Chick peas and vegetables in spicy peanut sauce

5 handfuls of chick peas (they must be soaked for 3 days and 3 nights by your kind and generous friend Lisa)
1 onion (from the Safeway skip)
5 cloves of garlic
4 potatoes ( small round ones from Food not bombs)
1 carrots (salvaged from the fridge)

Sauce

half tea-spoon coriander
half tea-spoon cayenne pepper
half tea-spoon sea salt
half tea-spoon black pepper
half tea-spoon curry powder
half tea-spoon cumin
2 tea-spoons peanut butter (stolen from Tesco)
4 squirts of Taipan black bean sauce( given to you by your friend Dave)


I remember having the realization when I was cooking this meal that the ingredients had been gathered together in a variety of different ways. Two items were gifts from generous friends, whose presence in my life were invaluable to my physical and mental health and I shall never forget their kindness. The rest of the food for the meal came by way of my own resourcefulness, which at the time was just something I learnt how to do. Now it is a source of pride,that I was able for years to survive with little or no money. Capitalism has a great talent for creating waste and I was lucky enough to meet some good hearted people who where happy to pass on their knowledge of the best skips (dumpters), the best soup kitchens, free food banks, plus I had no quarms about shop-lifting from big supermarkets......as the song says....I will survive.... and I did. But I have no desire to return to those days. At the moment my rent is paid,I have money for food, can even go to a restaurant, buy a C.D. or a book(and I have a computer)...what more do I need.