In article >,
"Jessica V." > wrote:

> 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.

Sounds like your dad was a very brave soul! And resourceful.

Wow! :-)
I envy you the seafood...
We had more access to veggies than meat other than wild meat,
but we did live up in the mountains! I still shoot and eat squirrel
occasionally if they harrass my pigeons. They are very, very tasty
little beasts! I just clean and quarter them, and sautee them lightly in
olive oil with minimal spicing. I was taught by one of the guys at work
to skin squirrels wet to keep hair off the meat. Soak the carcass down
with water prior to skinning it.

>
> 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.

Lordy. Your mom and mine could have been sisters!!!

>
> 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.

Neat! :-)
Yes, it takes money to make money, but if you use any "capitol gains"
for reinvestment, you can easily start with less than a grand.

I'm trying to learn the bead and jewelry industry right now for eventual
retirement, and it's quite a challenge. Importing is always good.

What does your dad do??? That is so cool!

>
> Jessica

--
K.

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