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The Great North American Lime Shortage of 2014 has people panicked. As the heat of the summer looms, the national media is running frenzied articles, families are being ripped apart, bartenders are at each other's throats and lime hoarding is rampant.
Consumption (of limes) has risen dramatically since the 70s, and people have been living beyond their means, delaying the inevitable reckoning with citrus-fueled bacchanalias.
Globalization and the destruction of lime farming in the U.S. now means that most limes here come from Mexico. And this production has been severely damaged by a combination of bad weather (probably caused by global warming), bacterial infection (no doubt drug resistant) and, of course, drug cartels[1], who are supposed to be hijacking supply.
We will not inquire further into the ultimate causes of the lime shortage and simply discuss coping mechanisms (or, if you prefer, routes to salvation).
[1] If the war in Iraq did not guarantee cheap oil, and the drug war in Mexico does not guarantee cheap limes, then what is war good for? Also, at least according to the New York Times, drug cartels are taking over the avocado business too, so we should all be concerned. Maybe United Fruit will step in to save us all.
- Rishidev Chaudhuri