Poor people can't afford healthy food

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My DC worked as a cashier at a grocery store for the summer and it was the best experience. He learned how expensive food is in general, but he also saw what people would buy. He came away with some prejudices, but mostly against poor Americans and in favor of immigrants. It was striking to see people buying small bags of expensive processed food and then someone who didn't speak English coming through with a cart full of beans, tortillas and fresh vegetables for the same amount of money.

Let us know what your DC buys when he cooks for himself. Does he have the time and skills to make fresh food from scratch? I’m curious in part because his prejudices might be leaving out a few things. One possibility that comes to mind is that more immigrants may live in households that have a grandmother or other adult to do the cooking and other unpaid tasks. Most “poor Americans “ may not have households like that, and are exhausted from low paying jobs and relying on time saving conveniences. Not saying that his observations are wrong — just that he might be missing a few variables in the mix, which might be easy to do, especially if he’s not the one spending the time or with the expertise to transform the beans and fresh vegetables into an actual meal. This is also overlooking the reality that processed food is often cheaper per serving— especially when it comes to fruit, at least in my experience. Also, it’s cheaper to buy one expensive frozen dinner than it it to buy the spices and even utensils that it might take to make it from scratch — especially if you don’t have a fully stocked pantry. The cost per serving of the processed food will usually be more, but the immediate cost might often be a lot less.

I’m curious: Do schools offer what used to be called Home Ec now?

I grew up in a time of Home Ec and learned absolutely nothing of real use. I’ve never once made stone soup or monkey bread since that class , nor have I ever sewn another pair of pocketless shorts.

I made a duffle bag and learned how to hand stitch and use a sewing machine. Not too long ago, I made some cloth masks from an old cotton shirt.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:SNAP and WIC food benefits are being cut, so it's going to be even harder to feed families.

The growth of expenditures is being cut, and work (or education or volunteer) requirements are being implemented for able bodied adults. I'm good with that.

I haven't seen a bit of reporting about cuts to WIC.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It is possible to eat very cheaply if you know some basics of cooking and are willing to eat the same stuff over and over again. Rice, beans, cheap cuts of meat. Bananas. Potato’s. Certain vegetables like carrots or collard greens.

But it’s really hard to live like this consistently when people you know are eating chips and McDonald’s and cookies. I think that’s why it can be easier for immigrants — if they are in a culture where everyone is eating simple hearty food, it feels less stigmatizing and less depressing. But if you’ve worked two shifts in a job you hate and are going home to take care of your kids, it’s hard not to grab some chips. If you know you can’t give your kids much. At least there’s store brand oreos. I mean. I have a pretty easy job and plenty of money and I still can’t always make myself eat what I know I should. It takes a lot of discipline to go through the store finding the healthy cheap food and then go home and make it.

Stop with the "working two jobs" thing. Poor, native-born Americans using welfare are not working multiple jobs.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It is possible to eat very cheaply if you know some basics of cooking and are willing to eat the same stuff over and over again. Rice, beans, cheap cuts of meat. Bananas. Potato’s. Certain vegetables like carrots or collard greens.

But it’s really hard to live like this consistently when people you know are eating chips and McDonald’s and cookies. I think that’s why it can be easier for immigrants — if they are in a culture where everyone is eating simple hearty food, it feels less stigmatizing and less depressing. But if you’ve worked two shifts in a job you hate and are going home to take care of your kids, it’s hard not to grab some chips. If you know you can’t give your kids much. At least there’s store brand oreos. I mean. I have a pretty easy job and plenty of money and I still can’t always make myself eat what I know I should. It takes a lot of discipline to go through the store finding the healthy cheap food and then go home and make it.

Stop with the "working two jobs" thing. Poor, native-born Americans using welfare are not working multiple jobs.

This. American born poor people aren’t even working one full time job. It’s the immigrants busting their tail in multiple jobs- and ironically, the ones eating simple, inexpensive, cooked foods and not living on processed junk food.