"Irish families can't put food on the table"

ThinkAboutIt

Looking at this research, I can't understand why.

Link.

Maybe we are the biggest moaners in the world.

darkpagandeath

Away with your dodgy links.

ScumLord

ThinkAboutIt wrote: »

Maybe we are the biggest moaners in the world.

Maybe they have a table with long legs and they have short arms?

Valetta

"Irish families can't put food on the table"

Most families now eat with their food on their knees, in front of the TV.

Tables are so 80's.

Lapin

Who's moaning OP ?

I can't remember the last time I put food on my own table either.

I either eat in front of the TV or eat out.

My kitchen table is a handy extra open air storage unit.

Maybe they should work on their hand-eye coordination

OK it's Tuesday after a long weekend. My brain may not be fully engaged as of yet but sure I'll ask anyway.....

Wha?

Roselm

ThinkAboutIt wrote: »

Looking at this research, I can't understand why.

Link.

Maybe we are the biggest moaners in the world.

Maybe the cost of clothes,rent,transport is high here.Also the figures are averages.

foggy_lad

According to that link they all eat like kings in Belarus the poorest country in Europe! So we should give everything away and we too can eat like kings!

snubbleste

Can't or Won't?

Fr_Dougal

If they can't put food on the table it's generally because they spend money on junk food with no nutritional value. Go down to your local green grocer and butcher, you'd feed a family of 4 for the week for the same amount they'd spend on one takeaway.

Hotfail.com

Those fat Azerbaijani bastards.

shruikan2553

Most people I know who complain about money trouble are just unable to budget. I'm sure there are some who are having trouble but for a lot of people they just rather complain than change.

OU812

TheZohan wrote: »

If they can't put food on the table it's generally because they spend money on junk food with no nutritional value. Go down to your local green grocer and butcher, you'd feed a family of 4 for the week for the same amount they'd spend on one takeaway.

That's pretty sweeping as generalisation of comments go & I'd love to see your facts on it.

Irish people are not instructed how to budget in school, where to get the best value & how to use lower cost cuts of meats etc.

foggy_lad

People don't eat enough tripe heart liver tongue and mickey anymore:D

Hotfail.com

OU812 wrote: »

That's pretty sweeping as generalisation of comments go & I'd love to see your facts on it.

Irish people are not instructed how to budget in school, where to get the best value & how to use lower cost cuts of meats etc.

That should be just common sense, you shouldn't have to be taught everything in school.

There are people who can't put food on the table here, even with budgeting. It's just not half as widespread as the Daily Mail would have you believe. Don't particularly like the attitude of TheZohan's comment but I'd imagine that is the kind of situation that is considered "living below the breadline".

foggy_lad

OU812 wrote: »

That's pretty sweeping as generalisation of comments go & I'd love to see your facts on it.

Irish people are not instructed how to budget in school, where to get the best value & how to use lower cost cuts of meats etc.

Seriously what instruction is required? It is the most basic of common sense so what you are saying is they the current and following generations are educationally retarded to such a degree they can't even feed themselves.

KungPao

bluewolf wrote: »

Maybe they should work on their hand-eye coordination

And stop putting butter on their fingers!

darkpagandeath

foggy_lad wrote: »

People don't eat enough tripe heart liver tongue and mickey anymore:D

I would wager I know a few that do :pac:

KungPao

shruikan2553 wrote: »

Most people I know who complain about money trouble are just unable to budget. I'm sure there are some who are having trouble but for a lot of people they just rather complain than change.

Oh I've no money, I'm so poor *while sucking on a John Player Blue, eating Dominoes and watching Sky Sports Super Mega HD 3D with Super Surround Sound*

darkpagandeath

foggy_lad wrote: »

Seriously what instruction is required? It is the most basic of common sense so what you are saying is they the current and following generations are educationally retarded to such a degree they can't even feed themselves.

Generation "Mammy looks after me" TBH there should be a mandatory class in Transition year that includes Cooking, budgeting, cleaning, basic maintenance.

KungPao

darkpagandeath wrote: »

Generation "Mammy looks after me" TBH there should be a mandatory class in Transition year that includes Cooking, budgeting, cleaning, basic maintenance.

Or ditch Religion and for 1-3 year make Home Economics a standard. Seriously, the days of "Sure I wouldn't know anything about that kind of thing - I'm not a woman" are on their last legs, in this part of the world anyway. I'm a bloke and did it back in the 90s, was a good laugh, easy enough and I learned lots of things from cooking to budgeting to wiring a plug! Very useful subject I reckon.

OU812

foggy_lad wrote: »

Seriously what instruction is required? It is the most basic of common sense so what you are saying is they the current and following generations are educationally retarded to such a degree they can't even feed themselves.

Never underestimate just how dumb people can be...

I think what the problem is, is that people in their 20s/30s now were kids when the country was experiencing some prosperity & at the same time, the home economics program in school became a choice rather than a mandatory part of the curriculum.

As a result, they've never had to budget & never learned to cook from scratch (I've a lot of friends younger than me, but still in their mid 30s who have no idea how to make a decent meal from scratch). They're also used to pizza & chinese/indian on demand...

SVJKarate

Hotfail.com wrote: »

That should be just common sense, you shouldn't have to be taught everything in school.

Perhaps it should be, but there's no doubt that it is not a skill that comes easily to people. Budgeting to run a home is a discipline, and not everyone has the skill or determination to do this effectively. Moreover not everyone has the willpower to put their priorities in order, hence you'll see some 'poor' families can have bad diets (expensive and unhealthy take-aways) coupled with bad habits (smoking, excessive drinking) which displaces food as a priority in their spending.

In fairness, budgeting is taught in some Domestic Science classes (sorry if that is not the current subject name) but it should really be taught at a much younger age and again in more detail when students are older.

RoboRat

and not everyone has the skill or determination to do this effectively

Nice way of saying lazy and can't be bothered.

I was never taught to cook or budget but guess what, I figured it out. Its basic common sense. If you can't be bothered to budget or learn simple cooking techniques, then why should I be bothered to be concerned?

Ted_YNWA

People these days want food instantly handed to them with minimal effort.

It doesn't take much longer to make a meal from scratch than to order/wait for a delivery. Cheaper & healthier to make your own. People are always quick to point the blame at their own inadequacies somewhere else.

I live on my own & make a big batch of lasagne, shepherds pie & freeze it in portions. Weeks worth of meals made in less than an hour.

snubbleste

Tomorrow:
Table-making factory closes down due to lack of demand

Princess Consuela Bananahammock

Here , hang on a second:



Before we go putting forward reasons, solutions, critcism and so forth, has anyone actually proven the point the OP made? Does anyone know what the point made was in the first place?

ScumLord

Princess Consuela Bananahammock wrote: »

Here , hang on a second:



Before we go putting forward reasons, solutions, critcism and so forth, has anyone actually proven the point the OP made? Does anyone know what the point made was in the first place?

I think he has a table with a wonky leg or someit.

Hotfail.com

SVJKarate wrote: »

Perhaps it should be, but there's no doubt that it is not a skill that comes easily to people. Budgeting to run a home is a discipline, and not everyone has the skill or determination to do this effectively. Moreover not everyone has the willpower to put their priorities in order, hence you'll see some 'poor' families can have bad diets (expensive and unhealthy take-aways) coupled with bad habits (smoking, excessive drinking) which displaces food as a priority in their spending.

In fairness, budgeting is taught in some Domestic Science classes (sorry if that is not the current subject name) but it should really be taught at a much younger age and again in more detail when students are older.

It wouldn't hurt to educate people on how to run a house from a young age I suppose, but I think when faced with reality anyone with half a brain should be able to be disciplined enough to at least be able to provide themselves and their families with the necessities.

OU812 wrote: »

Never underestimate just how dumb people can be...

I think what the problem is, is that people in their 20s/30s now were kids when the country was experiencing some prosperity & at the same time, the home economics program in school became a choice rather than a mandatory part of the curriculum.

As a result, they've never had to budget & never learned to cook from scratch (I've a lot of friends younger than me, but still in their mid 30s who have no idea how to make a decent meal from scratch). They're also used to pizza & chinese/indian on demand...

No disrespect, but to be honest I think the whole "Celtic Tiger generation being unable to look after themselves" argument is just nonsense. I can safely say 90% of people I know of a similar age to me (~18-21) could look after themselves on their own easily without needing to order takeaways etc. Of course there's a few useless lads out there whose mammy's do everything for them but I imagine that was always the case.

comongethappy

Princess Consuela Bananahammock wrote: »

Here , hang on a second:



Before we go putting forward reasons, solutions, critcism and so forth, has anyone actually proven the point the OP made? Does anyone know what the point made was in the first place?

I think he's trying to say that pleading poverty as an excuse for malnutrition holds little water because food is so cheap.... and malnutrition rates quite low.

muddypaws

OU812 wrote: »

Irish people are not instructed how to budget in school, where to get the best value & how to use lower cost cuts of meats etc.

Neither were my parents, but they still managed it, and managed to teach us how to do it. Why is everything the responsiblity of the state?

Princess Consuela Bananahammock

comongethappy wrote: »

I think he's trying to say that pleading poverty as an excuse for malnutrition holds little water because food is so cheap.... and malnutrition rates quite low.

This is my point: his thread title hasn't been proven, he hasn't linked to any relevant research and yet people are already running around making excuses and finger-pointing.

House of Blaze

Is it just me or is the entire premise of this thread flawed?

Doesn't the link point to a representation of the % of income each country spends on food?

So this just basically illustrates that Ireland is a country with a better than average level of income, along with the entire developed world, and therefore spend a lower overall percentage of their annual income on food.

Is the op trying to suggest this graph shows we are poor or something?

If you are over in Pakistan where the average income is maybe a couple of hundred euro, it's no wonder you spend a large portion of your income on food and have a malnutrition level of 45%

Should have gone to specsavers op!

comongethappy

Princess Consuela Bananahammock wrote: »

This is my point: his thread title hasn't been proven, he hasn't linked to any relevant research and yet people are already running around making excuses and finger-pointing.

Indeed, all it shows is that countries that spend proportionately the least on food have the lowest levels of malnutrition.

Not much to editorialise on.

catallus

Princess Consuela Bananahammock wrote: »

This is my point: his thread title hasn't been proven, he hasn't linked to any relevant research and yet people are already running around making excuses and finger-pointing.

IMO, OP is a hero.

His post is self-editorialised to make all the sheeple think about what he's saying! It's even hinted at in his user-name.

Thread of the day.

Edit: the irony of accusing people of finger-pointing, with fingers covered in butter! ha!

Princess Consuela Bananahammock

catallus wrote: »

IMO, OP is a hero.

His post is self-editorialised to make all the sheeple think about what he's saying! It's even hinted at in his user-name.

Thread of the day.

Edit: the irony of accusing people of finger-pointing, with fingers covered in butter! ha!

Except people are not thinking about it - we're thying to work out what we're suppose to be thinking about.

It's more a case of a subtly loaded question: he'd made a statement of opinion and people are taking it as fact.

catallus

Princess Consuela Bananahammock wrote: »

It's more a case of a subtly loaded question: he'd made a statement of opinion and people are taking it as fact.

In that case wouldn't you agree that the OP is generating a uniquely provocative thread?!

Think about it!!!!

Princess Consuela Bananahammock

catallus wrote: »

In that case wouldn't you agree that the OP is generating a uniquely provocative thread?!

Think about it!!!!

Uniquey surreal, maybe, but not provocative.

But don't get me wrong - I like surrealism !

(And you'll notice we're not talking or thinking about whatever it was that the OP wanted us to talk about...)

catallus

Princess Consuela Bananahammock wrote: »

(And you'll notice we're not talking or thinking about whatever it was that the OP wanted us to talk about...)

Maybe we are? Eh? Eh?!!

seamus

Clearly what the OP is saying is that so many people make the claim that there are hundreds of thousands of Irish people struggling to put food on the table and keep a roof over their heads, but the link provided shows that food costs are low in comparison to overall incomes. Therefore the claim that there is a significant no. of families in that level of poverty in Ireland appears fallacious.

Princess Consuela Bananahammock

catallus wrote: »

Maybe we are? Eh? Eh?!!

Don't be silly. We can't feed starving Irish families on sureal discussions.:pac:

It's his first post in a month, he posted an incoherent opening post, his research links to somehting completely irrelevant and he hasn't been back since. there's only one solution.

He's a jounalist who has to have an artilce on the table by 5pm and he has no idea how to research it.

catallus

Well, we can't when the likes of Seamus up there interrupts us with pesky facts!

Princess Consuela Bananahammock

seamus wrote: »

Clearly what the OP is saying is that so many people make the claim that there are hundreds of thousands of Irish people struggling to put food on the table and keep a roof over their heads, but the link provided shows that food costs are low in comparison to overall incomes. Therefore the claim that there is a significant no. of families in that level of poverty in Ireland appears fallacious.

But where does he establish his claim that anyone ever said that Irish people can;t put food on the table, or that that percentage is even across all incomes and classes?

Iwasfrozen

OU812 wrote: »

That's pretty sweeping as generalisation of comments go & I'd love to see your facts on it.

Irish people are not instructed how to budget in school, where to get the best value & how to use lower cost cuts of meats etc.

You can't expect Irish people to eat lower cuts of meat can you?! After all they're ENTITLED to eat the best cuts of meat even if they don't have a job and if they can't afford it then the government must be at fault. :rolleyes:

seamus

In whcih societal class? If the rich are spending very little on food and the poor are spending a lot, it proves nothing.

Averaged across the entire country.

If the average household spends 7.5% of their income on food, then that's on average around €4,250 per year. Even if an individual with no other income than the JSA were to spend that amount (however, note it's a household average), then it would be ~44% of their income. However an individual would spend less than the average, and nobody claims the JSA and nothing else.

In a country with massive social supports like Ireland, worrying about classes and the spending of the rich is irrelevant when it comes to averaged amounts since the income of those bringing in the least is bouyed when incomes across the board rise. Unlike in the US where wealthier people can earn more while poor people earn less, social welfare and minimum wage provides a floor in incomes, which rises as average incomes rise.

The argument in the OP is that this data provides a counter-indication to the idea that there are people going barefoot and hungry in Ireland due to low incomes and high costs.

Princess Consuela Bananahammock

seamus wrote: »

Averaged across the entire country.

If the average household spends 7.5% of their income on food, then that's on average around €4,250 per year. Even if an individual with no other income than the JSA were to spend that amount (however, note it's a household average), then it would be ~44% of their income. However an individual would spend less than the average, and nobody claims the JSA and nothing else.

In a country with massive social supports like Ireland, worrying about classes and the spending of the rich is irrelevant when it comes to averaged amounts since the income of those bringing in the least is bouyed when incomes across the board rise. Unlike in the US where wealthier people can earn more while poor people earn less, social welfare and minimum wage provides a floor in incomes, which rises as average incomes rise.

The argument in the OP is that this data provides a counter-indication to the idea that there are people going barefoot and hungry in Ireland due to low incomes and high costs.

I know, I'm playing devil's advocate a bit here - but my point is that not every household is paying 7% of their income on food.

My previous point was that it's still a very badly put together and vague OP, despite what Catallus said. (And I still think he's a journalist and won;t be returning to the discussion)

catallus

I'm not a journalist, and I'm right here.

House of Blaze

seamus wrote: »

Averaged across the entire country.

If the average household spends 7.5% of their income on food, then that's on average around €4,250 per year. Even if an individual with no other income than the JSA were to spend that amount (however, note it's a household average), then it would be ~44% of their income. However an individual would spend less than the average, and nobody claims the JSA and nothing else.

In a country with massive social supports like Ireland, worrying about classes and the spending of the rich is irrelevant when it comes to averaged amounts since the income of those bringing in the least is bouyed when incomes across the board rise. Unlike in the US where wealthier people can earn more while poor people earn less, social welfare and minimum wage provides a floor in incomes, which rises as average incomes rise.

The argument in the OP is that this data provides a counter-indication to the idea that there are people going barefoot and hungry in Ireland due to low incomes and high costs.

I beg to differ sir.

Iwasfrozen

I have claimed JSA and nothing else ... in the past ... when I was unemployed ...

Pablodreamsofnew

We just got new sofas, so we pulled out the table and dusted it off. We will be eating at the table for awhile until we get fed up and then back to the sofa, with the food on the lap, watching TV. Hey, maybe someone should tell them you don't need a table to eat?!