Budget Cooking

     $5.00 for a dozen organic eggs, or $1.50 for eight non-organic eggs? This was my first stop pushing my empty cart through the tightly packed aisles of Meijer. I waited in line behind two people for access to the eggs and watched them both select organic. Prior to entering Meijer, I had not set any guidelines for my meal. I figured with my limited cooking experience, I’d select something I could cook that would be edible and leave it at that. Right then and there though, I decided to impose a few restrictions on myself. Some of my strongest reactions to The Omnivore’s Dilemma came from an economic viewpoint. So I decided to approach my meal with economics and dollar signs in mind.

     I went with the non-organic eggs. Not because I do not support the organic food movement, but because of my guidelines. I wanted to make an effort to approach the meal from the same position as many Americans. I was cooking one meal, so I could have afforded the one-time charge for the organic eggs. But, if I had to purchase eggs weekly, I’m not so sure I could afford the organic eggs and I’m confident that many American families cannot justify paying more than triple the price for four more eggs. I cannot deny that as I reached for the factory-farm eggs that images of the chicken houses in Food Inc. popped into my brain, but I tried to force that out my head. I was focused on attempting to make a healthy meal, but a healthy meal for a reasonable price, which is a dilemma I think many shoppers face every time they enter a supermarket.

     Though I could not justify the organic eggs, whole-wheat bread was of a close enough price to its competitors that it made sense to purchase it (plus it contained no high fructose corn syrup!). I went with simple Sara Lee brand ham and cheese. The label on the ham claimed no fillers and 30% less sodium than USDA data for ham. I’d be lying if I said I fell for all this bullshit (Michael Pollan made sure of that), but compared to other options in the same price range, I made an executive decision that this was the least of all evils.

     I ran into another issue in the fruits and vegetables section. For my meal I wanted to make a fruit salad. I figured even I could cut up a few different kind of fruits and spin them together into an alright mixture. Once again though, price was an issue. A fruit salad requires multiple types of fruit. After perusing the different options, I came to a conclusion that even purchasing just blueberries, pineapple and strawberries (three of my favorites) did not make sense for the price. I was then forced to make a decision, select just one or go with a Meijer brand fruit salad of pineapple, cantaloupe, honeydew, blueberries, watermelon and strawberries. I set out with this type of variety in mind and decided to go for it. I could have gone with a package of only strawberries (which cost almost the same as the salad) but as this combination of fruits is what I originally had in mind, I decided this is what I would serve. Is it taking the easy way out? Yes, I suppose so. But, like I stated before, I am confident that given the various fruits, I could craft my own salad. Unfortunately, my economic restriction would not allow me to do so.  And as I contemplated my own decision, I began to wonder how many other people around me faced similar issues, only theirs were not for one meal assigned for school, but instead their decisions would effect the mouths of their families.

      

     I ended up spending right around $25 total, which I was satisfied with. The amount of food I purchased would last more than one meal, but I honestly didn’t know how much longer. Throughout my life I have not been blind to the costs of food for a family, but there are some things that you never fully understand until you’re faced with the full burden of the decision. That being said, there are still many things I need to learn, but I think this project further opened my eyes to the issues people face every day in kitchens and supermarkets around the world.

      I cooked for myself and my girlfriend, Karianne. My planned meal consisted of fried egg, ham and cheese sandwiches, hash browns and fruit salad. Simple, I know. I’ve already admitted to a lack of cooking skill though, so I’ll leave it at that. A fried egg sandwich is one of a short list of items that I am confident I can make. The hash browns struck some fear in me. I’ve never attempted to make them before and have heard they can be difficult. Following a recipe online and using a few tweaks of my own (due to a lack of a shredding tool, I was forced to cut my potatoes into small pieces), I did my best to create hash browns that were not only edible, but somewhat attractive to the palate as well.

     My girlfriend was very satisfied with the final product. She raved to me that the hash browns were great, telling me, “you can make me hash browns anytime you want,” and about how wonderful the sandwich was. I love her, but she is prone to feeding my ego and even if the food were horrible, she would have probably eaten it with a smile on her face and flooded me with comments just the same.

     I tend to be a tougher critic on myself, but I was actually pretty happy with the food after completing my meal. The hash browns were not the best and I think cooking them with more salt and pepper would have helped with the overall flavor, but that issue could be somewhat solved on the plate. I honestly don’t know enough about cooking to point out other flaws, but I’m sure there were numerous. The sandwiches made me feel even better about myself. Although an attempt at adding artichoke hearts was not a great choice on my part and I don’t know if it’s because taking the cheap way out and buying a jar of artichoke hearts is just not a good idea or if the way I prepared them was just a poor method (I’d bet a mixture of both). Outside of that though, I had no true complaints. The flavors came out in everything and nothing overpowered its counterparts. Plus, I didn’t burn anything so that was a positive. 

     All in all, I’d say for spending very little time in kitchens, I did an alright job. This meal has provided me motivation to improve my cooking skills. Hopefully in the future I’ll be able to make a dish and feel confident serving it to other people. And if I never reach that goal, at least I know one person I can guarantee will give me a good review.