifted, and just never stopped. Riot cops sent to deal with the nighttime riots you can see in the top picture (below) had to work around the clock, which led to them sleeping in shifts (bottom picture). When science fiction authors write about police state dystopias and food riots, they never seem to take into account what the cops do when they're having to enforce state controls 24-hours a day. Now we know. They sleep on the street, in full gear, with cement as a mattress. Photos via Getty.

Beef Around the Clock [via Foreign Policy Passport Blog]

According to the International Herald Tribune, bad weather and skyrocketing fuel costs have made it harder for locals to grow and transport staple foods. But the problem is also pure politico-economic:

The protesters in Mogadishu on Monday included women and children who marched against the refusal of many shopkeepers to accept the country's old 1,000-shilling notes, which are worth 74 U.S. cents. Many of the protesters blamed the shopkeepers' refusal to honor the bills for sharply rising prices.

Shortly after the beginning of that demonstration, tens of thousands of people took to the streets, hurling stones that smashed the windshields of several cars and buses. Demonstrators threw rocks at shops and chaos erupted at the city's main market. Hundreds of shops and restaurants in southern Mogadishu closed their doors for fear of looting. "Traders have refused to take old notes," Hussein Abdikadir said as he rolled a tire that he intended to burn.

"Food prices are high and we have nothing to eat. We will protest until the traders agree to take the notes and sell us food."

Shopkeepers in the sprawling Bakara market, which also houses a well-known open-air arms bazaar, say the interim government and unscrupulous businessmen are responsible for runaway inflation. "Businessmen blame the government, which does not control the security and circulation of money," said Abdirahman Omar, a money-changer.

2 Die in Somalia Riot Over Food Prices [International Herald Tribune]