Have you ever starved?

[Nastard]

9 million people die of starvation and hunger related crap every year. That's almost 25k people per day.

It's really too bad they didn't realize they can just mentally will the mythical hunger away. Guess they didn't want to survive enough.

I don't mean to harp on about what that dude said earlier, but Jesus. When someone says something so inaccurate and out of touch, how can they even keep posting here? At that point no one will EVER take anything they say seriously ever again so might as well make a new user name and start over. I just can't get over it lol "hunger is mythical in the modern world because down my street you can buy rice for $4." Cool, does that person realize not everyone lives in a place where that's possible or even has $4 at all times to do so? Famines exist, poverty exists, or are those just self-imposed myths too? Hmm, I feel as if I've taken the bait again...

[PC2]

It's really too bad they didn't realize they can just mentally will the mythical hunger away. Guess they didn't want to survive enough.

I don't mean to harp on about what that dude said earlier, but Jesus. When someone says something so inaccurate and out of touch, how can they even keep posting here? At that point no one will EVER take anything they say seriously ever again so might as well make a new user name and start over. I just can't get over it lol "hunger is mythical in the modern world because down my street you can buy rice for $4." Cool, does that person realize not everyone lives in a place where that's possible or even has $4 at all times to do so? Famines exist, poverty exists, or are those just self-imposed myths too? Hmm, I feel as if I've taken the bait again...

I just don't see why anyone would have to starve in the modern world when there is multiple pathways to getting free food or food money. Things like rice, beans, bread, apple, bananas, carrots, and potatoes can be bought for around $.50-$1.50 per pound. Meaning a little money goes a long way.

[Shadowferal]

I just don't see...

You could stop right there on most topics..

[PC2]

You could stop right there on most topics..

We're going to make food production cheaper and more efficient so I'm not worried about starvation. If you think we should be worried and need radical change then that's your prerogative... Democrats have political power so if Americans are truly "starving" right now then you should be angry at them, no?

[Witchblade77]

snip

thank you. and that explains it. even in season most of our prices are twice as high as the ones you have listed. i haven't seen tomatoes at 50 cents a pound in years now. beefsteaks in season are usually a buck a pound and that is the cheapest you can find them, even generic canned tomatoes are a dollar on the absolute lowest end, sometimes you can get branded ones for that much on sale.

SO and i used to live on $50 a week for the two of us budget in NYC (probably a little less since that also included cleaning supplies), but that was like 2 decades ago. i haven't been in a city since pandemic started, but since my family still lives there, I've been to the shops when visiting right before then and prices were higher. I mean... one of my mainstays for protein used to be and still is chunk light canned tuna in water. I can do variety of things with it, its inexpensive and provides a very decent chunk of protein, but I also used to buy it at 50 cents a can, and nowadays dollar a can is the lowest price i have found, even accounting for sales. same for most other things. except oatmeal. somehow oatmeal stays at $2 per one of those big paper tubes that lasts for ages. I mean, yes for us dietary restrictions also contribute to higher costs, but even without, things just generally cost more.

P.S. our freezer back in NYC was sooo tiny. one large bag of frozen strawberries I buy nowadays about once a month - would have filled the entire thing. having decent storage for perishables is all too often such an underestimated requirement...

[Nastard]

I just don't see why anyone would have to starve in the modern world when there is multiple pathways to getting free food or food money. Things like rice, beans, bread, apple, bananas, carrots, and potatoes can be bought for around $.50-$1.50 per pound. Meaning a little money goes a long way.

You're literally one degree of detachment away from stating "I don't understand how people can be hungry when all they have to do is open the refrigerator and eat the food that magically appears after mom goes to the store." Where YOU live food is plentiful and affordable. A little money goes a long way, as long as you have it. What happens if you don't have it, or don't live in an area where groceries are easy to obtain? Easy, you become a statistic and just another of the 9 million dead. I mean, does it even occur to you that the entire world doesn't look like your residential cul de sac?

Here's a nice statistic. A child dies from hunger every 10 seconds. In the time it took me to read your message, a kid just died a horrible death. I'm legit curious here. Why do you think these people are dying if they have such easy access to food. Are they just too dumb to eat? Are they part of this "death cult" you always mention and WANT to die and just choose to do it in a terribly painful way? Are their parents morons and are feeding them dirt and rocks for dinner? Do you think the statistics are false or exaggerated?

[Fencers]

thank you. and that explains it. even in season most of our prices are twice as high as the ones you have listed. i haven't seen tomatoes at 50 cents a pound in years now. beefsteaks in season are usually a buck a pound and that is the cheapest you can find them, even generic canned tomatoes are a dollar on the absolute lowest end, sometimes you can get branded ones for that much on sale.

I just looked up grocery prices at what is considered the most expensive zip code in the US- 94027.

I picked Walmart because I think would be the most widely comparable.

Roma Tomatoes are $1.08/lb, 8lb bag of russet potatoes 4.42 each, onions 3lbs $1.84, butter lettuce 12oz for 2.78, radicchio, $1.90/lb, 5.5oz of green onions $0.86, button mushrooms $1.91, asparagus 10oz for $2.98 (asparagus is one of the most expensive vegetables btw), Chicken thighs 3.5lbs for $6.89, 2x whole chickens $11.04, chicken leg quarters 10lbs $6.88, canned tomatoes $0.46 each, beans $3.44 for 4lbs., lentils $1 per lb, long-grain white rice $0.72 per lb, bell peppers $069 per lb.

Let's see what King's County has on tap, the second most expensive zip codes in the US. Let's do, 10013. Pretend we live right on Greenwich, by Chambers.

Let's hit up C-town. Looking at their weekly circular-

Whole chicken, $0.99/lb, plum tomatoes $0.99/lb, romaine 0.99/lb, avocados 4 for $5 (avos are expensive AF), 20lb bag of rice for $10, grapes $1.99/lb, maseca 2 for $6 in 4.4lb bags (what a deal!), assorted pasta 3 for $3 1lb bags/packages, etc, etc. This is just looking at the closest grocer off the top of my head weekly paper.

I am not disputing the prices might be more or less in your particular location. But keep throwing address at me and I will find reasonable ways of building a food budget for a relatively small amount of money.

P.S. our freezer back in NYC was sooo tiny. one large bag of frozen strawberries I buy nowadays about once a month - would have filled the entire thing. having decent storage for perishables is all too often such an underestimated requirement...

Cooler on top of the fridge or put in the back of the fridge like everyone else.

My master bathroom is larger now than the first apartment my sister and I shared in Williamsburg. I could rent that space for 2-3 grand in NYC. Gotta hustle.

- - - Updated - - -

Where YOU live food is plentiful and affordable. A little money goes a long way, as long as you have it. What happens if you don't have it, or don't live in an area where groceries are easy to obtain? Easy, you become a statistic and just another of the 9 million dead. I mean, does it even occur to you that the entire world doesn't look like your residential cul de sac?

Bolded parts absolutely crucial to a reasonable understanding of hunger. People in horrible circumstances of extreme hunger just don't have it or can't access food readily.

No one is gonna die of hunger because they are just too stupid to buy $3 worth of rice or go to a soup kitchen for a free meal. They can't for the most part.

[Witchblade77]

I just looked up grocery prices at what is considered the most expensive zip code in the US- 94027.

I picked Walmart because I think would be the most widely comparable.

Roma Tomatoes are $1.08/lb, 8lb bag of russet potatoes 4.42 each, onions 3lbs $1.84, butter lettuce 12oz for 2.78, radicchio, $1.90/lb, 5.5oz of green onions $0.86, button mushrooms $1.91, asparagus 10oz for $2.98 (asparagus is one of the most expensive vegetables btw), Chicken thighs 3.5lbs for $6.89, 2x whole chickens $11.04, chicken leg quarters 10lbs $6.88, canned tomatoes $0.46 each, beans $3.44 for 4lbs., lentils $1 per lb, long-grain white rice $0.72 per lb, bell peppers $069 per lb.

Let's see what King's County has on tap, the second most expensive zip codes in the US. Let's do, 10013. Pretend we live right on Greenwich, by Chambers.

Let's hit up C-town. Looking at their weekly circular-

Whole chicken, $0.99/lb, plum tomatoes $0.99/lb, romaine 0.99/lb, avocados 4 for $5 (avos are expensive AF), 20lb bag of rice for $10, grapes $1.99/lb, maseca 2 for $6 in 4.4lb bags (what a deal!), assorted pasta 3 for $3 1lb bags/packages, etc, etc. This is just looking at the closest grocer off the top of my head weekly paper.

I am not disputing the prices might be more or less in your particular location. But keep throwing address at me and I will find reasonable ways of building a food budget for a relatively small amount of money.

Cooler on top of the fridge or put in the back of the fridge like everyone else.

My master bathroom is larger now than the first apartment my sister and I shared in Williamsburg. I could rent that space for 2-3 grand in NYC. Gotta hustle.

I literally said that tomatoes in my neighbourhood in even in season are a dollar a pound. you found tomatoes for... a dollar a pound. meanwhile, you said that you yourself bought two pounds of tomatoes for a dollar.. which makes them 50 cents a pound. its a price i haven't seen in a very, VERY long time.

relatively small amount of money is not the same is absolutely positively can do this at $100 a month, which is a number i'm disputing.

I wouldn't be buying asparagus or lettuces on a budget TBH, because they are relatively expensive for the amount of calories/nutrition you get out of them. (and yes avocados as well, though I had to stop eating them a while ago anyways, as my body doesn't like them) same for grapes, back in those days our baseline fruit of choice was apples. specifically Macintosh apples as even today you can find them for about a buck a pound even out of season (back then we bought them for 39 cents a pound)

those canned tomatoes I don't even know, the only tomatoes I have seen for 50 cents were those little jars of tomato paste and occasional small jars of stewed tomatoes, but your mileage may vary. I wonder if its smaller jars of canned tomatoes. chicken sounds about right. I'm not even sure what maseca is let alone how to cook it. no cheffie training here. I remember those giant bags of rice. they lasted forever. nowadays I treat myself and buy basmati. costs more. tastes better. which is basically how I approach most food things nowadays, because I can. having to live with very tight budgeting and strict planning for years was rough enough for me that nowadays, I'd rather budget more for food, and stress less about it. I try to avoid food waste when possible, but worst case scenario, what doesn't go into garden compost - goes to our chickens and they love all kinds of things as treats.

both of our new york refrigerators were attached to tiny ass freezer (we lived in two different apartments, one was a basement studio, the other attic "one bedroom"). it wasn't particularly large either. there was no space for a cooler on top of the refrigerator. no money to buy ice. freezer too tiny to keep making ice to keep that cooler stocked. or do you mean getting a cooler you can plug in? no money for that either, back then i used to rollerblade to work on cheap kmart rollerblades which I was extremely lucky to find at all at the price we paid, because it was cheaper then taking a bus and allowed us to have a food budget instead of subsiding on way too many of those stupidly cheap and nutritiously empty, bagged ramen noodles. yes, rent in NYC is obsene. part of the reason why we don't live there anymore (not the main reason, but it absolutely contributed)

but anyways, lets plan some actual meals, because prices per item are nice and all, but honestly not much use unless you convert it into an actual meal plan. and to make it slightly easier, lets go with a meal plan for me which is under daily recommended 2000 calories per person. my maintenance calories are roughly 1800 and while I do try to aim for 100 grams of protein per day (I feel my best when I consistently hit that number) lets go with a middle ground between government recommended 50 and my personal goal of 100 and go for 75 grams middle ground. and to make it even easier, lets ignore my dietary restrictions. anything goes (other then sticking to as little refined sugar as possible). $25 a week is $3.57 a day. small perishable storage space. lets even assume that I can spend more then an hour a day on cooking and not consider cleanup time in that (it was NOT the case back then, which is part of the reason I've gotten into such a tuna habit, but I digress). because I cannot figure out how to do this.

edited to add, having a budget along with having acess to a grocery store to utilize that budget and then heaving means to process groceries into food is something a lot of people tend to take for granted. or so it seems.

[KGB2323]

In any modern country -

Bread
Potatoes
Rice
Beans
Fruit and vegetables

Which can be the staple of any healthy diet will cost you pennies.

In the UK i could easily buy all those things and live with a full stomach every single day for £25 / week.

Anyone who can't do that simply needs a small piece of education and they can do it too.

[Nastard]

modern world. Things like rice, beans, bread, apple, bananas, carrots, and potatoes

When someone says something so inaccurate and out of touch, how can they even keep posting here? At that point no one will EVER take anything they say seriously ever again so might as well make a new user name and start over.

In any modern country -

Bread
Potatoes
Rice
Beans
Fruit and vegetables

I appreciate the effort but next time try not to make it seem so obvious.

[KGB2323]

I appreciate the effort but next time try not to make it seem so obvious.

I got accused of being "dribbles" in the Brexit thread.

I can assure you i am neither dribbles nor PC2 and this is literally the only account I've ever had on this forum.

I did read PC2 thread and i happen to agree with him.

Here in the UK i can buy all of these things and live with a very full sumach every single day for a budget of £25 / week.

Dieing from starvation here in the UK is virtually eliminated.

Approximately 500 people die in this way per year, and mostly it is old people where they aren't able to digest food properly, or, regretfully, neglect from the care workers (but this is VERY rare).

It is very rare for a homeless person to starve to death here in the UK because they do have access to food.

[Nastard]

It's sad when so few people agree with you that you need to fabricate a personality just so you don't feel foolish by saying something utterly disproven like "world hunger is a myth." Isn't that right, my very real friend Steve who is sitting right next to me? He concurs.

[Rozz]

This sort of topic can be posted in Fun Stuff or Chat Zone. In the future, create these types of threads in whichever is more appropriate.

[Fencers]

snip

Oh, I am not disputing your personal circumstances. I was trying to back up my position that for a relatively low cost it is possible to budget healthy eating for little money almost anywhere. I picked the two most pricey zips on opposite ends of the country and just looked at their weekly sale circulars. I am certain I could do similar almost anywhere.

Of course, an individual may not want to buy grapes or beans. That's up to an individual. I wasn't providing a meal plan in looking at the local shops. Just picking out what was fairly inexpensive and abundant (such as asparagus currently, for example).

There will always be variance in budgeting. That is why I think it is important to note relative cost ($10 in Missipppissi is different than $10 in Boston) and the case that extreme poverty that causes hunger/starvation is a matter of people not having any means. Not being "too stupid" to buy rice or seek help as that one poster suggested.

Maybe this is helpful to someone since you brought up actual meal prep- https://www.eatthismuch.com/diet-plan/2000-calorie/

I used this site before to get my calories up after I had my son (I kinda lot my appetite). The site is decent at providing a variety of ideas and relative pricing if you need to either lose weight or gain weight.

Pick Up Limes: https://www.pickuplimes.com/
Also does excellent recipe ideas and budget meal prep that is health-focused. Often around $3-4 a meal. I used some of their ideas for meals too. Great stuff.





Might not be relevant to you personally, but worth mentioning should any one reading be interested.

[dwarven]

If you go to pretty much any Walmart in America you'll see fat people using food stamps. Our country has become some kind of twisted circus.

[Progenitor Aquarius]

It's sad when so few people agree with you that you need to fabricate a personality just so you don't feel foolish by saying something utterly disproven like "world hunger is a myth." Isn't that right, my very real friend Steve who is sitting right next to me? He concurs.

Never do that. It’s better to stay away from people than to, as you said, fabricate personality. Just be yourself. Eventually there will be always few quality people who will agree with you.

[molliewoof]

this was my shop today



three meals a day, fairly healthy, four days and it will be really nice food

you would need to be careful the first few times you shop until you have stuff like butter, chicken stock and salt in reserve, i also forgot bags so that was 40p extra

aldi is either the cheapest or second cheapest supermarket around here but ive just had the beans on toast and they seemed nice