10-11-2011, 05:12 PM
I did not even read this thread, but I just plain want to rant...
I went to the supermarket today, (rural North Carolina, so it is not all that super) and encountered a welfare recipient in line in front of me. Know I know they don't call them "food stamps" any more..it is a "family first" debit card or something with an American flag on the front.
This couple, which really did not look like typical NC white trash, was in front of me in line at the cashier. They spent about $70 dollars on carbonated soft drinks in large bottles (I counted 8), packaged snack cakes labeled as muffins such as Hostess or Little Debbie, large bags of savory chips, 5 or 6 frozen pizzas, some frozen appetizer-like things labeled as "chicken". I could go on. It looked more like a bunch of stuff that you would feed at a party, but there were also a few boxes of sugary breakfast "cereals" and some other things in the cart that made me think they had kids.
While I didn't record everything in the cart, I did not see anything that resembled a nutritious food.
As a point of reference, I also spent about $70 on my groceries, which included many fresh veggies (such as: potatoes, onions, carrots, peppers, broccoli, beans, cabbage, celery, tomatoes, etc.), fresh fruit (bananas apples, pears, peaches, etc), milk, cheese, yogurt, butter and other dairy products, some fresh beef and poultry. (We stock our freezer with protein sources from hunting or co-op purchasing). In dry goods, I bought some pasta, rice, dried chilies, herbs, spices, dried beans..(because we like the taste and nutritional value).
Also bought some sugar and a large box of tea bags to make "sweet tea". Much cheaper than buying the prepared stuff and it tastes better.
In terms of processed food, I bought a few loaves of bread and a $15 bottle of wine.
The amount of food I bought home would easily feed a family of 4 for two weeks.
There is something wrong with this picture. I don't have an answer, but just needed to rant...rant...rant...
I went to the supermarket today, (rural North Carolina, so it is not all that super) and encountered a welfare recipient in line in front of me. Know I know they don't call them "food stamps" any more..it is a "family first" debit card or something with an American flag on the front.
This couple, which really did not look like typical NC white trash, was in front of me in line at the cashier. They spent about $70 dollars on carbonated soft drinks in large bottles (I counted 8), packaged snack cakes labeled as muffins such as Hostess or Little Debbie, large bags of savory chips, 5 or 6 frozen pizzas, some frozen appetizer-like things labeled as "chicken". I could go on. It looked more like a bunch of stuff that you would feed at a party, but there were also a few boxes of sugary breakfast "cereals" and some other things in the cart that made me think they had kids.
While I didn't record everything in the cart, I did not see anything that resembled a nutritious food.
As a point of reference, I also spent about $70 on my groceries, which included many fresh veggies (such as: potatoes, onions, carrots, peppers, broccoli, beans, cabbage, celery, tomatoes, etc.), fresh fruit (bananas apples, pears, peaches, etc), milk, cheese, yogurt, butter and other dairy products, some fresh beef and poultry. (We stock our freezer with protein sources from hunting or co-op purchasing). In dry goods, I bought some pasta, rice, dried chilies, herbs, spices, dried beans..(because we like the taste and nutritional value).
Also bought some sugar and a large box of tea bags to make "sweet tea". Much cheaper than buying the prepared stuff and it tastes better.
In terms of processed food, I bought a few loaves of bread and a $15 bottle of wine.
The amount of food I bought home would easily feed a family of 4 for two weeks.
There is something wrong with this picture. I don't have an answer, but just needed to rant...rant...rant...