Katra wrote:

> In article >,
> "Jessica V." > wrote:
>
>
>>Nola wrote:
>>
>>
>>>On 29-Mar-2005, "Gregory Morrow"
>>><gregorymorrowEMERGENCYCANCELLATIONARCHIMEDES@e arthlink.net> wrote:
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>>For a lot of poorer folks fast food is a big treat, the only bright spot
>>>>in
>>>>their dreary lives...
>>>
>>>
>>>Please...........
>>>As Emeril might say; I don't know where you see poor people, but where I see
>>>them, fast food ain't no treat - it's a constant.
>>>
>>>Have you ever seen poor people at the checkout? They're the ones using food
>>>stamps to pay for the chips, dip, Blue Bunny ice cream, pizza rolls, Tyson
>>>fajita's in a bag, Hormel BBQ port in tub (ready to heat and eat) etc. Oh,
>>>and cash for the beer/whiskey/vodka and cigarettes - all of which are
>>>usually the cheapest white label or store brand.
>>>
>>>I get so PO's seeing how my tax dollars are wasted; it's not that I begrudge
>>>them the money, it's what it's spent on. Some of that money should go to
>>>teach, and enforce, good nutrition choices.
>>
>>I've been poor. I can assure you that not everyone who is poor behaves
>>in the manner that you are refering too. It's that the one's who do
>>behave that way are the ones who stick out in our minds. I probably
>>noticed the bad behavior more when I was broke than I do now. I
>>remember wanting to slay people who were buying lobsters and nice steaks
>>with their foodstamps while I had $45-$60 to spend on groceries for the
>>week or sometimes two weeks. When I was a young SAH mom we just got by,
>>barely most of the time. I could easily feed three people well on
>>roughly $45 a week (early 90s), cigarettes and booze didn't even come to
>>mind I had a light bill to pay, rent, insurance, et cetera. When you
>>don't have a lot of money to spend it's amazing how far a $6 roaster
>>will stretch, three meals and leftovers on the chicken soup. Damn glad
>>that I don't have to worry about those sorts of things anymore.
>>
>>Jessica
>
>
> Amen sister! ;-)
>
> This is a subject very near and dear to my heart...
>
> Been there!
>
> We were lucky when we were really at the bottom. We lived in CA near a
> lot of agricultural areas. Literally TONS of food are wasted and left in
> the fields after harvest, and the farmers have no objection to
> "gleaning". We (and a few equally poor neighbors) picked up burlap sacks
> full of potatoes, onions, carrots and other root veggies and traded them
> with other neighbors for other types of food.
>
> Dad shot/poached deer, squirrels and rabbits, plus we had our own
> chickens and fed them scraps, leftovers and only enough grain feeds to
> get them by. We also had a very large garden.
>
> We never did go hungry...
>
> We made our own pet food for the cats and dogs from oatmeal and dead
> chickens from a local chicken ranch. They were only too happy to have us
> haul off 50 dead birds so they did not have to dispose of them. They
> usually burn them. I helped mom clean those birds and with the help of
> the pressure cooker, they were converted into pet food in loaf pans,
> then frozen. ;-)
>
> Meat for us, other than what dad shot, we got a deal on fresh turkey
> backs from a local turkey processing plant for only 15 cents per lb. Mom
> canned that meat and canned turkey was good for a LOT of different
> recipes!
>
> Mom also baked bread from scratch. It was cheaper than buying it.
>
> It was a rough time in our lives and I hope I never have to live like
> that again......
>
> It was educational.
>
> We never did get food stamps either.
>


I so hear you girl. In 1978 my dad quit a job he hated to start a
business. He gave my mom $180 from a tax return and told her to go buy
all the groceries she could because he had no idea when there would be
grocery money again. We ate a lot of fish, because they could buy it
cheap on the docks. Whole shrimp was about 15 cents a pound back then.
I recall another time when we had piles of lobster, even with waste
considered it was cheaper than ground beef. Nothing was ready made
everything was frugally made from scratch. That's just the way it was
and it seemed normal enough to me. If nothing else it kept me from
every really aquiring a taste for junk foods.

Mom is a resourceful gal. There was never a day when there was no food
on the table. She had a huge garden and did a lot of canning and
freezing. Luckily for both of them dad's shoestring venture eventually
turned into a very profitable company.

It kills me when I hear people today saying that they want to start a
business but can't do it without 50 or 100K for start up. Dad started a
what became a multi-million dollar corporation with a pick up truck, a
borrowed piece of equipment and second hand tools. Blast ahead 21 years
and I started a now sucessful business with $500 in capital.

Jessica