Your feelings on cheap food

[UrbanBohemian]

What do you think about cheap food? I'm talking hamburgers, shakes, wings, subs, burritos, pizzas, onion rings, tacos, things like that. Not necessarily fast food but cheap, usually fatty, and often unhealthy food. Do you like it? Do you stay away from it? How often do you eat fast food or a pizza or something? And what specifically do you like? And what are some local cheap food joints you frequent?

I pretty much like all the above. I have a thing for cheap food. Always have. There are times I'd honestly rather get a steak sandwich with onion rings or a large pie and wings than eat at a higher-end Italian joint or have a steak or something. Don't get me wrong, I love good food as well. Especially Italian. But I can't deny the appeal of a sausage and peppers hero or a few steak tacos.

 

[suckonsimon]

Hey you remind me of "The Man Who Cycled The World" Mark Beaumont in his travel-log told us that the only country he traveled through where it was hard for him to find healthy food cheaply was ... the US of A. [he traveled CA NM TX - Florida] Good cheap food in Germany, Turkey, Iran, India, Malaysia, Australia...

As a Brit I'm reflecting on the fact that the places here which offer what you are talking about are all ... American-Global.

Just for a bit of fun - from a lover of Americans as many of you here know - what have you guys done to the health of the human race???

 

[WalksOnWater]

Your feelings on cheap food

You can't afford them. Go away.

 

[Noor]

I like dal and rice, it's cheap.

I think you mean inexpensive, highly processed fast food. Where else do you get "hamburgers, shakes, wings, subs, burritos, pizzas, onion rings, tacos, things like that" except fast food joints and glorified bars?

My feelings on it are I wish I could eat it but I can't. I miss pizza, burritos and shakes.
It fills you up, but it's mainly simple carbs so it's not very good for you.
You probably like it because it gives you almost a sugar rush after you eat it.

 

[Porkwarrior]

It's not hard to eat decent, cheaply. Though I suppose in alot of smaller & midsize N.American cities your options can be limited.

Or you can learn to cook more than just ramen or Mac & cheese.
There's nothing inherently unhealthy about a taco.
Then again there's nothing healthy about anything that comes from Taco Bell.

Takes me less time to whip up my rye pizza dough than it would take to order delivery.

And every butcher counter in every supermarket will usually grind whatever cut of beef you pick, usually at no charge.

 

[Saint Peter]

Salads, fuckers.


Trust me on this.

 

[lovetoread]

I would never eat a salad.

Tacos for life!

 

[LIVINRFANTASIES]

Denny

Here in the boonies of central Florida there are no butcher counters anymore. Cheap assed big box stores fired all the butchers and buy meat and fish from China where it's basically reject dog food.
Still if it weren't for those fast food places we wouldn't eat.
We do enjoy a good southern BBQ joint now and then.

Never been big on paying more for the tip than a meal for two costs at McD's or Hardee's. Taco Bell aint bad and the mom and pop restaurants are close to home made quality.

Yum Yum Hee haw!

Or click on roadfood.com for some good Amercan eattin.

 

[hashtag45]

butter popcorn and cheesy puffs

 

[Saint Peter]

I would never eat a salad.

Tacos for life!

There is salad on top of your taco!

 

[Porkwarrior]

Salads, fuckers.


Trust me on this.

3 guesses what causes the vast majority of salmonella poisoning in N.America?
Hint, it ain't the chicken or meat.

You think the illegal Guatemalan picking your lettuce washed their hands after wiping their ass? You think a quick rinse & spin does anything except get (most) of the grit off?

I'll take a street vendor carne asada taco or dirty water dog over that plate of bacteria & microbes anyday!

 

[IrezumiKiss]

Salads, fuckers.

http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m622i8ddwL1qjbocho2_1280.gif

COBB 4 LYFE

Tacos for life!

https://img.buzzfeed.com/buzzfeed-static/static/2014-07/28/14/enhanced/webdr02/anigif_original-2441-1406573104-8.gif

The El Jalapeño truck on West 4th & Grove St. in the West Village. $3 double wrapped soft shell tacos big as your hand, choice of maybe 12 fillings. Thee best cheap tacos in the city, hands down. The cheapest franchise shop or restaurant-bought tacos in the city will run you at least $4 each, so there is no beating that truck, ev-var.

 

[Saint Peter]

3 bucks?

Sold.

 

[RoryN]

Mexican food where I live is not only affordable - it's the best in the nation.

Burgers, however, cost a fortune here. Hit or miss. Same with the pizza, unless you want deep dish - then you can pretty much forget it.

 

[oggbashan]

There is cheap food, and cheap good food.

Some of the fast food joints aren't cheap if you examine what you are getting. They might have economies of scale and staff experience because they have a limited range of dishes on offer, but the cost of materials is worked out to fractions of a penny/cent.

In my small seaside town I have a large range of takeaway food. Some of it is cheap, some isn't. The pizza joints are NOT cheap. Pizza for two with basic side dishes can cost more than a sit-down meal in a local restaurant.

Chinese and Indian food outlets compete on price, range and quality but the best cost only about 10% more than the worst for the same selections.

Fish and Chip prices depends on distance from the seafront - most expensive facing the sea, cheapest and larger portions half a mile inland.

But the best value cheap food is in the family-run restaurants. For the price of a Big M meal you can eat food like Mom used to make with daily specials and seasonal food. A few miles away is a roadside restaurant that used to be part of a fast food chain until they lost out to the Big M and KFC. The woman who was the manager bought the lease and runs it with her family, offering the sort of food the franchise used to offer but better, with local ingredients. But she also offers a daily special. The specials have meat from the best butcher for a twenty mile radius, seasonal vegetables from local farmers, free range eggs from the hens you can see happily rooting around in the next field etc.

I have eaten there many times and notice that they have regulars who come on particular days just for 'Tuesday's Special' - yet the cost is about the same as a meal at the Big M.

 

[Porkwarrior]

http://www.ztele.com/polopoly_fs/1.1337852!/image/Poutine-cochonne-frite-alors.JPG_gen/derivatives/landscape_490/Poutine-cochonne-frite-alors.JPG

La cochonne poutine, Frite Alors in Montreal. $10 (which is cheap in socialist Canuckistan)

Fried onions, grilled lardons, fresh cheese curds & over fries & home made gravy.
Wait, a th'd about healthy eating....oh fuck it, there's no better drunk/hungover guilty pleasure on the planet!

 

[LIVINRFANTASIES]

Denny

oggbashan, way across clear blue waters, hit it exactly. We have a good old fashioned truck stop, minus the truck stop part now, and a flock of good mom and pop, and fish restaurants owned by mom's and pops' that serve good food at prices comparable to two cheap burgers, fries, and soda at those sometimes half fast food joints for my wife and I.
We often order one meal, two plates, and split it. There are times and places we still can't eat a one person serving. Yet the average person eats it all plus dessert and several large diet sodas. It's the diet soda that keeps them slim and trim!

 

[lovetoread]

http://www.ztele.com/polopoly_fs/1.1337852!/image/Poutine-cochonne-frite-alors.JPG_gen/derivatives/landscape_490/Poutine-cochonne-frite-alors.JPG

La cochonne poutine, Frite Alors in Montreal. $10 (which is cheap in socialist Canuckistan)

Fried onions, grilled lardons, fresh cheese curds & over fries & home made gravy.
Wait, a th'd about healthy eating....oh fuck it, there's no better drunk/hungover guilty pleasure on the planet!

I'd have sex with that.

 

[SexyAlison]

Love it. Glad I'm naturally thin.

 

[LIVINRFANTASIES]

http://www.ztele.com/polopoly_fs/1.1337852!/image/Poutine-cochonne-frite-alors.JPG_gen/derivatives/landscape_490/Poutine-cochonne-frite-alors.JPG

La cochonne poutine, Frite Alors in Montreal. $10 (which is cheap in socialist Canuckistan)

Fried onions, grilled lardons, fresh cheese curds & over fries & home made gravy.
Wait, a th'd about healthy eating....oh fuck it, there's no better drunk/hungover guilty pleasure on the planet!

Almost what they call a Horseshoe here in the deep south. Often the meat of choice is a fried tenderloin or hambuger. Can't get more healthier than that.

 

[LIVINRFANTASIES]

I'd have sex with that.

After eating that sex is much better. Even with a fat girl.

 

[Liar]

Junk food is not nessecarily all that cheap. At least not around here. I can get a good quality plate at the local hole in the wall eateries for the same price as a Big Mac, fries and shake. Especially at lunch hour when they all have a good daily.

Cheap food is the grub you make at home if you're smart about shopping and know basic cooking.

 

[NOIRTRASH]

The bride and me eat better and cheaper than anyone I know of. Until my vision went to hell I grew most of my own veggies.

Breakfast is usually 2 eggs, toast, 2 strips of bacon, and potatoes of some kind.

Lunch is generally meat (roast, chops, chicken, fish, ham) with veggies, sliced tomatoes, with pasta. rice, or potato.

Supper is usually leftovers. She prefers pizza.

We eat out twice a week: Chinese or barbecue, usually.

 

[UrbanBohemian]

Hey you remind me of "The Man Who Cycled The World" Mark Beaumont in his travel-log told us that the only country he traveled through where it was hard for him to find healthy food cheaply was ... the US of A. [he traveled CA NM TX - Florida] Good cheap food in Germany, Turkey, Iran, India, Malaysia, Australia...

As a Brit I'm reflecting on the fact that the places here which offer what you are talking about are all ... American-Global.

Just for a bit of fun - from a lover of Americans as many of you here know - what have you guys done to the health of the human race???

I can confirm it's very hard to find good cheap food here. Being disabled I have to eat very cheaply and it's not easy. You'll hear certain people (I think we all know who I mean) talk about how there are many overweight poor people as some kind of testament to how things really aren't that bad for them and people don't really think it through and say "Yeah. That's true! How can you complain if you're fat?" But that's because you can't find what you need to be healthy on a budget most of the time. And a lot of people live in food deserts. Since you're British you might not know this but a lot of areas in the US don't have supermarkets or any grocery stores that sell produce within a few miles of them. And it's not a matter of just driving a little bit either. A lot of people have to work two jobs or work long hours to feed their kids or keep their lights on and a lot of people don't have cars so they'd have to take public transportation which is a huge time sink. So it's not practical to try to shop at a store that's five or ten miles away. I can't drive myself because of my disability so I'm limited to only a few options shopping and it's hard to get everything I need. Most of the time I can't and have to settle for something not quite as good. And I can't afford much produce so I'm kind of over a barrel. That's how poor people become so unhealthy here. In the richest civilization the world has ever known there are people who just can't find a practical way to get vegetables, fruit, and other generally healthy foods. It's amazing that some people can look at this system and not see the problems here. Most of the time they're willfully ignorant but whatever the reason it's just astounding anyone thinks that way.

 

[Porkwarrior]

I'd have sex with that.

Right? Contrast that to a Big Mac combo which is about $10 here.

Then there is the Au Pied Couhon food truck...which has poutine with foie gras, gently melting under the steaming hot gravy, for $8.

I'd post a pic, but everybody here would be ruined for life.