Poverty and lack of supermarkets...

[Anonymous]

TIL I grew up in a "food desert". Was 1.3 miles from our house to the nearest grocery store. Is there any place in SE that's more than a mile from a grocery store? What exactly do people want?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I grew up in a food desert in Baltimore. Most people bought enough for a day or two from convenience stores in the neighborhood. These foods were either pre-cooked or highly marked up. Either way, they were all junk food and typically not fresh. The store owners were all Korean and highly suspicious of shoplifting and robbery by the AA customers. No, they didn't seem capable or interested in telling us apart. So my mom refused to patronize them.
We didn't have a car so on Saturday, the trip from our neighborhood to one with a Giant took half the day. When my mom became very ill in my mid-teens, that became my responsibility. Time I could have spent studying or working was devoted to obtaining bread, milk, and other basic staples. I know it impacted me academically.
As an adult, I've insisted on decent grocery stores nearby as a non negotiable in selecting where to live. Very disappointed with Safeway even in the suburbs. Rotten food is commonly left on shelves.

I recently saw what a luxury/privilege it is to live near a good food store. I was recently hungry near the Woodbridge library and stopped by the market. The healthiest meal I put together was some peanuts, a banana and iced tea and a small bag of potato chips (for the fatty, filling calories) that came out to $5+. That showed me of how good I have it to be able to walk three minutes to the corner market for fresh last-minute ingredients like a red onion, cilantro or potatoes. Thinking of how often I pop in the neighborhood shop for a little bit of this or that, I am so glad/grateful to have the luxury.

I call bullshit. There is a great community grocery store (really nice) within 3 blocks of where you were. If you wanted something even quicker, there is a Zeke's Coffee. You could have grabbed something.

How are poor people supposed to find out about grocery stores that might be near them without Yelp--or any access to a smartphone at all, sometimes?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I grew up in a food desert in Baltimore. Most people bought enough for a day or two from convenience stores in the neighborhood. These foods were either pre-cooked or highly marked up. Either way, they were all junk food and typically not fresh. The store owners were all Korean and highly suspicious of shoplifting and robbery by the AA customers. No, they didn't seem capable or interested in telling us apart. So my mom refused to patronize them.
We didn't have a car so on Saturday, the trip from our neighborhood to one with a Giant took half the day. When my mom became very ill in my mid-teens, that became my responsibility. Time I could have spent studying or working was devoted to obtaining bread, milk, and other basic staples. I know it impacted me academically.
As an adult, I've insisted on decent grocery stores nearby as a non negotiable in selecting where to live. Very disappointed with Safeway even in the suburbs. Rotten food is commonly left on shelves.

I recently saw what a luxury/privilege it is to live near a good food store. I was recently hungry near the Woodbridge library and stopped by the market. The healthiest meal I put together was some peanuts, a banana and iced tea and a small bag of potato chips (for the fatty, filling calories) that came out to $5+. That showed me of how good I have it to be able to walk three minutes to the corner market for fresh last-minute ingredients like a red onion, cilantro or potatoes. Thinking of how often I pop in the neighborhood shop for a little bit of this or that, I am so glad/grateful to have the luxury.

I call bullshit. There is a great community grocery store (really nice) within 3 blocks of where you were. If you wanted something even quicker, there is a Zeke's Coffee. You could have grabbed something.

How are poor people supposed to find out about grocery stores that might be near them without Yelp--or any access to a smartphone at all, sometimes?

Please tell me this is a joke.