Fast Food is Cheap

In preparation for today's Food Stamp Challenge, I spent the entirety of my $3 last night, at the Ezra Stiles buttery. I know that food is not sold for this cheap outside the Yale bubble (or even inside it), so maybe I was cheating. But I knew that I was probably getting the most food I could for the money I had - I bought a hot dog, two orders of french fries, a grilled cheese, and a bagel - and I think my calculating mentality was not irrelevant to the mission at hand.

The first surprise came when I was ordering my food. Without even trying, I began to recite verbatim the lines I hear from the guests at the Downtown Evening Soup Kitchen when I work there. For example, I tried one french fry, realized that it tasted bland, and asked, "Do you have salt?" I proceeded to dump as much salt as I could over my fries, hoping to get as much flavor out of my $3 as I could. I then realized that I'd have to carry my food back to my room, and possibly elsewhere over the course of the next day. First, I asked, "Do you have a bag I can use?" When the girl shook her head, I asked, "Do you have any foil I can wrap this with?" I know why people ask for salt, bags, and foil as often as they do, but it was still strange to say the same words as the people I serve so often. For some reason, I felt a little ashamed.

Today, as I munched on my french fries, carbs, and hot dog, I realized with surprise that I would have plenty to eat (In fact, I still have food left over). I also realized that I felt disgusting - the food was so oily (and by this time, cold and congealed) that it actually made me lose my appetite. I was not surprised that fast food seemed the best option - I know that fast food is cheap, linking poverty with obesity and other health problems. But I was surprised by how unpleasant it was to eat. I never considered my diet at Yale particularly healthy, but I've been spoiled since the macaroni-and-cheese-eating days of my childhood. I spent the day looking for free alternatives to what I had bought, something to relieve the greasiness, but all I could find was free candy on reception desks and water. I craved something fresh. It was very difficult watching other students eat the things that I always think of as free or cheap in Yale dining halls, like apples or lettuce.

If I had done the Food Stamp Challenge for a week, there's no way I would have eaten buttery food, or any fast food - I could barely make it through today. As it was, I sacrificed health for convenience, as I know many impoverished Americans must. I can only imagine the costs a diet like this would have on my health long-term...probably something along the lines of "Super-Size Me."