Posted on 04/16/2015 10:39:13 AM PDT by drewh
Did anyone really think Gwyneth Paltrow could feed her family on a $29 budget?
"Last week, chef (and great man) Mario Batali challenged me to raise awareness and money for the NYC Food Bank by trying to live on $29 dollars for the week (what low income families on SNAP are trying to survive on)," the actress wrote in her goop newsletter. "Dubious that I could complete the week, I donated to the Food Bank at the outset, and all of us at the goop office began the challenge."
Paltrow spent $24.40 on "things like avocados and limes," which "are cheap." Noble as her intentions were, the New York Times best-selling cookbook author didn't last long. "As I suspected, we only made it through about four days, when I personally broke and had some chicken and fresh vegetables (and in full transparency, half a bag of black licorice)," Paltrow, 42, confessed. "My perspective has been forever altered by how difficult it was to eat wholesome, nutritious food on that budget, even for just a few days—a challenge that 47 million Americans face every day, week, and year." (So that explains why she attended an $80 prix fixe menu event last night at L.A.'s Animal.)
Still, she learned something. "A few takeaways from the week were that vegetarian staples liked dried beans and rice go a long way, and we were able to come up with a few recipes on a super tight budget."
"After trying to complete this challenge (I would give myself a C-), I am even more outraged that there is still not equal pay in the workplace," said Paltrow, who included food photos. "Sorry to go on a tangent, but many hardworking mothers are being asked to do the impossible: Feed their families on a budget which can only support food businesses that provide low-quality food.
The food system in our beautiful country needs to be subjected to a heavy revision—it is a cyclical problem, with repercussions that we all feel. I'm not suggesting everyone eat organic food from some high horse in the sky. I'm saying everyone should be able to afford fresh, real food. And if women were paid an equal wage, families might have more of a choice in the grocery aisles, not to mention in the rest of their lives."
After sharing some White House statistics highlighting the gap in men and women's earnings, the Mortdecai star reminded her newsletter subscribers that NYC Food Bank provides more than 63 million free meals per year. "I know hunger doesn't always touch us all directly—but it does touch us all indirectly. After this week, I am even more grateful that I am able to provide high-quality food for my kids." "Let's all do what we can to make this a basic human right and not a privilege."
That's a lot different than the amount they're saying. I tried a food-stamp dare last year and learned how to eat quite well for an average of $5 a day. It's not hard to bring the per-day amount down as the numbers in a family increase (home-made soups etc).
It's hard to believe anyone on these food assistance programs is starving, especially when you factor in free school breakfasts and lunches, food banks, and the occasional charity meal.
Seven frozen Banquet Dinners = $7.00.
One Box of Cereal for Breakfast = $4.00.
One Dozen Eggs = $3.00.
One Gallon of Milk = $4.00.
One Loaf of Bread = $2.00.
One 16oz Package of Meat Bologna = $3.00.
$23 and nobody starves with $6.00 leftover for Smokes and a Lottery Ticket.
I know, I’m a meanie.
“I bet movie star grocery stores are expensive.”
Indeed. Plus you have to show a SAG card to get in, AND you can pay only with a special movie star script. The script is sort of like bitcoin, but only movie stars are allowed to have it.
“But we always had money for BEER!”
Well, duh.
So let's make shopping at them a "basic human right". Oh, and let's make sure somebody else (like the government) pays for it so it is "free". After all, it is a basic human right - just like Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness - not to mention self-defense, freedom of speech, freedom from illegal search and seizure, and freedom of worship just to name a few others.
By the way, Gwyneth, have you been in some of these "poor" areas and noticed the fat a33es on all the fatties who are already getting "free" food? I don't think any of them are starving - unless they are trading their EBT cards for crack drugs, booze, cigs, and lotto tickets (which many of them are). Then they might have to bother themselves and show up at the Rescue Mission for their "free" lunch.
My gosh. I can easily eat well and healthily on $29 a week, 3 squares a day. Of course, I would have to do most of my own cooking and eat some healthy basics and not all junk food and fast food. But then, maybe your special chef doesn't know how to use those basic products and seasonings?
I should hope so... some things are important.
Wok cooking is great for getting by on the cheap because you use everything, even the pan residue gets turned into rice seasoning rather than just another chore. You can also take pretty much anything on sale and turn it into stir fry :)
She spends that much a day at Starbucks.
> “I know hunger doesn’t always touch us all directly—but it does touch us all indirectly.”
How on earth does hunger touch us indirectly? I can hardly think of a more ignorant statement....
When you’re one of liberal Hollywood elites and get paid to read lines for millions of dollars for each film you tend to develop a vocabulary of words and phrases of the complete BS variety that sounds like the rest. She’s just parroting without thinking; kneejerk reactionist verbiage...
” She missed her lobsters etc to survive on that money.”
The Wookie ate her share for her.
> It’s hard to believe anyone on these food assistance programs is starving, especially when you factor in free school breakfasts and lunches, food banks, and the occasional charity meal.
Well if you factor in that they only get half of what they’re worth it doesn’t go very far buying marijuana and coke, bingo cards, or paying hookers.../s
It fits her agenda to cheat.
Probably the whole purpose of this adventure was to prove that $29 isn’t enough.
Sorry, I should have qualified that. No “low income families on SNAP benefits” are eating on $29 a week.
I'd suggest that SOMEONE in that FAMILY get a JOB!!!
Your real world grade for that ridiculous publicity stunt of a "challenge" would be F. Stupid **tch.
i did this before..
i still live by it..
here in michiganstan, food stamps are worth over 400 a month...
with a vacuum packer and a membership to sams club, i can eat like a king for under 400 a month...
i have done it all my life, and continue to do it..
to all those that live on food stamps, cry me a river..
you get more cash than i allow for an entire family..
eat my shorts
What an attention whore.
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