3 ms·

Anecdotally... No they are not. My middle school daughter says many of her friends just eat ramen packets every night.

by jswelker 11mo ago

dyauspitr 11mo ago
So even crappier food. The people have to be blamed for this at some point. Lower income Indian and East Asian families cook fresh food every night that probably costs less than $0.50 a plate. Beans, lentils, rice, eggs, pork and chicken can take you very far.
- kakacik 11mo ago
  But if people cook more (like its typical in european folks around Mediterranean), who will then do all the necessary TV watching and doom scrolling on social cancers to make them feel even more miserable and inadequate? Btw that portion you mention won't be 0.5$, more like 2-3$ if if balanced and healthy enough. Tons of rice as is still very common in south east Asia ain't very healthy neither. But its sorta proven once folks start to cook for themselves more, they cook healthier than preprocessed junk food. And I don't mean some exquisite stuff, spending even 10-20 mins ever second evening can provide enough for whole family.
- jswelker 11mo ago
  I'm not saying the people aren't to blame, but no one is blameless in the cultural decay. If US natives learned to live like immigrants, many ills would be solved, dietary and otherwise.
- anonymouskimmer 11mo ago
  Some people aren't taught how to cook (though I suppose they could jump on YouTube these days). And for those who are, at the very lowest incomes, they may not have a working range or oven. While a cheap microwave can be had for under $100, the cheaper plug-in stove tops don't last if used daily.
  - f1shy 11mo ago
    Also those people may not have time or energy to learn cooking by looking youtube. From an armchair, with good economic position and time and money for hobbies anyone can learn to cook by yt. But man I know some families where both parents (when there are 2!) come completely exhausted after 10 hs of hard work. We changed the quality of food on our home. The amount of money and time invested was much more than we expected. Everthing from a decent equipped kitchen, with enough room, knives and other tools are needed… I lived once in 15 sq meter flat… I can tell you, is difficult to cook in a kitchenette.
    - ponector 11mo ago
      >>> decent equipped kitchen, with enough room, knives and other tools are needed But you don't need too much to cook a healthy food. One pan, one pot, one knife and a spatula. Yes, not everything could be cooked with such setup, but tons of healthy cheap food.
      - shagie 11mo ago
        The per person time commitment and food options for cooking for one is difficult. I would contend it's harder to cook a balanced meal for one person than it is for a family of four. Buying things with portions for single servings has a premium on the price. Buying things at family size portions means that you have to have that for four nights in a row otherwise you've got wasted food (that is more expensive than the single portions). For example, I've got a wok and can do a reasonable stir fry. Going and getting chicken for it meant that I had to get a pack of four chicken breasts... and I need to cook it before they spoil in my refrigerator. The vegetables (broccoli, pepper, carrots) were a bit better for keeping but you tended not to have one or two carrots unless you shopped the more expensive organic section. You get a 1lb bundle of carrots... and a lot of times, I'd end up throwing out some at the end of the week. https://www.reddit.com/r/MealPrepSunday/ https://www.reddit.com/r/MealPrepSunday/ just isn't something that I can do and stay sane. I can get a 3500 calorie deep dish pizza from Little Caesars for $15 ... and that's a good two days of caloric intake right there (there are even less expensive ones - I'm a fan of Detroit style). Four meals for $4 per meal. I think it was $12 when I was unemployed for a while a couple years ago. I still have difficulty with grocery shopping portions for single servings and getting enough variety. I currently have a meal delivery / ready meal subscription that sends boxed raw ingredients that are 2 minutes of prep for a toaster oven and is about $12 per meal (600 - 800 calories). It's less expensive than door dash, the local diner, or the sit down casual dining and is portioned for cooking for one (and a lot healthier than four meals of pizza). ... However, being able to pay that much per meal isn't something that people who are getting priced out of McDs are able to do.
- throwway120385 11mo ago
  Anecdotally, a pressure-cooked pot of beans can take over 40 minutes to knock together. So it is not that simple.
  - esafak 11mo ago
    Only if you lack the planning skills to soak them in the morning or the night before. Besides, hydrated canned beans are perfectly affordable.
    - f1shy 11mo ago
      Like if the single mum living of a minimum wage has time and energy while dressing the 2 kids to not forget such things. Sorry I know such people that I profoundly admire. I feel is just unfair such a comment. I have enough time and little stress in my life, I can plan what I’m going to cook the next week. But I could never criticize that people for not being able to.
      - somenameforme 11mo ago
        Critique isn't necessarily just mean spirited. It's rather difficult to know what you don't know, and so many people do awful things without knowing there are alternatives. The example he gave of beans is perfect. They can be done almost completely passively, are healthy, and dirt cheap. Add some rice, a meat, and you have a delicious dirt cheap meal that takes probably less than 5 minutes of active effort, and also has minimal cleanup time as well. Like this article had some quote about somebody in it spending $20 at McDonalds for some drinks and bemoaning there being nothing healthier. That's simply ridiculous. And if somebody told them that and explained why - they could very possibly dramatically increase the quality of this person's life.
      - dyauspitr 11mo ago
        All your comments are painting yourself as a victim and it’s really irking me. I also feels like you’re making a mountain out of a mole hill. This is not rocket science. It’s cooking stuff. It’s cheap and easy and you should be able to do it after 10 hour work shift.
- shkkmo 11mo ago
  Let me introduce you the concept of https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Food_desert https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Food_desert Instead of blaming people, perhaps it is better to look at the systemic factors that we can change to help people who are already playing life on hard mode.
- nitwit005 11mo ago
  That same pattern of the poor eating instant noodles is true in Asia as well. The origin of a number of those products is US food aid. Governments in the 60s and 70s set up facilities to convert the wheat they were getting into a product people would eat.
  - dyauspitr 11mo ago
    Usually in college age kids, that situation quickly changes in married couples and families.
    - nitwit005 11mo ago
      The sales volumes are too high for the only consumers to be a small age range like that. If it was a product only university students ate, it'd only be sold near universities.
- lvl155 11mo ago
  You just listed eggs, pork and chicken. They will run you way over $0.50 a plate. Even if you shop at absolute dirt cheap groceries, it’s more like $4-5 per plate when you factor in all the costs not including labor.

Anecdotally... No they are not. My middle school daughter says many of her friends just eat ramen packets every night.

So even crappier food. The people have to be blamed for this at some point. Lower income Indian and East Asian families cook fresh food every night that probably costs less than $0.50 a plate. Beans, lentils, rice, eggs, pork and chicken can take you very far.

kakacik 11mo ago
But if people cook more (like its typical in european folks around Mediterranean), who will then do all the necessary TV watching and doom scrolling on social cancers to make them feel even more miserable and inadequate? Btw that portion you mention won't be 0.5$, more like 2-3$ if if balanced and healthy enough. Tons of rice as is still very common in south east Asia ain't very healthy neither. But its sorta proven once folks start to cook for themselves more, they cook healthier than preprocessed junk food. And I don't mean some exquisite stuff, spending even 10-20 mins ever second evening can provide enough for whole family.
jswelker 11mo ago
I'm not saying the people aren't to blame, but no one is blameless in the cultural decay. If US natives learned to live like immigrants, many ills would be solved, dietary and otherwise.
anonymouskimmer 11mo ago
Some people aren't taught how to cook (though I suppose they could jump on YouTube these days). And for those who are, at the very lowest incomes, they may not have a working range or oven. While a cheap microwave can be had for under $100, the cheaper plug-in stove tops don't last if used daily.
- f1shy 11mo ago
  Also those people may not have time or energy to learn cooking by looking youtube. From an armchair, with good economic position and time and money for hobbies anyone can learn to cook by yt. But man I know some families where both parents (when there are 2!) come completely exhausted after 10 hs of hard work. We changed the quality of food on our home. The amount of money and time invested was much more than we expected. Everthing from a decent equipped kitchen, with enough room, knives and other tools are needed… I lived once in 15 sq meter flat… I can tell you, is difficult to cook in a kitchenette.
  - ponector 11mo ago
    >>> decent equipped kitchen, with enough room, knives and other tools are needed But you don't need too much to cook a healthy food. One pan, one pot, one knife and a spatula. Yes, not everything could be cooked with such setup, but tons of healthy cheap food.
    - shagie 11mo ago
      The per person time commitment and food options for cooking for one is difficult. I would contend it's harder to cook a balanced meal for one person than it is for a family of four. Buying things with portions for single servings has a premium on the price. Buying things at family size portions means that you have to have that for four nights in a row otherwise you've got wasted food (that is more expensive than the single portions). For example, I've got a wok and can do a reasonable stir fry. Going and getting chicken for it meant that I had to get a pack of four chicken breasts... and I need to cook it before they spoil in my refrigerator. The vegetables (broccoli, pepper, carrots) were a bit better for keeping but you tended not to have one or two carrots unless you shopped the more expensive organic section. You get a 1lb bundle of carrots... and a lot of times, I'd end up throwing out some at the end of the week. https://www.reddit.com/r/MealPrepSunday/ https://www.reddit.com/r/MealPrepSunday/ just isn't something that I can do and stay sane. I can get a 3500 calorie deep dish pizza from Little Caesars for $15 ... and that's a good two days of caloric intake right there (there are even less expensive ones - I'm a fan of Detroit style). Four meals for $4 per meal. I think it was $12 when I was unemployed for a while a couple years ago. I still have difficulty with grocery shopping portions for single servings and getting enough variety. I currently have a meal delivery / ready meal subscription that sends boxed raw ingredients that are 2 minutes of prep for a toaster oven and is about $12 per meal (600 - 800 calories). It's less expensive than door dash, the local diner, or the sit down casual dining and is portioned for cooking for one (and a lot healthier than four meals of pizza). ... However, being able to pay that much per meal isn't something that people who are getting priced out of McDs are able to do.
throwway120385 11mo ago
Anecdotally, a pressure-cooked pot of beans can take over 40 minutes to knock together. So it is not that simple.
- esafak 11mo ago
  Only if you lack the planning skills to soak them in the morning or the night before. Besides, hydrated canned beans are perfectly affordable.
  - f1shy 11mo ago
    Like if the single mum living of a minimum wage has time and energy while dressing the 2 kids to not forget such things. Sorry I know such people that I profoundly admire. I feel is just unfair such a comment. I have enough time and little stress in my life, I can plan what I’m going to cook the next week. But I could never criticize that people for not being able to.
    - somenameforme 11mo ago
      Critique isn't necessarily just mean spirited. It's rather difficult to know what you don't know, and so many people do awful things without knowing there are alternatives. The example he gave of beans is perfect. They can be done almost completely passively, are healthy, and dirt cheap. Add some rice, a meat, and you have a delicious dirt cheap meal that takes probably less than 5 minutes of active effort, and also has minimal cleanup time as well. Like this article had some quote about somebody in it spending $20 at McDonalds for some drinks and bemoaning there being nothing healthier. That's simply ridiculous. And if somebody told them that and explained why - they could very possibly dramatically increase the quality of this person's life.
    - dyauspitr 11mo ago
      All your comments are painting yourself as a victim and it’s really irking me. I also feels like you’re making a mountain out of a mole hill. This is not rocket science. It’s cooking stuff. It’s cheap and easy and you should be able to do it after 10 hour work shift.
shkkmo 11mo ago
Let me introduce you the concept of https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Food_desert https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Food_desert Instead of blaming people, perhaps it is better to look at the systemic factors that we can change to help people who are already playing life on hard mode.
nitwit005 11mo ago
That same pattern of the poor eating instant noodles is true in Asia as well. The origin of a number of those products is US food aid. Governments in the 60s and 70s set up facilities to convert the wheat they were getting into a product people would eat.
- dyauspitr 11mo ago
  Usually in college age kids, that situation quickly changes in married couples and families.
  - nitwit005 11mo ago
    The sales volumes are too high for the only consumers to be a small age range like that. If it was a product only university students ate, it'd only be sold near universities.
lvl155 11mo ago
You just listed eggs, pork and chicken. They will run you way over $0.50 a plate. Even if you shop at absolute dirt cheap groceries, it’s more like $4-5 per plate when you factor in all the costs not including labor.