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Old 03-19-2010, 09:10 AM   #1 (permalink)
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Hipsters on Food Stamps?

From: Hipsters on food stamps - Pinched: Tales from an Economic Downturn - Salon.com

Quote:
In the John Waters-esque sector of northwest Baltimore -- equal parts kitschy, sketchy, artsy and weird -- Gerry Mak and Sarah Magida sauntered through a small ethnic market stocked with Japanese eggplant, mint chutney and fresh turmeric. After gathering ingredients for that evening's dinner, they walked to the cash register and awaited their moments of truth.

"I have $80 bucks left!" Magida said. "I'm so happy!"

"I have $12," Mak said with a frown.

The two friends weren't tabulating the cash in their wallets but what remained of the monthly allotment on their Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program debit cards, the official new term for what are still known colloquially as food stamps.   click to show 
I think this is one of the new realities of the recession. There is little doubt these people need these benefits--getting SNAP benefits is not an easy process. To be honest, I'm pleased to see that many of them are using SNAP for healthy foods. I sincerely doubt that these people are buying triple-creme cheese and rabbit every week. Additionally, I wonder how much further their benefits go simply because they have 1) nutritional knowledge, 2) food knowledge, 3) the ability to cook, and perhaps most importantly, 4) time to cook.

How do you feel about this segment of the population acquiring and using SNAP benefits, and their use of them as illustrated in the article? Is it possible that they could be setting a good example for others who use SNAP?
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Old 03-19-2010, 09:29 AM   #2 (permalink)
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How is this clique a segment of the population? I mean, do we have a Gangstas on Food Stamps study to back this one up?

First, let's define "hipster." Second, let's compare "hipster" to whatever other similar people-dividing groups are out there.
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Old 03-19-2010, 09:47 AM   #3 (permalink)
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Plan9, you mentioned it. You define and compare "hipsters." Cause how I see them is gonna be different then how you see them.
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Old 03-19-2010, 10:01 AM   #4 (permalink)
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Actually, healthy food is a lot more expensive than non-healthy food. You may give them credit for eating healthy, but their "money" would go a lot further if they bought at a regular grocery store - or (shudder) Walmart.

Let's face it - you can buy three packs of hot dogs for the price of one steak.
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Old 03-19-2010, 10:10 AM   #5 (permalink)
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I think it's good that people are exploring the government programs that they paid into or are going to be paying into. I know I would take advantage of any program that I qualify. I used to think I shouldn't and that it's some sort of pride thing, but if the safety net is there, why not take advantage of it?

That said, I am aware of the programs that I would qualify for if I lost my job since Skogafoss has now been unemployed for about 1.25 years now.

Buying organic doesn't necessarily mean healthier since there are absolutely no real federal guidelines as to the definition of organic. The word changes monthly if not weekly in the food industry.

Give people manner to take care of themselves with some dignity and responsibility and more than likely they will.
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Old 03-19-2010, 10:33 AM   #6 (permalink)
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If they qualify I really don't have a problem with them taking advantage of the program. I think they could make the money go further elsewhere and still eat fairly healthy but it's theirs to do with as they see fit.
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Old 03-19-2010, 10:55 AM   #7 (permalink)
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More power to them. My family was on WIC after my daughter was born. You can bet that we spent those vouchers at one of the local co-ops. Why not? Even though WIC is different from food stamps in that there are pretty tight restrictions on what can be purchased, we still preferred locally produced sharp cheddar to kraft american singles.

It is true that you can get make your money go further calorically if you buy cheap, low quality food, but calorically dense foods generally aren't good for you. The cheapness of low quality, calorically dense foods is a significant contributor to rising obesity rates. From a more macro perspective, more money invested now on healthy food means that down the road there will be less money invested in treatment of any of the many diseases that are caused by obesity.

And before someone chimes in about how unfair it is that people on public assistance are eating better than they are, they should realize that they're choosing to eat poorly if someone on the meager allowances provided by public assistance is eating better than they are.

Also, as noted above, the word "hipster" doesn't refer to any objective set of people. Anecdotally speaking, I have found that the people most likely to talk shit about hipsters are hipsters themselves (with an underdeveloped sense of self awareness). I think that the word "hipster" serves mainly as means of emotional validation for people who never grew out of the adolescent need to categorized and dismiss people based on superficial features. We might as well be talking about jocks, stoners and heshers.
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Old 03-19-2010, 11:24 AM   #8 (permalink)
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Quote:
Originally Posted by filtherton View Post
. . . It is true that you can get make your money go further calorically if you buy cheap, low quality food, but calorically dense foods generally aren't good for you. The cheapness of low quality, calorically dense foods is a significant contributor to rising obesity rates. From a more macro perspective, more money invested now on healthy food means that down the road there will be less money invested in treatment of any of the many diseases that are caused by obesity. . .
Agreed. Although I've been unemployed now for 16 months, I'm still considering this as "temporary." I'll start eating more healthy foods when I start getting a paycheck again. In the meantime, a 79-cent can of ravioli for dinner every few weeks won't kill me. Repulse me; maybe - but it won't kill me.

We need to stretch every dollar, so my shopping list is basically, "whatever's on sale."
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Old 03-19-2010, 11:53 AM   #9 (permalink)
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One of the things I imagine these people (given their apparent knowledge of cooking and available time) are doing is something we do--we buy dried beans, rice, lentils, and other grains in bulk. Certainly, it takes preplanning to make beans from dried, but it's very, very cheap. Black beans, brown rice, a sprinkle of cheese, and salsa--healthy and cheap. I also wonder if what holds true at my hippie food co-op holds true elsewhere--milk, eggs, bulk foods, and fresh foods are about the same as/cheaper than elsewhere (not meat though). If one were to shop the periphery of my local co-op (as we do), the prices are reasonable, whereas items in the center of the store--the dry goods and prepared foods--are much more expensive. It certainly takes forethought and more scratch cooking to produce dinner without using cheap processed foods.

Also, I'm excited that my co-op just started taking WIC. I think they are a great place to shop in this community, and I hope people using WIC take advantage of it.
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Old 03-27-2010, 07:29 AM   #10 (permalink)
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Quote:
Originally Posted by yournamehere View Post
We need to stretch every dollar, so my shopping list is basically, "whatever's on sale."
Me, too. It's hip to pinch the funny money.
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Old 03-27-2010, 08:27 AM   #11 (permalink)
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Quote:
Originally Posted by filtherton View Post
Also, as noted above, the word "hipster" doesn't refer to any objective set of people. Anecdotally speaking, I have found that the people most likely to talk shit about hipsters are hipsters themselves (with an underdeveloped sense of self awareness). I think that the word "hipster" serves mainly as means of emotional validation for people who never grew out of the adolescent need to categorized and dismiss people based on superficial features. We might as well be talking about jocks, stoners and heshers.
Nice.
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Old 03-27-2010, 08:37 AM   #12 (permalink)
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It's a person's prerogative to spend their benefits how they choose, particularly if they are single. I doubt highly that anyone with a family would persist in shopping at specialty stores if the majority of their food money were coming from government assistance. Fact is, you can still eat well and eat healthy shopping at regular grocery stores for much less money.
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Old 03-27-2010, 12:23 PM   #13 (permalink)
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An apple costs less than apple sauce with extra sugar. And orange and two eggs from the store is just as much as anything on a dollar menu. Carrots, raisins, and pineapple is a pretty cheap thing to make.

My diet habits are usually pretty cheap, and they didn't change once I got a paycheck.
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Old 03-27-2010, 01:53 PM   #14 (permalink)
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I caught a glimpse of this story on CNN a few days ago.

I don't think I'll be adding much to the discussion, but to add anecdote to this topic, my family used to be on food stamps when I was younger. At that age, I don't really recall what it is we bought, and what category of "organic" the foods fell into; I'm just glad I ate daily, and if that means only eating once or twice a day, I was satisfied enough to not question it.

I still think this way to this day, and so long as I can find a way to nourish my hunger first, then I can then expand to think of whether or not the nutrition I'm feeding myself will serve me any better a week from now.

And while I personally don't care what people do with their own allotment of funds, I feel if they know exactly how to maximize their expenditures in grocery, then this really shouldn't be news at all (but with how most persons, whether single or with family, don't even come close to buying only the "healthy stuff", it's for the most part, a reaction to something the general audience at large should have already thought of before the "pauperized hippies" decided to teach us a thing or two).
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