4 ms·

> I've heard the same thing, and I usually respond with prices of decent, filling food at the grocery store - like potatoes, a can of beans, a bag of apples, et

> I've heard the same thing, and I usually respond with prices of decent, filling food at the grocery store - like potatoes, a can of beans, a bag of apples, etc. As for cooking, you can buy a used microwave at the thrift store for about what a soft taco costs at Taco Time. You may want to factor in that the 20 minutes they have to acquire and prep a meal is already coming out of the 6 hours they have allocated for sleep. Having done a decade of hunger-level poverty, I found it surprising busy.

WalterBright 4y ago
Takes me 2 minutes to microwave a $2 can of chili. The can is worth about 2 meals. The trip to the store, once a week. Driving to Taco Time every day takes time, gas, and costs $20 for a meal. Ironically, I microwave meals and such not because I'm poor, but to save time. I dislike going to restaurants and even McBurger because it takes too much time. Another meal I like takes less than a minute. Pour some oats in a bowl. Add raisins. Add milk. Ready to eat. I doubt it costs 50 cents. Or make a couple cheese sandwiches with butter and a pickle.
- WarOnPrivacy 4y ago
  These sound like things that can be done by someone who has resources when and where they need them. They do not sound like something that can be done consistently by someone without regular transportation or pay.
  - seneca 4y ago
    > These sound like things that can be done by someone who has resources when and where they need them. > They do not sound like something that can be done consistently by someone without regular transportation or pay. If someone has transportation to go to a fast food restaurant, they have transportation to go to a corner store and buy a can of beans. If they have money for one, they have money for the other. It's actually usually cheaper not to eat the junk food. Reality is that most poor people eat junk food because it's less effort, and because the high amounts of salt, fat, and sugar that make it so unhealthy are nearly addictive and act as a comfort.
    - WarOnPrivacy 4y ago
      > If someone has transportation to go to a fast food restaurant, they have transportation to go to a corner store and buy a can of beans. There's a number of ways this wouldn't be true and they aren't difficult to come up with. Beyond that, the discussion is encapsulating somewhat broader points - the resources it takes to eat consistently healthy vs eating cheaply. It wouldn't make sense to only include fast food in the poor diet options. Your seem to be asserting this: That someone living in a healthy-food dessert and without reliable access to transportation has no excuse to not consistently eat a healthy diet. I counter that 60 seconds of thinking it thru would produce any number of scenarios that clearly speak against that assertion. > Reality is that most poor people eat junk food because it's less effort, and because the high amounts of salt, fat, and sugar that make it so unhealthy are nearly addictive and act as a comfort. This is meaningfully related, though it's a bit over declared. Some with limited access to resources may be able to put a healthy meal together if they're playing their A Game. But A Games are hard to come by for folks condemned to survival mode - maybe the sort where 5 hours sleep is the norm along with caregiving multiple people while working multiple jobs.
- metadat 4y ago
  FYI, half-decent Chili at Safeway is now more like $3.50-5.50. The days of canned food being cheap are over, even the tiny cans of super high sodium 200%+ DV Campbell's Chicken Soup costs like $2-3. What are the poor people supposed to live off of? Potatoes, beans, and rice 24/7? That diet is a tough sell. Especially since people in a low socioeconomic position are frequently quite busy trying to hold life together between 2-4 jobs and a family which includes children. I can understand why someone in this position would spring for something quick, easy, flavorful, and requiring as little expenditure of mental and emotional energy as possible. The lack of empathy demonstrated throughout this thread for less well-off folks is not surprising but still a disappointing non-deviation from the HN stereotype. Why is it so hard to imagine being in someone else's shitty position? Being poor obviously sucks, it wears people down and disrupts and interferes with making optimal long-term decisions. This is obvious and I can't say I've ever truly been in this exact situation.

WalterBright 4y ago

Takes me 2 minutes to microwave a $2 can of chili. The can is worth about 2 meals. The trip to the store, once a week. Driving to Taco Time every day takes time, gas, and costs $20 for a meal. Ironically, I microwave meals and such not because I'm poor, but to save time. I dislike going to restaurants and even McBurger because it takes too much time. Another meal I like takes less than a minute. Pour some oats in a bowl. Add raisins. Add milk. Ready to eat. I doubt it costs 50 cents. Or make a couple cheese sandwiches with butter and a pickle.

WarOnPrivacy 4y ago
These sound like things that can be done by someone who has resources when and where they need them. They do not sound like something that can be done consistently by someone without regular transportation or pay.
- seneca 4y ago
  > These sound like things that can be done by someone who has resources when and where they need them. > They do not sound like something that can be done consistently by someone without regular transportation or pay. If someone has transportation to go to a fast food restaurant, they have transportation to go to a corner store and buy a can of beans. If they have money for one, they have money for the other. It's actually usually cheaper not to eat the junk food. Reality is that most poor people eat junk food because it's less effort, and because the high amounts of salt, fat, and sugar that make it so unhealthy are nearly addictive and act as a comfort.
  - WarOnPrivacy 4y ago
    > If someone has transportation to go to a fast food restaurant, they have transportation to go to a corner store and buy a can of beans. There's a number of ways this wouldn't be true and they aren't difficult to come up with. Beyond that, the discussion is encapsulating somewhat broader points - the resources it takes to eat consistently healthy vs eating cheaply. It wouldn't make sense to only include fast food in the poor diet options. Your seem to be asserting this: That someone living in a healthy-food dessert and without reliable access to transportation has no excuse to not consistently eat a healthy diet. I counter that 60 seconds of thinking it thru would produce any number of scenarios that clearly speak against that assertion. > Reality is that most poor people eat junk food because it's less effort, and because the high amounts of salt, fat, and sugar that make it so unhealthy are nearly addictive and act as a comfort. This is meaningfully related, though it's a bit over declared. Some with limited access to resources may be able to put a healthy meal together if they're playing their A Game. But A Games are hard to come by for folks condemned to survival mode - maybe the sort where 5 hours sleep is the norm along with caregiving multiple people while working multiple jobs.
metadat 4y ago
FYI, half-decent Chili at Safeway is now more like $3.50-5.50. The days of canned food being cheap are over, even the tiny cans of super high sodium 200%+ DV Campbell's Chicken Soup costs like $2-3. What are the poor people supposed to live off of? Potatoes, beans, and rice 24/7? That diet is a tough sell. Especially since people in a low socioeconomic position are frequently quite busy trying to hold life together between 2-4 jobs and a family which includes children. I can understand why someone in this position would spring for something quick, easy, flavorful, and requiring as little expenditure of mental and emotional energy as possible. The lack of empathy demonstrated throughout this thread for less well-off folks is not surprising but still a disappointing non-deviation from the HN stereotype. Why is it so hard to imagine being in someone else's shitty position? Being poor obviously sucks, it wears people down and disrupts and interferes with making optimal long-term decisions. This is obvious and I can't say I've ever truly been in this exact situation.