Something smells off to me, and I don’t think it’s a gas leak.
People have been eating potatoes in much worse economic conditions and with much lower technological sophistication than we have now.
Indeed, it’s probably cheaper to boil a potato now than at any point in history. Are people these days really suffering more than Irish or Eastern European peasants 200 years ago?
I suppose those peasants had free access to firewood (labor not withstanding), modern people are generally discouraged from raiding nearby woods regularly for fuel. That's all I can think.
Fair, but the modern equivalent exists which is plugging a slow cooker into an outlet that you don’t pay for.
If you’re in a tower block, I’m sure a neighbour would oblige you, or if they were also needy, you could boil their potatoes in exchange for helping you keep your clandestine cookery secret.
200 years ago they cooked on open fires, which was dangerous. It's even more dangerous today. Indoor fires are not only a fire hazard, but a carbon monoxide hazard.
TFA is about cooking with gas stoves. If your income was marginal a few months ago, then you can't afford the increase in gas prices. To switch to "lower technological sophistication" would likely get them thrown out of their homes.
If you've got electricity, and a microwave, it would be safer. But a lot of poor people can't afford those. Living at the margins means you have no room for any kind of unexpected cost.
Safety-wise even if something like this sounds surprising, it could be best to assume that all the statements are correct, and then work backwards to try to determine what the cause is/was, and possible solutions.
People have been eating potatoes in much worse economic conditions and with much lower technological sophistication than we have now.
Indeed, it’s probably cheaper to boil a potato now than at any point in history. Are people these days really suffering more than Irish or Eastern European peasants 200 years ago?