Do you exchange the Bitcoin for local currency first (and if so, how) or do you pay the mill or butcher directly in Bitcoin (and what do they do with it at that point)?
I'm specifically not asking about preserving wealth in the abstract - I'm curious about the mechanics of how it's used to put food on the table.
I guess maybe the question I should be asking is, who are the people who run the exchanges and how do they work? Why are they interested in accepting Bitcoin in exchange for more liquid currency, and where did they get that liquid currency in the first place? How do they determine the conversion rate? (Are they wealthy locals who already have lots of cash holdings who want to be wealthier and are willing to sell that cash for Bitcoin at a premium because they intend to hold the Bitcoin long-term / after major political changes?)
I personally know someone whose Lebanese family had food on the table for awhile in large part because of Bitcoin. They aren't even particularly interested in Bitcoin. It just happened to be the thing that worked best for their situation.
I live in a Canadian neighboorhood with lots of immigrants from poorer countries. There's a Bitcoin ATM near me that seems to get a decent amount of usage, mostly by people who look like they might have family in other countries. It might get even more usage, if not for the fact that buying Bitcoin in Canada is pretty easy via exchanges like Kraken and Bull Bitcoin.