I find these sort of challenges fascinating–not because they present any sort of actual challenge, but because of what they reveal about people who think that this sort of thing is difficult. Miss Schneider, for example, starts out by buying a rotisserie chicken and musing about how she can't afford all the ingredients for roasted cauliflower that she found in the New Sonoma Diet cookbook.
What sort of life do people like this lead? Do they ever cook for themselves? When I was back at Oxford, my constant companion was Katharine Whitehorn's Cooking in a Bedsitter, which taught how to eat well when your only kitchen consisted of a gas ring and what you can fit in a small cardboard box. In fact, I still have my copy. Perhaps it's because I learned how to cook at an early age (Out of self defence. Mum was a horrible cook.) or that I used to camp a lot and ran a galley aboard ship once, but I never had any trouble keeping well fed on very little money. It was largely a matter of budgeting and knowing what to do with food. And old habits die hard. Today, I think I could meet Miss Schneider's challenge because the food budget for Chez Szondy is $4.75 (£2.90) per person per day for full week, never mind five days
And I'm pleased to say that we eat very well. I can even afford a weekly rotisserie chicken, though it does have to last four days before its carcass ends up being rendered for stock.
*Something to do with the American Food Stamps programme, apparently.
3 comments:
Pffff-
I mean, I usually keep my food spend for a whole week to about £20-25; and I'm probably not trying that hard. If I were really concerned about money, I could get it down to a puny amount.
This guy buys pre-cooked chicken and name-brand oatmeal? Seriously? Name brands are the first thing to go when you're on a budget.
Also, don't know if you still remember from when I mentioned before, Dave, but I've secured myself a job! No more living on benefits, thank God. I'll have my own money again!
Good on ye, Wunderbear!
I would recommend "Cooking in a Bedsit" very highly indeed. It assumes minimal budget, minimal facilities and, perhaps most importantly, no pre-existing knowledge of cooling.
My mother, a good cook and a speech therapist, gave myself and my sister a copy each when we moved out. That copy has long since fallen to pieces, but I got a replacement and I still use recipes from it.
PS Congratulations Wunderbear. :-)
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