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Eat for $1.50 per Day – Layoffs, Coronavirus Quarantine, Food Shortages

efficiencyiseverything.com

251–260 of 289 posts

Re: Eat for $1.50 per Day – Layoffs, Coronavirus Quarantine, Food Shortages

#251
post #163

Earlier quoted context omitted.

you know the cool thing about potatoes? the parts [eyes, sprouts] that we dont eat can be used to grow more potatoes

If your emergency plan is; “ima let these sprout and grow more potatoes”... but you aren’t hoarding oils, yeast, flour, beans and rice, cans of meat... well, that’s an interesting plan :)

my plan also includes the not-potatoes.

thing is where i am we do these things as a matter of course,

at any time we could have supply failure ,major earthquake major fires or a really bad winter.

Re: Eat for $1.50 per Day – Layoffs, Coronavirus Quarantine, Food Shortages

#252

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You know the annoying thing about potatoes here? It’s ONLY russets. Yellow, red, and whatever the black ones are called, all day long. It’s like people know something about Yukon/russets that I don’t. I think sweet potatoes (more nutritious) are even on sale.

hahaha, you noticed? they are more expensive. that's all. same thing is happening where i live, all other potatoes are disappearing but them russets are just staying there. but our store restocks potatoes in the morning. pasta, noodles, tomato cans, and rice are not being restocked though.

you should try stocking potted garden veggies perhaps even growing them on in the produce section if they stay on shelf that long.

Re: Eat for $1.50 per Day – Layoffs, Coronavirus Quarantine, Food Shortages

#253
post #186

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Very cool approach. Using combinatorics to create a recipe space is kinda inside out from how people conventionally approach cooking, but it makes sense that it is actually a far a more frugal way to prepare food assuming you can actually come up with a suitable space that yields tasty outcomes.

When cooking for others you have to learn which things to avoid and what they like. For people who like spicy food I zone the pizza in regions of sliced red pepper, cayenne pepper, black pepper, white pepper, wasabi and sambal. One said it was the most interesting meal he ever ate.

What are the various dimensions that you categorize flavors into? You just named spicy as one. What would the others be? I remember looking at a list[1] a while back and feeling a little underwhelmed by the dimensions used for categorization, although I did think it was a good start. Perhaps it's intrinsically hard because of how things overlap.

For what it's worth they're the following: bitter, cooling, earthy, floral, fruity, herbaceous, hot, nutty, piney, pungent, sour, spicy, sulfury, sweet and woody.

[1] https://www.spicesinc.com/p-3743-flavor-characteristics-of-s...

Re: Eat for $1.50 per Day – Layoffs, Coronavirus Quarantine, Food Shortages

#254
post #155

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I find it funny that we can find plenty of bread but flour is a completely different story. I'm a little surprised the demand - I recognize how useful flour is, but I'm surprised so many people actually feel confident enough to do anything with it (not that baking is that uncommon, but I only know a few people who know how to stuff like bake bread). On the other hand I guess it is the perfect time learn

Under normal circumstances I make a loaf of bread every other day for sandwiches, using a bread making machine. So that is 500g of flour, 350ml water, 25g butter, 1 tsp of yeast, 1.5 tsp sugar, 1.25 tsp of salt. My 'peacetime' rationale is to have fresh bread with no additives in it. There are spin off benefits such as the baking smell. Over the last decade I have worked in different companies and never met another p…

The standard size in the US is a 5lb bag, or about 2.26kg

it is not uncommon to find 10 and 15 lb bags in most stores as well

Re: Eat for $1.50 per Day – Layoffs, Coronavirus Quarantine, Food Shortages

#255
post #188

If you can still get it, frozen self rising pizza costs less than $3 for about a kilogram of food. As I live alone I would buy a pizza like this and chop it into pieces before cooking it so it is fresh every serving. I add a few chunks of butter to the bottom above foil. Similar taste to pizza hut for a fraction of the cost. Speghetti is also good when cooked with butter. Instead of adding the usual tablespoon of oli…

You may want to look up Marcella Hazan’s spaghetti sauce recipe

Very nice. I have found my spaghetti making skills have been very primitive for some time. I'm always on the look out now for how to make it better since the staple is so cheap and easy to store. I've owned spaghetti still sealed in a plastic envelope that was good over 9 years later. I ate all of it. The only thing is it needs a little more time to cook.

Re: Eat for $1.50 per Day – Layoffs, Coronavirus Quarantine, Food Shortages

#256

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Under normal circumstances I make a loaf of bread every other day for sandwiches, using a bread making machine. So that is 500g of flour, 350ml water, 25g butter, 1 tsp of yeast, 1.5 tsp sugar, 1.25 tsp of salt. My 'peacetime' rationale is to have fresh bread with no additives in it. There are spin off benefits such as the baking smell. Over the last decade I have worked in different companies and never met another p…

Flour and yeast were one of the first things to go. As was regular bread. Either all the bread machines were dug out of the closets or those bread recipes from Pinterest are getting put to work.

I normally buy a premium brand bread, and right now all I can get is generic store brand white bread....

Re: Eat for $1.50 per Day – Layoffs, Coronavirus Quarantine, Food Shortages

#257
post #186

Earlier quoted context omitted.

When cooking for others you have to learn which things to avoid and what they like. For people who like spicy food I zone the pizza in regions of sliced red pepper, cayenne pepper, black pepper, white pepper, wasabi and sambal. One said it was the most interesting meal he ever ate.

What are the various dimensions that you categorize flavors into? You just named spicy as one. What would the others be? I remember looking at a list[1] a while back and feeling a little underwhelmed by the dimensions used for categorization, although I did think it was a good start. Perhaps it's intrinsically hard because of how things overlap. For what it's worth they're the following: bitter, cooling, earthy, flor…

I don't really know a lot of spices. For a while I put a lot of spices on everything then got bored with all of them. If something needs it I buy a premixed package in stead of the laundry list of separate things.

Now I just go by what a person likes and doesn't. Those often end up rather similar to others.

"will eat anything" is a fun category. These are people you can serve blue cheese, olives, liver, tongue, slugs, insects, brains, placenta (I'm joking)

Interesting article, thanks.

Re: Eat for $1.50 per Day – Layoffs, Coronavirus Quarantine, Food Shortages

#258

Earlier quoted context omitted.

There are shit loads more people in a position where they don't have the money. You probably just encounter more of the type who are frivolous because of where you live and who you interact with. Step outside your neighborhood, your county your state.

I've worked with homelessness and welfare programs in 4 states and 4 countries including Zimbabwe. If you're using the word 'state' in a sentence and aren't a clinically insane or drug addicted homeless person, then FOH. You have such a ridiculously huge leg up in this country and so many resources to buy groceries, get meals and get help. People are in sucky situations. They're hard. They don't deserve it. But excus…

Please don't post in the flamewar style to HN. Especially not now.

If you'd please review https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html and stick to the rules when posting here, we'd be grateful.

https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html

Re: Eat for $1.50 per Day – Layoffs, Coronavirus Quarantine, Food Shortages

#259
post #204
post #194

Earlier quoted context omitted.

$9-10/lb for ground beef is 3x what I buy it for in SF.

Costco is obviously cheaper but you need a subscription and you need to commute there.

Not even talking about Costco. The neighborhood Asian grocery I shop at has it for $3-4 per pound, pretty much all the time.

Re: Eat for $1.50 per Day – Layoffs, Coronavirus Quarantine, Food Shortages

#260

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I own several rental properties, and I’ve already told my property managers that I’m receptive to rent reductions - less rent still beats an empty property. Any landlord who expects to get through this without a reduction in income is just delusional.

I know an absolute ton of small businesses owners. Every single one of them has tried to renegotiate or get forbearance on rent this week. They have had 0% success and the only response is really that rent is due on the first. There will be a massive commercial real estate crisis soon.

I don’t know what it is, but it seems commercial landlords would rather have an empty property than accept market rent in a down market. I saw a lot of that in the last recession.

I suspect that the managers of REITs and partnerships that own most commercial property worry that accepting lower rent would make it harder for them to delude their investors into thinking their property values haven’t tanked. “We appraise this property based on a rental income of $5k/mo, it’s just between tenants right now”

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