Ruffled feathers??? Fish don't have feathers?
I remember when I used to drive truck and haul produce, I was told NYC operated on a 3 day food supply. Stop the supply coming in and in 3 days the stores would be empty. With the increasing population, it may be a bit less now. Most of the major cities are on an equally short food supply.
During the great depression, people in the cities were standing in soup lines. The people in the rural areas had nothing in the way of THINGS, but they were still able to eat. The population unable to feed itself has grown dramatically since that time I am certain.