Fat people at Foodbanks

vriesmays · 13-01-2020 06:03PM

If I was writing a book exposing the poverty industry and hoping to win the Orwell award it would be called 'Fat people at foodbanks'.

boombang · 13-01-2020 06:11PM

Regarding the provision of education courses for cooking, I think people should just show a little initiative and fire up YouTube.

Obvious Desperate Breakfasts · 13-01-2020 06:11PM

sbsquarepants wrote: »

Maybe if you're trying to follow recipes and needing to stock up on all manner of obscure ingredients, but that certainly won't be what the average frozen ready meal skank is at.

Few spuds, carrots, onions etc. Throw together a few bog standard simple dishes. You could feed a family of 4 or 5 for the price of a takeaway for 1.

You don't need to channel Nigella to serve up bangers and mash!

Not at all. I was picturing commonplace recipes actually. They still have lots of ingredients.

Thelonious Monk · 13-01-2020 06:13PM

spurious wrote: »

I was once asked (by a person with a Science degree) whether I peeled potatoes before cooking them for mash.
Some people have never seen/watched anyone cook.

I just mash them with the skins on, so it's a valid question imo

partyguinness · 13-01-2020 06:13PM

the beer revolu wrote: »

That's a completely reasonable question to ask.

When I worked as veg/starter chef in a high end restaurant, many moons ago, we had to boil the potatoes unpeeled, peel them while still hot and put them through a ricer, beat them with cream, butter and egg yolk and then pipe them, still while hot.

Very important that the cream and butter are not cold. Lads (inc myself) would lob in the cold milk and butter- explains why my mash was always ****e.

I would always leave on the skin out of sheer laziness but then I accidentally became cutting edge...

poisonated · 13-01-2020 06:21PM

boombang wrote: »

Regarding the provision of education courses for cooking, I think people should just show a little initiative and fire up YouTube.

Yeah...many homeless people don’t have easy access to such facilities!

beggars_bush · 13-01-2020 06:22PM

Food is only cheap if you know what to do with it

You could feed a family of four with €80 for a week.
Easy.
If you know how to cook

boombang · 13-01-2020 06:35PM

poisonated wrote: »

Yeah...many homeless people don’t have easy access to such facilities!

Sure, but I don't think the people there OP is referring to are exclusively homeless though, right?

Obvious Desperate Breakfasts · 13-01-2020 06:53PM

partyguinness wrote: »

Very important that the cream and butter are not cold. Lads (inc myself) would lob in the cold milk and butter- explains why my mash was always ****e.

I would always leave on the skin out of sheer laziness but then I accidentally became cutting edge...

That’s not true. Very good mash can be made with those items added cold. I don’t see why their temperature would make a difference as the potatoes should be mashed and lumps removed before stirring in the milk and butter, which quickly warm up anyway once added.

lainey_d_123 · 13-01-2020 06:56PM

CrankyHaus wrote: »

This does raise the question as to whether some sort of free home cooking and basic home economics classes would be a better investment than a load of duplicated charity soup kitchens and food banks.

I think they would be. My school barely had anything like that.

People who grew up in nice, stable middle class homes where mammy cooked from scratch every night take it for granted that everyone had that, or that everyone's parents teach them life skills.

Like many who grew up in underprivileged areas, dinner for me most nights was junk food which I had to make myself. Some sort of microwaved chips, Pot Noodles, at best something like processed chicken tenders done in the oven with wedges. Glass of Coke/Pepsi with every meal. I literally thought that was 'food' and it was normal because I knew nothing else. School dinner was almost as bad. When you grow up like that, your taste buds are used to processed foods full of sugar and salt. And of course, obesity usually starts in childhood.

It's all well and good to say vegetables are cheaper but they're also alien to people who have grown up eating crap. It wasn't until I went to college that I branched out at all and I was well into my twenties before I had tried rocket, spinach, smoked salmon and other common things. I had to reset my palette.

I think money would be well spent on proper nutrition and cooking classes in schools so kids learn at least a few basic, nutritious meals they can cook on a budget. It is easier to look stuff up now than when I was a kid/teenager (didn't have the Youtube/internet at home then) but a lot of people just don't know what they don't know, if that makes sense.

KaneToad · 13-01-2020 07:02PM

Its not often I agree with Edwina Currie but I think she's right about Food banks:

https://www.bbc.com/news/av/uk-politics-26120067/former-mp-edwina-currie-on-food-banks-and-benefits

TLDW; they do more harm than good

oceanman · 13-01-2020 07:24PM

KaneToad wrote: »

Its not often I agree with Edwina Currie but I think she's right about Food banks:

https://www.bbc.com/news/av/uk-politics-26120067/former-mp-edwina-currie-on-food-banks-and-benefits

TLDW; they do more harm than good

bit rich coming from someone who will most likely never need the services of one herself..

Airyfairy12 · 13-01-2020 07:30PM

sbsquarepants wrote: »

Processed food is hugely more expensive than buying fresh vegetables.

Considering the short amount of time that fresh fruit and veg lasts, its no cost effective for poor people. 2 frozen pizzas for 4 or 5 euro is an entire meal for 2 days. Those pizzas can be frozen and kept for months. A packet of apples, and some fresh veg for the same price will be gone off by the end of the week and cant be eaten as a meal on its own. Same goes for tinned food, big bags of sausage rolls, chicken nuggets and potato waffles are dirt cheap and last months if frozen.

LeBash · 13-01-2020 07:30PM

I work beside one of these food banks. I see people coming in taxis, some asking the taxi to wait, I've seen people coming up in runners that are worth more than everything I'm dressed in (sometimes with kids all in Nike airs etc). I've seen people demand only crisps from the food bank and get seriously upset that the staff are trying to load good food into the car (this is apparently a famous one for selling the free crisps in markets).

I've also seen people who look in bits walking in and one of the guys told me there are plenty of seriously sad stories when they are delivering the food.

Its typical, the service is there for people in need but then it's taken advantage of.

It's much better to have it and be taken advantage of than it not to be there but its absolutely disgusting watching seeing the ones taking the p1ss with the service.

13-01-2020 08:07PM

beggars_bush wrote: »

Food is only cheap if you know what to do with it

You could feed a family of four with €80 for a week.
Easy.
If you know how to cook

Read back over the thread. You can currently do that for a fiver a day with frozen sh1te from Iceland.

corner of hells · 13-01-2020 08:10PM

[Deleted User] wrote: »

Read back over the thread. You can currently do that for a fiver a day with frozen sh1te from Iceland.

I just cant unsee that thought , imagine somebody having a dump in a freezer in Iceland.

Montage of Feck · 13-01-2020 08:41PM

The Real Ramona wrote: »

I presume, in a good few cases, anyone struggling financially is buying cheap, processed foods and therefore would be prone to being overweight.

That argument is a complete cop out as most food staples can be had for less than €1/kg.

MartDublin · 13-01-2020 08:49PM

Ted_YNWA wrote: »

Mod

Did you ask them about their circumstances?

This is not the place to have a go at anyone, even more so people who need to avail of food banks.

Have some respect and empathy.

His whole point is these people don't NEED to avail of food banks, they just use them so they have some extra money in their pockets for fags and booze.

JohnCleary · 13-01-2020 08:51PM

Genius. I'll be in Dublin on the weekend... free lunch sorted.

corner of hells · 13-01-2020 09:04PM

JohnCleary wrote: »

Genius. I'll be in Dublin on the weekend... free lunch sorted.

If you're up during the week and if you've got the balls to do it , try blag your way into the courts restaurant for cheap meal , excellent food but you got to look important.
Don't be wearing the tracksuit or the wellies and German Army parka.
Helps if you've a well dressed young one with you.

amadangomor · 13-01-2020 09:05PM

lainey_d_123 wrote: »

I think they would be. My school barely had anything like that.

People who grew up in nice, stable middle class homes where mammy cooked from scratch every night take it for granted that everyone had that, or that everyone's parents teach them life skills.

Like many who grew up in underprivileged areas, dinner for me most nights was junk food which I had to make myself. Some sort of microwaved chips, Pot Noodles, at best something like processed chicken tenders done in the oven with wedges. Glass of Coke/Pepsi with every meal. I literally thought that was 'food' and it was normal because I knew nothing else. School dinner was almost as bad. When you grow up like that, your taste buds are used to processed foods full of sugar and salt. And of course, obesity usually starts in childhood.

It's all well and good to say vegetables are cheaper but they're also alien to people who have grown up eating crap. It wasn't until I went to college that I branched out at all and I was well into my twenties before I had tried rocket, spinach, smoked salmon and other common things. I had to reset my palette.

I think money would be well spent on proper nutrition and cooking classes in schools so kids learn at least a few basic, nutritious meals they can cook on a budget. It is easier to look stuff up now than when I was a kid/teenager (didn't have the Youtube/internet at home then) but a lot of people just don't know what they don't know, if that makes sense.

Fair play. Off topic I know but have a look at this video before eating any more smoked salmon. It claims that farmed salmon is the most toxic food in the World. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zsbtit20DLo

Ted_YNWA · 13-01-2020 09:05PM

MartDublin wrote: »

His whole point is these people don't NEED to avail of food banks, they just use them so they have some extra money in their pockets for fags and booze.

Making these kind of allegations that eveyone is a scrounger and not in real need of the services will only have a long term negative impact on the provision of them.

Jonybgud · 13-01-2020 09:28PM

Boards has become a begrudgers paradise.

Deebles McBeebles · 13-01-2020 09:32PM

Jonybgud wrote: »

Boards has become a begrudgers paradise.

If Coolio had released that, we would never have heard of him.

Sardonicat · 13-01-2020 09:36PM

Deebles McBeebles wrote: »

If Coolio had released that, we would never have heard of him.

Michelle Pfieffer playing a Boards.ie mod desperately trying to save the kids from a hopeless lifetime of bitter whinging...nah, would never have worked.

dePeatrick · 13-01-2020 09:42PM

sbsquarepants wrote: »

Maybe if you're trying to follow recipes and needing to stock up on all manner of obscure ingredients, but that certainly won't be what the average frozen ready meal skank is at.

Few spuds, carrots, onions etc. Throw together a few bog standard simple dishes. You could feed a family of 4 or 5 for the price of a takeaway for 1.

You don't need to channel Nigella to serve up bangers and mash!

So can you tell me where I can get potatoes, bread for less than €1 ?

cannotlogin · 13-01-2020 09:47PM

Fat people can be hungry too!

I've no doubt there are plenty of people using the food banks that don't need them but they are probably a Godsend to a lot of people too.

lainey_d_123 · 13-01-2020 09:57PM

dePeatrick wrote: »

So can you tell me where I can get potatoes, bread for less than €1 ?

In fairness, you can easily get potatoes and a load of other veg for less than a fiver, to feed a whole family with a homemade stew, for less than a takeaway or a McDonald's for one.

Anyone who can afford to buy 4 takeaways or 4 McDonald's meals can easily afford to buy a few days' worth of healthy food but the issue is they don't know how to cook.

pinkyeye · 13-01-2020 10:02PM

OP, I note that you haven't answered any of the questions asked of you so I'll outline them more simply for you so maybe you can:

1. How do you know these people weren't homeless?
2. What makes you think that fat people can't be hungry?
3. Do you see any contradiction in saying they're fat junkies? In my experience drug addicts are normally very skinny.
4. Why do you think any of us gives two fcuks what you think?

pinkyeye · 13-01-2020 10:03PM

lainey_d_123 wrote: »

In fairness, you can easily get potatoes and a load of other veg for less than a fiver, to feed a whole family with a homemade stew, for less than a takeaway or a McDonald's for one.

Anyone who can afford to buy 4 takeaways or 4 McDonald's meals can easily afford to buy a few days' worth of healthy food but the issue is they don't know how to cook.

Again, all very easy if you have a house with a cooker.

Fat people at Foodbanks

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