Brisket and Rice

I tried to do the Food Stamp Challenge yesterday. I didn’t have time to go to Shaw’s, to mindfully scan the aisles, to cook and to clean…and it occurred to me that very few Food Stamp recipients have that kind of leisure time, either. So I made up my mind that I would just stick to peanut butter and jelly sandwiches all day, no more than three of them, and did a little mental math to assure myself that I wouldn’t exceed my $3/day limit.
I cruised into the dining hall at 1:40pm, just as the staff in Davenport was starting to clean up and prepare for dinner—the woman at the ID station was kind enough to sneak me in. I went straight for the white bread. One of the women stepped back from her cleaning and offered me access to the deli meats.
“No thanks,” I told her. “I’m just looking for some peanut butter and jelly.”
“Peanut butter and jelly?” she repeated. You’re a growing girl, you should get some protein in you. Here, have some salami.”
There’s no way I can afford salami, I told myself. I smiled at her and crossed the servery to the pb&j. As I passed by a panful of sloppy joes and a tray of chocolate-frosted cupcakes, the dining hall never seemed so appetizing.
I headed back to my room, thirsty for a drink. I usually spend my days and nights nursing an addiction to Arizona Diet Green Tea. It costs a steep $2.20 per 20 oz. at the Law School, but I save $10+ by buying it in gallons at Shaw’s. Still, at $2.99 per gallon, it’s a luxury that I just can’t justify. Same goes for the BRITA filter that we keep in our suite fridge. I picked up a glass and filled it up to the top with tap water from the bathroom sink. It wasn’t quite the same. I drank enough to wash down the peanut butter, and spilled the rest down the drain.
I spent the rest of the day distracted, hungry, and cranky. Two more pb&js for dinner didn’t do the trick, either. I thought about how many busy days I had skipped lunch and/or dinner, only to realize later that I had completely forgotten to eat. But this day was different—I felt such a burden. I couldn’t stop thinking about food. I tried reading the blogs of other people who’d taken the Food Stamp Challenge for moral support. But I just couldn’t make myself concentrate—which was a real problem, because I had a paper due this morning. How are you supposed to produce quality work when you’re hungry?
Sometime in the evening, I caved—and proceeded to devour far more than my $3 share of rice and brisket. I never thought rice could taste so good.