What's your favorite poverty meal that you still eat regardless of where you are financially?

[TheRobSJ]

A good PB&J is a beautiful thing.

Two is even better! Which is exactly what I had half an hour ago.

 

[Cyclesuzy]

I lived off of hummus and carrots for about a year when times were tough with a $1 tacobell taco thrown in once in a while. Box mac and cheese was a splurge (had to have butter and milk - none of that water sheet) and raman. Still eat all of it.

 

[Kurosaki]

Bread and water

 

[Akira-R]

Nicely done.


We used to eat mayonnaise and pickle sandwiches and grilled peanut butter sandwiches if we had bread. If not we'd do the peanut butter on the spoon thing. For dinner we ate a lot of tuna casserole as tuna was really cheap back then. Not so much now. We just used tuna, cream of mushroom soup, water and noodles. I still love tuna casserole, but now I can afford the celery, onion, fresh peas, milk and sour cream, and I buy those big bags of French fried onions at Costco for the top. Super comfort food!

Yes! I loved mayo/pickle sandwiches as a kid. I totally forgot about those. Or sometimes it was just the Mayo/relish spread on bread.

 

[dravnx]

PS. I had a teacher in HS that grew up in Philly area. She out-poored me on mustard and mayo with just bread and goose grease. Then, when I went to Germany to see my boy, I discovered it's a thing, schmaltz on bread!

My nana used to make schmaltz and smear it on toasted rye as a treat for us. I had no idea it was poor peoples food. I didn't know that they were poor either.

 

[Bay Arean]

My nana used to make schmaltz and smear it on toasted rye as a treat for us. I had no idea it was poor peoples food. I didn't know that they were poor either.

Well, that's the thing, I think my teacher actually was poor and brought it up in that context, but I didn't know it was so much like bread and butter to us for various Germanic types.

 

[NorCalAthlete]

Mac N cheese mixed w/ bbq pulled pork or pulled chicken is bomb

Also w/ bacon and sausage

 

[Chill]

Nicely done.


We used to eat mayonnaise and pickle sandwiches and grilled peanut butter sandwiches if we had bread. If not we'd do the peanut butter on the spoon thing. For dinner we ate a lot of tuna casserole as tuna was really cheap back then. Not so much now. We just used tuna, cream of mushroom soup, water and noodles. I still love tuna casserole, but now I can afford the celery, onion, fresh peas, milk and sour cream, and I buy those big bags of French fried onions at Costco for the top. Super comfort food!

Yes! I loved mayo/pickle sandwiches as a kid. I totally forgot about those. Or sometimes it was just the Mayo/relish spread on bread.

My family was into the mayo, pb, pickle sando. And the pickles were oil & vinegar pickles, super sharp. Never got into that, maybe need to try now.

The tuna mac casserole was a college staple, been craving it lately

 

[R3DS!X]

Are we stealing thread ideas from ask reddit?

Rice plus pretty much anything. Eggs are probably the cheapest addition but add some spam with it and it's amazing. Rice and chicken is pretty cheap to make and it still a fan favorite. Most of the curries I make are pretty cheap to make as long as you don't go to an American store to get the spices. Idk why they are so over priced in American grocery stores. Maybe that's why American food is usually so bland.

 

[wazzuFreddo]

If you think food in America is bland, you should try parts of Europe

 

[900ss]

Banana butties, sauce (ketchup) butties or Heinz beans on toast.

 

[Bay Arean]

Are we stealing thread ideas from ask reddit?

Rice plus pretty much anything. Eggs are probably the cheapest addition but add some spam with it and it's amazing. Rice and chicken is pretty cheap to make and it still a fan favorite. Most of the curries I make are pretty cheap to make as long as you don't go to an American store to get the spices. Idk why they are so over priced in American grocery stores. Maybe that's why American food is usually so bland.

Naw, I don't ever visit there unless somebody posts it here.

Spices are a real sore spot with me. You have to be nuts to at least not visit the "ethnic foods" aisle at the regular grocery store or better, go to actual ethnic shops to buy spices as you mentioned. Another thing is loose tea from an Indian food joint is often a fraction of the major brands at stores. And you know it's going to be good because of turnover and public taste for the stuff.

Talk about "rich people" food! Easily over $5 for a dinky bottle of major brand herb or spice! Mexican herbs and spices are generally good but always sniff em first. There was a run of bad oregano for a while from the cheap Mexican aisle that smelled like diesel. So, uh, quality control may vary.

 

[Brokenlink]

Naw, I don't ever visit there unless somebody posts it here.

Spices are a real sore spot with me. You have to be nuts to at least not visit the "ethnic foods" aisle at the regular grocery store or better, go to actual ethnic shops to buy spices as you mentioned. Another thing is loose tea from an Indian food joint is often a fraction of the major brands at stores. And you know it's going to be good because of turnover and public taste for the stuff.

Talk about "rich people" food! Easily over $5 for a dinky bottle of major brand herb or spice! Mexican herbs and spices are generally good but always sniff em first. There was a run of bad oregano for a while from the cheap Mexican aisle that smelled like diesel. So, uh, quality control may vary.

I got some of that diesel "oregano". It's pretty good.

 

[R3DS!X]

Naw, I don't ever visit there unless somebody posts it here.

Spices are a real sore spot with me. You have to be nuts to at least not visit the "ethnic foods" aisle at the regular grocery store or better, go to actual ethnic shops to buy spices as you mentioned. Another thing is loose tea from an Indian food joint is often a fraction of the major brands at stores. And you know it's going to be good because of turnover and public taste for the stuff.

Talk about "rich people" food! Easily over $5 for a dinky bottle of major brand herb or spice! Mexican herbs and spices are generally good but always sniff em first. There was a run of bad oregano for a while from the cheap Mexican aisle that smelled like diesel. So, uh, quality control may vary.

I buy my spices at Indian and Mexican markets. Stupid cheap. Meats are often much cheaper at Asian and Mexican markets too. I wish i had a Mexican supermarket close by me tho.

Oh and Korean markets for wings and kalbi! and kimchee and a bunch of other random shit

 

[Bay Arean]

I buy my spices at Indian and Mexican markets. Stupid cheap. Meats are often much cheaper at Asian and Mexican markets too. I wish i had a Mexican supermarket close by me tho.

Oh and Korean markets for wings and kalbi! and kimchee and a bunch of other random shit

Good pro-tips!

Best prices on pork are those next level down joints because Hispanic people buy it there; ya know FoodsCO FoodMaxxxx, GrossOut.

I have no idea what the quality level is but when I need a shoulder to smoke, that's where I go if there isn't a sale. Every two weeks on a Wednesday, many regular supermarkets mark down pork, even in pandemic. Check your newspaper if you still take one.

 

[two wheel tramp]

Banana butties, sauce (ketchup) butties or Heinz beans on toast.

Your POM is showing.

 

[TylerW]

I buy my spices at Indian and Mexican markets. Stupid cheap. Meats are often much cheaper at Asian and Mexican markets too. I wish i had a Mexican supermarket close by me tho.

Oh and Korean markets for wings and kalbi! and kimchee and a bunch of other random shit

This. Buy your spices in plastic bags, not jars.

Okay maybe you buy the jars once, and then refill them with the cheap stuff sold in bags. Or you could probably buy a bunch of jars cheap on amazon and label them yourself.

 

[Slow Goat]

Storebought foods? That’s rich folk eatin’.....

Grew up in farm country and ate mostly what I could hunt; squirrel, rabbit, dove, quail and pheasant. Filled the garage-freezer in season and hoped my miner dad could buy a half-steer in the spring to get thru summer so we weren’t eating catfish and crappie 5 times a week.

This was ‘70s before the corporate farms started plowing under the hedgerows that much of the game lived in.

Also know what raccoon and muskrat taste like. Not great times, haven’t been poor in a long time.

 

[msethhunter]

It's called a Garbage Plate™. At a restaurant (and only available is Rochester New York), it's about $9. But made at home, they're about $3-3.50 a plate, and man are they good! You can feed a family of 4 for less than $10 if you make it yourself.

 

[TylerW]

It's called a Garbage Plate™. At a restaurant (and only available is Rochester New York), it's about $9. But made at home, they're about $3-3.50 a plate, and man are they good! You can feed a family of 4 for less than $10 if you make it yourself.

"Looks like hell, tastes like heaven"