Today at BBC News:
/shake head
Okay, okay, everyone knows that McDonalds is a global demon sent to make the fat fatter and the poor poorer. Sure. I’m used to that obviousness.
Thanks to the film Super Size Me, the chemical composition of McDonalds’ french fries has been called into question. I was a tidbit upset when I watched that part of the film, quite frankly. Back when I still ate at McDonalds, I loved McDonalds fries. Many people do. They’re chewy and salty and when hot are especially delicious. If you ignore the fact that if you get them less than piping hot they taste like styrofoam, and the fact that a large order of fries (my usual) has 500 calories, you can say the fries forgive themselves by yummy alone. Okay. Okay.
However, I think the best way to sum up this idea was a Fark Photoshop of a McDonalds sign that read: “Hey poor people, vegetables are not more expensive than burgers. Go buy some”
It sounds callous. But for, shall I say, fucking fuck’s sake, don’t give me excuses about healthy food being expensive. It’s not.
When I lived in Venezuela, an extremely poor country, meat was the luxury. Red meat especially. Vegetables were commonplace.
“But Tofu Cutie!” you cry. “This is not Venezuela! I am broke, and I am so hungry! Why would I buy tomatoes and squash when I could get a full day’s worth of calories at McDonalds for practically nothing?”
Several reasons.
1. The idea that McDonalds is inexpensive is one that boggles me. For people who are not buying a Big ‘n’ Tasty off the dollar menu and being satisfied with that, McDonalds is not cheap. When I ate there I would order a grilled chicken sandwich meal, which came to at least $6. If I made it a large it’d be at least $7. You can get a Chipotle (veggie) burrito for that, which fills you up just as well- and for longer.
Then again, maybe everyone is buying a Big ‘n’ Tasty off the dollar menu.
2. Because fast food has taken over our lives, the concept of grocery shopping for longevity is one that most people do not consider. Living in the country as a kid, we bought groceries to last for 2 weeks. Think very hard. Could you go 2 weeks without going to the grocery store?
So look at it this way. Say I and my boyfriend go to McDonalds and have the aforementioned selection each. That is $14 (at least) for ONE MEAL. If we really stretch it and only eat that, it could be a day’s worth of food. Sure. Now go to the grocery store and see what you can get for $14. If you do it right, you can get rice, pasta and vegetables for the same amount. Have you ever had squash in pasta? It’s delicious and cheap. One bunch of spinach usually costs about $1 and is enough for two very large salads (and spinach is one of the best things in the world for you.)
3. Shut up about being hungry. Seriously. Instant gratification is one thing that has made fast food desirable. Imagine eating a 1500-calorie meal and then feeling hungry again in two hours. And if you’re not as concerned about calories as I am, you might feel a bit gypped that you ate a greasy, disgusting meal and now feel the strong urge to go eat another one. Especially at $7 a pop.
Fiber, good fats, complex carbohydrates and protein are what fill you up. Fast food usually can’t boast these things. SO- drawing back to the main point- what do you do, if you’re dying of hunger and also dying of poverty?
I suggest rice. Eating a serving of rice with one of my favorite Trader Joe’s version of Tasty Bites (packaged Indian food; usually $1.99 at Trader Joe’s) will make me so full I won’t be able to move for a few hours.
Enough of this. Maybe more tomorrow. Time to relax. Basic point: hey poor people, vegetables are not more expensive than burgers. Go buy some. And if your broke ass can’t live without its animal flesh, at least buy hamburger and make your own at home. There’s something to be said about cooking being good for you.
