Poor or middle class food
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Anonymous
The poor don't go to restaurants. Working class, sure. And would you include Capital Grille or Clyde's on your list? Do "poors" pay $15 for a burger? 
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Anonymous
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I understand the OP's question. In this area, it is considered lower class to eat at chain restaurants like Applebee's or the Olive Garden. It is considered lower class to eat pre-made food. Upper class people in this area place a premium on independently owned restaurants. The lower class restaurants don't even have to be fast food, though some fast food is "classier" than others (see: everyone who loves Chipotle but demonizes McDonald's).
I don't know if it has been posted in the unintentional status symbol thread or not, but I personally consider food tastes to be a huge status symbol, sometimes unintentional. Buying fresh fruits and vegetables (whether they come from the farmer's market, WF or Giant) IS an indicator of money. When I was a poor child on food stamps, we did not buy fresh peas. We did not buy fresh corn. We bought the frozen bags that cost $0.50 in 1984 because they would last longer. Beans and rice poster, that's why beans and rice are considered a "poor food" by many as well. You can buy a large bag of rice and a couple bags of dried beans and eat for weeks. You will not get the vitamins and fiber and whatnot from the fruit and vegetables you're missing, but you will not starve. You will have adequate carbohydrates and protein for energy. This is WHY they're a staple in many parts of the world, and the primary food source for many, many people. Fresh produce, fresh meats - these were things that we did not get a ton of as kids because the food stamp money only went so far. I also agree with the PP who mentioned large sizes of things - 2 liter bottles of soda instead of single serving and gallon tubs of ice cream instead of Ben and Jerry's. We didn't get those things as kids except for once in a blue moon as a treat, and I always, always wished I could just have my own can of soda, rather than pouring a glass from a bottle that would inevitably go flat if it was in the house for more than a day. |
Anonymous
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This website has a menu and recipes to feed a family of 4 for a week for $45.
http://www.hillbillyhousewife.com/40dollarmenu.htm It looks like a lot of work. Lots of stuff from scratch, soaking beans, bread from scratch, etc. |
Anonymous
Wow! If only I had the time and energy to do at this. What a great way to save money. |
Anonymous
15:00 here. Yes, also this. Many of the "poor" foods that result in getting proper nutrition require cooking everything from scratch. It is time consuming. It worked for us because my mom stayed home. She planned weekly menus and spent a lot of time cooking. Beans soaking overnight, bread rising overnight. That sort of thing. Of course, the flipside is also true. People who are wealthy often have MORE time on their hands and can cook elaborately. They just end up with things like chicken cordon bleu or a salad with 15 ingredients, rather than "beans and rice". |
Anonymous
Doesn't look like that much work, unless you count opening cans. However, I think this is a great blueprint for people who want to eat fairly healthy on a budget. Note what is absent from the list, for which many "poor Americans" often eat: boxed cereal, sodas, and fast food. |
Anonymous
NP. When I was a broke graduate student working 2 part-time jobs plus an assistantship, we bought bags of frozen chicken thighs or chicken breasts at Sam's Club. We would mix those with a variety of rice and vegetables to make chicken stew. |
Anonymous
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When I was super-broke, my roommate worked at a Pinkerton security guard on the weekends. The warehouse where he worked gave each employee a ham for Easter. After the holiday, they put the leftover hams in a stand-up freezer. My friend, the security guard, stole a couple of hams a month out of that freezer. We ate a lot of ham sandwiches and ham and beans made with stolen ham. |
Anonymous
Outback is our fast food. When we are out and about and it's too late, I am not driving through Mc Donald's to feed my kids crap. I would much rather them eat a steak and vegetables instead. |
Anonymous
I'm so happy you can afford that pp.... |
Anonymous
| I grew up actually poor by DCUM standards. (SF Bay Area, HHI around 40k, family of 5) We ate a lot of traditional Indian food. meat rarely, 1x/week. Whole wheat rotis made fresh with a bag of flour bought in bulk, some kind of a vegetable curry (whatever is in season, on sale, frozen), and dal. Also, yogurt or milk. That was dinner 6 nights out of 7. If I live to be 100 it will be because of the strong nutritional foundation my parents gave me. Not all poor people are feeding their kids garbage. |
Anonymous
I'd rather just plan ahead to feed my kids than waste $$ on crappy food from Outback. We eat out only because we actually want to, the thought of dropping $50 for a mediocre meal at the outback pains me. |
Anonymous
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My dad, age 80, grew up poor. He always joked that his palate never evolved from standard "poor people food" and he was raised on:
- Kool Aid (or sugar water, really...his mom would mix up sugar and water in a pitcher) - Mayonnaise sandwiches - just mayo on white, nothing else - Scrapple, Spam and hot dogs - pancakes - beans, eaten out of the can (baked beans, limas) |
Anonymous
+1 |
Anonymous
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