Well, what Ducker saw wasn’t actually FRAUD, right? It was just this idea that some person on foodstamps was buying tons of fancy food.
Again, my skepticism of the story is just that it so closely parallels the stereotypical story that is used by folks who think welfare queens are getting stuff they don’t deserve.
I love the food bank idea. I think that is done around here, which makes sense as this is an area that produces huge amounts of vegetables and fruits. But I imagine in the winter here local produce drops, I can’t imagine much of anything being grown in the north for many months of the year.
As for Asian markets, you can’t leave the city proper here without coming across Hmong or other southeast Asian immigrants working land, growing weird squash and other items for 8-9 months of the year. They grow great strawberries as well.
This is certainly true, although our supermarkets still get fresh vegetables in the winter, so there’s clearly a solution to the logistics problem. And they’re doing it profitably.
Only fraud if the user of the card wasn’t who it was issue to, but yea.
I was just commenting on how quick some are to judge the veracity of his story while of course judging that such things never happen.
Well they bring in veggies and fruit from Mexico and South America during our off seasons. You were referencing local food banks.
I want to say I have heard that many local stores here donate their “old” produce to local charities. Stuff that is good but will no longer be sold. Or is replaced by newer stuff.
I think that you’ll need to make a system which supplements local food with food from other regions, just like supermarkets.
I invite you to look up-thread a few posts. That’s exactly what the article/podcast I linked above is talking about. The current food bank’s issues are more about getting enough donations than they are the logistics of transferring those donations.
OK, I’m not sure how this slipped by without requesting more data, so I’m requesting it! $20 every two weeks… what are you buying? Servings for one? Help me out here!
Yeah, that’s what I think we could do that would actually help people. It wouldn’t be free, but I think that the government could foot the bill and it would be an effective use of funds. It could also help alleviate some of the issues with food deserts in certain regions.
$5 10lb bag of rice, $4 for two dozen eggs, $4 for a couple of 2lb bags of frozen mixed veggies, $2 for soy sauce, $2 for oil, maybe $3 for a couple of cans of off-brand Spam? Seems pretty doable to me.
I’m not saying it’s not doable… I’m curious how he’s doing it! I’m a single dad of three boys. I’m always looking for thrifty dinners. :)
Red beans and brown rice is a nice protein-complete, high-nutrient meal that’s cheap as fuck to make in bulk. . . you should tag me over in the Cooking thread if you’re interested :P
Yeah, I know a little bit in the kitchen myself. I cook for kids though, so it’s difficult sometimes to use things like brown rice which they don’t care for too much. I read the cooking thread from time to time. Thanks. :)
Sorry, definitely didn’t mean to imply otherwise, re: your own kitchen skillz! And I feel ya on the cooking for picky eaters bit. My gf is suuuuuuuper hella picky. Makes every week an adventure!
Man in my worst time, when I was literally having to decide to pay the electric bill or buy gas to go to interviews, red beans and rice was what got me through.
$40 in groceries lasted me 6 weeks, all because of that. A little shaker of cajun seasoning to make it palatable and you e got a days worth of protein for under a dollar.
@DaveLong one thing I do often, to make rice healthier, is I mix rice at a 2:1 or 3:1 ratio with another grain like quinoa. Works fine in stir frys and other dishes, makes it a bit healthier, without overpowering the flavor profile.
They make such stuff?
I remember on the Food Channel once when a chef was forced to cook with canned whole chicken. Man that was scary looking stuff.
Macaroni and Cheese. Seven nights a week.
Surprisingly tasty when fried and doused in Asian seasonings!
Spam is running all kinds of ads now where it looks pretty good. I just remember it from my Boy Scout days. I don’t eat Spam or Chili Burgers anymore because of that. :)
Yeah, Asian markets will often have an entire shelf of not-spam options.