Well, I was getting tired of eating road kill possum for the past few weeks, and thought I would eat out for lunch. Just before leaving I saw an article on AOL-CNN about the enormous amount of fat, sodium and preservatives in Burger King Whoppers . . .that just made me lust for a Whopper . . . even though, my Choctaw nutritionist friend from Cornell has repeatedly told me not to eat fast food because preservatives, white bread and soy protein are really bad for people of Muskogean (Creek, Choctaw, Chickasaw, etc) descent. She lost 68 pounds while doing her dissertation by totally eliminating fast food and walking two miles a day. She did not reduce her calorie intake.
Okay, feeling somewhat guilty, I nevertheless, went into ye olde Burger King. Prices were way up. A Whopper with cheese, fries and a medium Coke were going to be over $7 after sales taxes were added in. Geez! That is my daily budget for three meals of home cooked food. I walked out.
I went on over to the nearby Ingles Supermarket and searched for affordable meats. Ground chuck (fancy name for hamburger) was $3.89 a pound. Ground round was $4.09 a pound. Made the Big Whopper seem not be such a bad deal.
Then I noticed that lean pork roast was on sale for $1.18 a pound. I found a roast for $7 that would feed me for at least 5 days. I went home and warmed up a can of ravioloi for lunch that cost $1.25. Tonight, the Tiger Pups and I are having roast pork, brown rice with mushroom gravy, and cabbage, for about a third of the price of a Whopper With Cheese Value Meal.
Then it dawned on me. Americans are spending enormous chunks of their budgets on fast foods and convenience foods that are chock full of fat and preservatives. Maybe that is why the United States and Mexico are having such a hard time with the obesity plague. We are paying premium prices for food that adds weight to our stomachs, without giving nutrition to our bodies.
In all fairness to baked possum ... my sarcastic remarks only related to road kill possum. Native field raised possum that is fed cornbread and buttermilk for two weeks is a welcome treat at any discerning table. Add small yams to the pot where you are roasting the possum and you have a feast!
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| Small Blog - The Economics and Nutrition of Fast Food |
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UnicornLover1962
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Dec 5 @ 6:44PM
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i agree that the price you pay for fast food can feed a person several days. with the ease of the mcdonald dollar double cheeseburger though, people would rather do that than cook.
it used to be that the dollar salad was a deal there. now it's a handful of greens..one, maybe two cherry tomatoes and that's it. not worth the dollar anymore.
even in the store, convenience foods cost more than conventional cooking. except for the stouffers lasagne. i can't make lasagne the right way for the price of the family sized one in the store. but even that's a luxury.
on a limited budget, trying to eat right is very hard. add medical factors, such as diabetes, and it's almost impossible. i do try at least once a month to get fresh fruits and veggies in the house.
enjoy the roast and eat a slice for me:)
huggles
mel
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KnittinKitten
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Dec 5 @ 7:42PM
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Oh sweetie, I know only too well what you're talking about. Being under the care of a nutritionist, because of Diabetes, I long ago, learned which foods have value and which ones do not. However, I still haven't learned how to ignore that FANTASTIC aroma of the "not good for you" foods as I pass by Fast Food Alley at any time of the day or night.
It's sad, because I'm here in Senior Retirement Village and we have just about every fast food restaurant there is, right here in the neighborhood. And, these seniors also know what time to go to take advantage of the Early Bird Special, when to find the coupons in the newspaper and every other trick of the trade to purchase it cheaper. They are ALWAYS crowded. I'm convinced that no one cooks dinner anymore!
I DO get Wendy's Asian Chicken salad once in awhile, and I must confess, I get KFC extra crispy chicken maybe once every couple of months....but I don't eat any of the rest of it. OK. I steal 3 or 4 french fries from my grand daughter once in awhile. (You wouldn't want me to feel deprived, would you?)
If people ask for it, they will get a pamphlet that will tell them exactly what's in the various meals ....I read it....I say no more!
You are right about the expense of it. I shop diligently and often get large quantities of good tasting, healthy food, at much less than the cost of fast food...However, I haven't yet solved the problem of having someone else prepare it for me. But.....I'm working on it.
Fondly,
KK
I just ate a baked Granny apple, with some raisins, a few strawberries and a slight sprinkling of brown sugar on it....It was truly delicious! 
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Peabianjay
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Dec 5 @ 8:50PM
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For less than $10 I can feed myself for two weeks. Granted, dry dog food is an acquired taste.
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Fender
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Dec 5 @ 10:25PM
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I spend a fortune at the grocery store...Food must be cheaper in the states...For a pound of lean hamburger here it's at least 5-7 dollars...For 2 chicken breast at least 7-8 dollars...Insane...Just buying a bunch of grapes cost 7-8 even 9 dollars sometimes...
...And you haven't eaten until you've tried an Indian Taco
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SunBabe
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Dec 6 @ 3:57AM
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When I get that fast-food "urge", I buy ONE McDonald's Dollar Menu Double Cheeseburger -- $1.07 with tax. Sometimes I just stand in line and smell the burgers...then treat myself to a dollar hot fudge sundae instead. 
(I refuse to pay for any fast-food "meal"...not for health reasons, but because I'm too stubborn -- and cheap, lol).
In the last month, I've been saving anywhere from a minimum of 14% and more likely 40-55% by only buying what's on special that week (and browsing the meat department "clearance section": at least 30%-50% on meat, and sometimes full packages of boneless chicken for $.99 - $1.99  )
Needless to say my freezer is F-U-L-L. I now have too much food! 
The biggest challenge, I've found, is saving money on fresh produce.  ...but I usually manage to find a bit of variety that fits into my recent (self-imposed) anti-inflammatory/anti-oxident diet -- and there's always the frozen fruits and vegetables to fill in the gaps. (Of course not everyone can make a whole meal of steamed broccoli or spinach or a mango/aqui/yogurt smoothie ~grin~)
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