So what happens when the Federal government can’t issue Nov Food Stamps?

[Anonymous]

Another one:

Total Spending: A 2016 USDA study found that SNAP households spent about 22.6% of their grocery bill on a combination of sweetened beverages, prepared desserts, salty snacks, candy, and sugar.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Doritos at Safeway are like $7 each not on sale you you know...

I'm think fresh food is $$$ and anyone who suggests it isn't us 1. Out of touch 2. Lying or 3. Shopping at a really gross store!

No, it isn’t. At Walmart you can get a 30-serving container of oatmeal for $4, $2.93/gallon milk, an 8 lb (yes, 8lbs) bag of pinto beans for $6.88, 18 eggs for $3, 5 lbs apples for $6, $0.50/canned vegetables. But people are lazy and prefer to get quick junk

People who have worked 10 hours a day are lazy yeah. You are a jerk.

LOTS of people work 10-12 hr days, people still manage to cook. Yes, it's insane that our work hours are horrible, especially low income people but a simple meal can be put together in 20-25 mins.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If MAGAs are the majority of SNAP and they voted against it, then it should be cut.

Honestly, this might have to be the thing to do. Blue states will come in to rescue their people. Let the red state MAGAs learn some valuable lessons about the their voting history. Same with their insurance premiums.

The D’s can only try to save people from themselves for so long.

Giving people handouts is not saving people from themselves. We as Democrats should be putting community farms around neighborhoods, planting fruit trees in public parks, bringing back home ec, teaching children in schools how to plant a garden, teaching them how to cook, so the next generation isn’t as dependent on a failing system. Giving them money to buy ultra processed garbage food isn’t saving them from anything.

Why do you assume everyone is living off of ultra processed garbage? Yes, people living on couches or SRO rooms probably are. Hard to make your own organic wheat bread when you only have a microwave and hot plate and work 60 hours on your feet every week. But many people buy whole or minimally processed ingredients to make their meals, or buy ultra processed when it is in fact cheaper on a macro basis (see hot dogs versus steak, for example).

I agree we could do more to teach people how to garden, but not all soils are suitable for growing things, particularly in urban areas that were built up in the asbestos/lead based paint/PCBs everywhere era. It’s quite an upfront investment to build and fill raised planters or containers, and the results are far from guaranteed. Buying greenhouse grown may very well be the more economical choice.

Go spend 5 minutes on TikTok and you’ll find countless videos of people showing their EBT shopping hauls and people in grocery stores showing what happens to carts of food when people can’t pay. It’s almost all ultra processed garbage. They should really be limited to fruit, veg, meat, dairy, and pantry staples like flour and cornstarch. I don’t need to buy anyone 25 frozen pizzas and 5 bags of Doritos just to pay for those healthcare bills in 10 years.

You are a first class douche. Cheap food keeps people fed.

All the things you list are VERY expensive now and you need a full kitchen and the utensils and spices to cook with them.

Go crawl back under your rock.

Disagree. Low income people and kids have the highest rate of obesity.
More snap dollars are spent on soda than anything else. People are lazy and don’t want to cook- not just poor people, most people. Many poor people in other countries manage to live on rice and beans, simple foods. American poor people live on frozen pizzas and Doritos

Do you have a link to this fact that more snap dollars are spent on soda than anything else?

While the total dollar amount varies, research indicates that SNAP households spend about 5% of their food budget on soda, with one study finding sugar-sweetened beverages made up 9.3% of all SNAP expenditures. This means that in a given period, billions of dollars in SNAP benefits are spent on sodas and other sugary drinks

That does not state that more snap dollars are spent on soda than anything else.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:In Asian and African countries, low income people cook from scratch and the meals are simple and mostly healthy, they simply can't afford processed or pre packaged food. You will be hard pressed to find a low income Asian who is overweight or obese, They do however have the cooking skills thanks to their parents or extended family. I have always wondered (not in a judgmental way) why poor Americans don't have basic cooking skills when they are the ones who stand to benefit the most from such skills.

Yes, I have seen the aforementioned EBT grocery hauls on TikTok, all the women have functioning kitchens, it seems for a lot of people buying processed and pre packaged food is a choice.

It doesn't take a lot of expense to cook fresh beans, rice with a small salad or some roasted vegetables. Lots of vegetables are not expensive. Pasta cooked in olive oil with come sausages, garlic + bell pepper is a $10 meal for the family. Good oil can be bought in bulk on EBT. Two packets of linguine 99c each at Trader Joe's, chicken sausage $4.99, 1 head of garlic @ 30c, 2 bell peppers for $1.50 and oil + seasonings bought in bulk which can last months.

These are not accurate grocery prices, at least not in any metro area. Also, again you ignore the lack time, space, and cooking skills cooking from scratch requires. Often, poor kids are home alone feeding themselves, while their parent(s) is at job #2 or even 3. They buy them things they can easily microwave, with low risk of burning the house down.

People managed to feed themselves, even kids, before microwaves.

We aren't talking about before. We're talking about now, the world as it actually is.

And today, kids are capable of making themselves something to eat too. You think kids would starve if there were no more pizza rolls and ramen noodle cups?

Have you ever met a kid? If there's nothing but uncooked rice and dry beans in the house, they're more likely to just not eat, even if they theoreticallyknow how to cook them. Stop playing dumb and being cruel.

The parent can cook the food and leave leftovers already prepped on the table for them and they still won’t eat, or say they want junk food instead.

Junk food is like the first drug to kids

You think people working multiple jobs, single parents, caretakers of the elderly, have time to do from-scratch meal planning and prep?

I meal plan and prep and cook my meals from scratch. I buy my food in bulk. It saves a ton of money and time, but it took investments of time and money of front to be able to do this. I've been poor and my diet was very different, and I know that the economics are very different when you are short on time, space, energy, and cash. There's a reason they say it's expensive to be poor.

People will find time for what they consider a priority, unfortunately, my experience has been that majority of them don’t want to cook. I completely understand the shortage of time argument but people all over the world find time to cook because pre packaged is not an option.

You're out of touch and condescending. There isn't much to be done when the time to do something literally does not exist. We aren't talking about people all over the world. We're talking about people in the US, working often multiple jobs, going to school, being disabled, relying on public transportation, etc. All the various reasons someone would be on food stamps, many of which also mean they have limited free time.

And you have the nerve to stick your nose in the air to judge them for what they aren't doing with imaginary time they don't have.

People in rest of the world also have multiple jobs, family commitments, time constraints and less money and no resources. Admit it that lots of people in America don't want to learn basic cooking and nutrition. Of course these arguments don't apply to disabled folks, but able bodied adults should be able to cook a simple meal. Lives in America, even for the poor are far more privileged than the rest of the world and people manage to cook meals at home. Expecting someone to cook a simple meal is not condescending or out of touch, it's called a reasonable expectation.

The rest of the developed world invests in a robust social safety net and sees feeding children as the obvious thing to do.

You say this "obviously" doesn't apply to the elderly or the disabled. Who exactly do you think is on food stamps? Do you think there's just tons of able bodied healthy educated skilled people with fully equipped kitchens and time for from-scratch cooking?

Get a clue. Get outside your bubble and actually meet some of the people you're judging but don't know. Poor people are not different than you. They aren't more lazy, or more stupid, or less moral. They are just poor.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Doritos at Safeway are like $7 each not on sale you you know...

I'm think fresh food is $$$ and anyone who suggests it isn't us 1. Out of touch 2. Lying or 3. Shopping at a really gross store!

No, it isn’t. At Walmart you can get a 30-serving container of oatmeal for $4, $2.93/gallon milk, an 8 lb (yes, 8lbs) bag of pinto beans for $6.88, 18 eggs for $3, 5 lbs apples for $6, $0.50/canned vegetables. But people are lazy and prefer to get quick junk

People who have worked 10 hours a day are lazy yeah. You are a jerk.

None of the above mentioned food takes any more effort to cook than a microwave meal.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Doritos at Safeway are like $7 each not on sale you you know...

I'm think fresh food is $$$ and anyone who suggests it isn't us 1. Out of touch 2. Lying or 3. Shopping at a really gross store!

No, it isn’t. At Walmart you can get a 30-serving container of oatmeal for $4, $2.93/gallon milk, an 8 lb (yes, 8lbs) bag of pinto beans for $6.88, 18 eggs for $3, 5 lbs apples for $6, $0.50/canned vegetables. But people are lazy and prefer to get quick junk

People who have worked 10 hours a day are lazy yeah. You are a jerk.

LOTS of people work 10-12 hr days, people still manage to cook. Yes, it's insane that our work hours are horrible, especially low income people but a simple meal can be put together in 20-25 mins.

Let's see you work 12 hour days, spend 3 hours on your public transit commute, come home to hungry kids, body aching, mind exhausted, for months and years on end without a real break. Are you going to cook food from scratch every single night? Or might you occasionally warm up a frozen pizza so you can actually spend some time with your babies?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:In Asian and African countries, low income people cook from scratch and the meals are simple and mostly healthy, they simply can't afford processed or pre packaged food. You will be hard pressed to find a low income Asian who is overweight or obese, They do however have the cooking skills thanks to their parents or extended family. I have always wondered (not in a judgmental way) why poor Americans don't have basic cooking skills when they are the ones who stand to benefit the most from such skills.

Yes, I have seen the aforementioned EBT grocery hauls on TikTok, all the women have functioning kitchens, it seems for a lot of people buying processed and pre packaged food is a choice.

It doesn't take a lot of expense to cook fresh beans, rice with a small salad or some roasted vegetables. Lots of vegetables are not expensive. Pasta cooked in olive oil with come sausages, garlic + bell pepper is a $10 meal for the family. Good oil can be bought in bulk on EBT. Two packets of linguine 99c each at Trader Joe's, chicken sausage $4.99, 1 head of garlic @ 30c, 2 bell peppers for $1.50 and oil + seasonings bought in bulk which can last months.

These are not accurate grocery prices, at least not in any metro area. Also, again you ignore the lack time, space, and cooking skills cooking from scratch requires. Often, poor kids are home alone feeding themselves, while their parent(s) is at job #2 or even 3. They buy them things they can easily microwave, with low risk of burning the house down.

People managed to feed themselves, even kids, before microwaves.

We aren't talking about before. We're talking about now, the world as it actually is.

And today, kids are capable of making themselves something to eat too. You think kids would starve if there were no more pizza rolls and ramen noodle cups?

Have you ever met a kid? If there's nothing but uncooked rice and dry beans in the house, they're more likely to just not eat, even if they theoreticallyknow how to cook them. Stop playing dumb and being cruel.

The parent can cook the food and leave leftovers already prepped on the table for them and they still won’t eat, or say they want junk food instead.

Junk food is like the first drug to kids

You think people working multiple jobs, single parents, caretakers of the elderly, have time to do from-scratch meal planning and prep?

I meal plan and prep and cook my meals from scratch. I buy my food in bulk. It saves a ton of money and time, but it took investments of time and money of front to be able to do this. I've been poor and my diet was very different, and I know that the economics are very different when you are short on time, space, energy, and cash. There's a reason they say it's expensive to be poor.

People will find time for what they consider a priority, unfortunately, my experience has been that majority of them don’t want to cook. I completely understand the shortage of time argument but people all over the world find time to cook because pre packaged is not an option.

You're out of touch and condescending. There isn't much to be done when the time to do something literally does not exist. We aren't talking about people all over the world. We're talking about people in the US, working often multiple jobs, going to school, being disabled, relying on public transportation, etc. All the various reasons someone would be on food stamps, many of which also mean they have limited free time.

And you have the nerve to stick your nose in the air to judge them for what they aren't doing with imaginary time they don't have.

People in rest of the world also have multiple jobs, family commitments, time constraints and less money and no resources. Admit it that lots of people in America don't want to learn basic cooking and nutrition. Of course these arguments don't apply to disabled folks, but able bodied adults should be able to cook a simple meal. Lives in America, even for the poor are far more privileged than the rest of the world and people manage to cook meals at home. Expecting someone to cook a simple meal is not condescending or out of touch, it's called a reasonable expectation.

The rest of the developed world invests in a robust social safety net and sees feeding children as the obvious thing to do.

You say this "obviously" doesn't apply to the elderly or the disabled. Who exactly do you think is on food stamps? Do you think there's just tons of able bodied healthy educated skilled people with fully equipped kitchens and time for from-scratch cooking?

Get a clue. Get outside your bubble and actually meet some of the people you're judging but don't know. Poor people are not different than you. They aren't more lazy, or more stupid, or less moral. They are just poor.

You get a clue. This is an American cultural problem. We’ve been sold the lie that we don’t have the time or capacity to cook. My DH’s mother came here from a poor country with 2 kids, worked nights as a nursing aid, and had no social safety net at all. She cooked all their food on minimum wage. He never ate restaurant food, school lunch, or packaged food until his teen yrs when he was out with friends.

[Anonymous]

Convenience foods are a life saver for people whom also have disabilities. While it might be a simple meal for some to prepare, those that suffer from medical conditions may struggle.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Doritos at Safeway are like $7 each not on sale you you know...

I'm think fresh food is $$$ and anyone who suggests it isn't us 1. Out of touch 2. Lying or 3. Shopping at a really gross store!

No, it isn’t. At Walmart you can get a 30-serving container of oatmeal for $4, $2.93/gallon milk, an 8 lb (yes, 8lbs) bag of pinto beans for $6.88, 18 eggs for $3, 5 lbs apples for $6, $0.50/canned vegetables. But people are lazy and prefer to get quick junk

People who have worked 10 hours a day are lazy yeah. You are a jerk.

LOTS of people work 10-12 hr days, people still manage to cook. Yes, it's insane that our work hours are horrible, especially low income people but a simple meal can be put together in 20-25 mins.

Let's see you work 12 hour days, spend 3 hours on your public transit commute, come home to hungry kids, body aching, mind exhausted, for months and years on end without a real break. Are you going to cook food from scratch every single night? Or might you occasionally warm up a frozen pizza so you can actually spend some time with your babies?

I can prepare and cook a dish in less than an hour that will feed a family for three days. Time to get real.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Doritos at Safeway are like $7 each not on sale you you know...

I'm think fresh food is $$$ and anyone who suggests it isn't us 1. Out of touch 2. Lying or 3. Shopping at a really gross store!

No, it isn’t. At Walmart you can get a 30-serving container of oatmeal for $4, $2.93/gallon milk, an 8 lb (yes, 8lbs) bag of pinto beans for $6.88, 18 eggs for $3, 5 lbs apples for $6, $0.50/canned vegetables. But people are lazy and prefer to get quick junk

People who have worked 10 hours a day are lazy yeah. You are a jerk.

LOTS of people work 10-12 hr days, people still manage to cook. Yes, it's insane that our work hours are horrible, especially low income people but a simple meal can be put together in 20-25 mins.

Let's see you work 12 hour days, spend 3 hours on your public transit commute, come home to hungry kids, body aching, mind exhausted, for months and years on end without a real break. Are you going to cook food from scratch every single night? Or might you occasionally warm up a frozen pizza so you can actually spend some time with your babies?

Stop pretending everyone on snap is even working full time, let alone 12 hr days

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:In Asian and African countries, low income people cook from scratch and the meals are simple and mostly healthy, they simply can't afford processed or pre packaged food. You will be hard pressed to find a low income Asian who is overweight or obese, They do however have the cooking skills thanks to their parents or extended family. I have always wondered (not in a judgmental way) why poor Americans don't have basic cooking skills when they are the ones who stand to benefit the most from such skills.

Yes, I have seen the aforementioned EBT grocery hauls on TikTok, all the women have functioning kitchens, it seems for a lot of people buying processed and pre packaged food is a choice.

It doesn't take a lot of expense to cook fresh beans, rice with a small salad or some roasted vegetables. Lots of vegetables are not expensive. Pasta cooked in olive oil with come sausages, garlic + bell pepper is a $10 meal for the family. Good oil can be bought in bulk on EBT. Two packets of linguine 99c each at Trader Joe's, chicken sausage $4.99, 1 head of garlic @ 30c, 2 bell peppers for $1.50 and oil + seasonings bought in bulk which can last months.

These are not accurate grocery prices, at least not in any metro area. Also, again you ignore the lack time, space, and cooking skills cooking from scratch requires. Often, poor kids are home alone feeding themselves, while their parent(s) is at job #2 or even 3. They buy them things they can easily microwave, with low risk of burning the house down.

People managed to feed themselves, even kids, before microwaves.

We aren't talking about before. We're talking about now, the world as it actually is.

And today, kids are capable of making themselves something to eat too. You think kids would starve if there were no more pizza rolls and ramen noodle cups?

Have you ever met a kid? If there's nothing but uncooked rice and dry beans in the house, they're more likely to just not eat, even if they theoreticallyknow how to cook them. Stop playing dumb and being cruel.

The parent can cook the food and leave leftovers already prepped on the table for them and they still won’t eat, or say they want junk food instead.

Junk food is like the first drug to kids

You think people working multiple jobs, single parents, caretakers of the elderly, have time to do from-scratch meal planning and prep?

I meal plan and prep and cook my meals from scratch. I buy my food in bulk. It saves a ton of money and time, but it took investments of time and money of front to be able to do this. I've been poor and my diet was very different, and I know that the economics are very different when you are short on time, space, energy, and cash. There's a reason they say it's expensive to be poor.

People will find time for what they consider a priority, unfortunately, my experience has been that majority of them don’t want to cook. I completely understand the shortage of time argument but people all over the world find time to cook because pre packaged is not an option.

You're out of touch and condescending. There isn't much to be done when the time to do something literally does not exist. We aren't talking about people all over the world. We're talking about people in the US, working often multiple jobs, going to school, being disabled, relying on public transportation, etc. All the various reasons someone would be on food stamps, many of which also mean they have limited free time.

And you have the nerve to stick your nose in the air to judge them for what they aren't doing with imaginary time they don't have.

People in rest of the world also have multiple jobs, family commitments, time constraints and less money and no resources. Admit it that lots of people in America don't want to learn basic cooking and nutrition. Of course these arguments don't apply to disabled folks, but able bodied adults should be able to cook a simple meal. Lives in America, even for the poor are far more privileged than the rest of the world and people manage to cook meals at home. Expecting someone to cook a simple meal is not condescending or out of touch, it's called a reasonable expectation.

The rest of the developed world invests in a robust social safety net and sees feeding children as the obvious thing to do.

You say this "obviously" doesn't apply to the elderly or the disabled. Who exactly do you think is on food stamps? Do you think there's just tons of able bodied healthy educated skilled people with fully equipped kitchens and time for from-scratch cooking?

Get a clue. Get outside your bubble and actually meet some of the people you're judging but don't know. Poor people are not different than you. They aren't more lazy, or more stupid, or less moral. They are just poor.

You get a clue. This is an American cultural problem. We’ve been sold the lie that we don’t have the time or capacity to cook. My DH’s mother came here from a poor country with 2 kids, worked nights as a nursing aid, and had no social safety net at all. She cooked all their food on minimum wage. He never ate restaurant food, school lunch, or packaged food until his teen yrs when he was out with friends.

The point is, no one should have to live like you are describing. No woman wants to spend her life like your husband's mom did.

Want to know why there's a birthrate crisis? This is why.

We expect women to be machines. We refuse to offer any real support. And we ruthlessly judge every decision they make, down to feeding their kids a convenience food after a long ass day at multiple jobs. "Why can't she cook healthy food from scratch! And also keep the home spotless. And also spend hours on homework with these kids. And also put herself through school."

If we want healthy well adjusted kids and families, we have to invest in them. Not judge them. Not punish them for not having better bootstraps. Instead of being a judge ass about what they put in their cart, ask yourself what we could do to make healthy food choices easier for low income working parents.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Doritos at Safeway are like $7 each not on sale you you know...

I'm think fresh food is $$$ and anyone who suggests it isn't us 1. Out of touch 2. Lying or 3. Shopping at a really gross store!

No, it isn’t. At Walmart you can get a 30-serving container of oatmeal for $4, $2.93/gallon milk, an 8 lb (yes, 8lbs) bag of pinto beans for $6.88, 18 eggs for $3, 5 lbs apples for $6, $0.50/canned vegetables. But people are lazy and prefer to get quick junk

People who have worked 10 hours a day are lazy yeah. You are a jerk.

LOTS of people work 10-12 hr days, people still manage to cook. Yes, it's insane that our work hours are horrible, especially low income people but a simple meal can be put together in 20-25 mins.

Let's see you work 12 hour days, spend 3 hours on your public transit commute, come home to hungry kids, body aching, mind exhausted, for months and years on end without a real break. Are you going to cook food from scratch every single night? Or might you occasionally warm up a frozen pizza so you can actually spend some time with your babies?

Stop pretending everyone on snap is even working full time, let alone 12 hr days

Snap has work requirements. It isn't providing much. Most people on benefits work, many work multiple jobs. I'm not pretending, you are uninformed.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Doritos at Safeway are like $7 each not on sale you you know...

I'm think fresh food is $$$ and anyone who suggests it isn't us 1. Out of touch 2. Lying or 3. Shopping at a really gross store!

No, it isn’t. At Walmart you can get a 30-serving container of oatmeal for $4, $2.93/gallon milk, an 8 lb (yes, 8lbs) bag of pinto beans for $6.88, 18 eggs for $3, 5 lbs apples for $6, $0.50/canned vegetables. But people are lazy and prefer to get quick junk

People who have worked 10 hours a day are lazy yeah. You are a jerk.

LOTS of people work 10-12 hr days, people still manage to cook. Yes, it's insane that our work hours are horrible, especially low income people but a simple meal can be put together in 20-25 mins.

Let's see you work 12 hour days, spend 3 hours on your public transit commute, come home to hungry kids, body aching, mind exhausted, for months and years on end without a real break. Are you going to cook food from scratch every single night? Or might you occasionally warm up a frozen pizza so you can actually spend some time with your babies?

I can prepare and cook a dish in less than an hour that will feed a family for three days. Time to get real.

Maybe you can. And maybe you would sometimes. But not always. Because you are human.

[Anonymous]

I think the larger point of all of this is that the Democrats, as usual, will be behind the eight ball on messaging.

Are they proactively (enough) getting out there with "Trump builds a ballroom for $300m while you starve?".

No.

I am sure the Republican spin machine is ready.

WHERE IS THE DEMOCRATIC LEADERSHIP????? IS ANYONE USING THEIR WITS?

MAGA outwits them at every turn. Sad!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:In Asian and African countries, low income people cook from scratch and the meals are simple and mostly healthy, they simply can't afford processed or pre packaged food. You will be hard pressed to find a low income Asian who is overweight or obese, They do however have the cooking skills thanks to their parents or extended family. I have always wondered (not in a judgmental way) why poor Americans don't have basic cooking skills when they are the ones who stand to benefit the most from such skills.

Yes, I have seen the aforementioned EBT grocery hauls on TikTok, all the women have functioning kitchens, it seems for a lot of people buying processed and pre packaged food is a choice.

It doesn't take a lot of expense to cook fresh beans, rice with a small salad or some roasted vegetables. Lots of vegetables are not expensive. Pasta cooked in olive oil with come sausages, garlic + bell pepper is a $10 meal for the family. Good oil can be bought in bulk on EBT. Two packets of linguine 99c each at Trader Joe's, chicken sausage $4.99, 1 head of garlic @ 30c, 2 bell peppers for $1.50 and oil + seasonings bought in bulk which can last months.

These are not accurate grocery prices, at least not in any metro area. Also, again you ignore the lack time, space, and cooking skills cooking from scratch requires. Often, poor kids are home alone feeding themselves, while their parent(s) is at job #2 or even 3. They buy them things they can easily microwave, with low risk of burning the house down.

People managed to feed themselves, even kids, before microwaves.

We aren't talking about before. We're talking about now, the world as it actually is.

And today, kids are capable of making themselves something to eat too. You think kids would starve if there were no more pizza rolls and ramen noodle cups?

Have you ever met a kid? If there's nothing but uncooked rice and dry beans in the house, they're more likely to just not eat, even if they theoreticallyknow how to cook them. Stop playing dumb and being cruel.

The parent can cook the food and leave leftovers already prepped on the table for them and they still won’t eat, or say they want junk food instead.

Junk food is like the first drug to kids

You think people working multiple jobs, single parents, caretakers of the elderly, have time to do from-scratch meal planning and prep?

I meal plan and prep and cook my meals from scratch. I buy my food in bulk. It saves a ton of money and time, but it took investments of time and money of front to be able to do this. I've been poor and my diet was very different, and I know that the economics are very different when you are short on time, space, energy, and cash. There's a reason they say it's expensive to be poor.

People will find time for what they consider a priority, unfortunately, my experience has been that majority of them don’t want to cook. I completely understand the shortage of time argument but people all over the world find time to cook because pre packaged is not an option.

You're out of touch and condescending. There isn't much to be done when the time to do something literally does not exist. We aren't talking about people all over the world. We're talking about people in the US, working often multiple jobs, going to school, being disabled, relying on public transportation, etc. All the various reasons someone would be on food stamps, many of which also mean they have limited free time.

And you have the nerve to stick your nose in the air to judge them for what they aren't doing with imaginary time they don't have.

People in rest of the world also have multiple jobs, family commitments, time constraints and less money and no resources. Admit it that lots of people in America don't want to learn basic cooking and nutrition. Of course these arguments don't apply to disabled folks, but able bodied adults should be able to cook a simple meal. Lives in America, even for the poor are far more privileged than the rest of the world and people manage to cook meals at home. Expecting someone to cook a simple meal is not condescending or out of touch, it's called a reasonable expectation.

The rest of the developed world invests in a robust social safety net and sees feeding children as the obvious thing to do.

You say this "obviously" doesn't apply to the elderly or the disabled. Who exactly do you think is on food stamps? Do you think there's just tons of able bodied healthy educated skilled people with fully equipped kitchens and time for from-scratch cooking?

Get a clue. Get outside your bubble and actually meet some of the people you're judging but don't know. Poor people are not different than you. They aren't more lazy, or more stupid, or less moral. They are just poor.

You get a clue. This is an American cultural problem. We’ve been sold the lie that we don’t have the time or capacity to cook. My DH’s mother came here from a poor country with 2 kids, worked nights as a nursing aid, and had no social safety net at all. She cooked all their food on minimum wage. He never ate restaurant food, school lunch, or packaged food until his teen yrs when he was out with friends.

The point is, no one should have to live like you are describing. No woman wants to spend her life like your husband's mom did.

Want to know why there's a birthrate crisis? This is why.

We expect women to be machines. We refuse to offer any real support. And we ruthlessly judge every decision they make, down to feeding their kids a convenience food after a long ass day at multiple jobs. "Why can't she cook healthy food from scratch! And also keep the home spotless. And also spend hours on homework with these kids. And also put herself through school."

If we want healthy well adjusted kids and families, we have to invest in them. Not judge them. Not punish them for not having better bootstraps. Instead of being a judge ass about what they put in their cart, ask yourself what we could do to make healthy food choices easier for low income working parents.

She was happy to cook and still does even though her financial situation is much better. Cook isn't drudgery, it’s feeding your family nutritious meals