Limosine Liberal Gwyneth Paltrow Fails Food Stamp Challenge

[Horatio Parker]

I live in a major high cost of living city and I have about 20 stores within 2 miles of me where I can buy a box of dried pasta for $1 that makes about 6 hearty adult servings of pasta, which means $10 for 60 servings of pasta, which means 1 pasta main course or 2 side dishes every day for 2 months for $10. Making your own pasta is an expensive hobby for hipster foodies and or a job for servants of the rich.

Surprisingly, one can find most of these ingredients at local ethnic grocers and green grocers in my neighborhood at prices a lot lower than I have seen so far in this thread. If you shop at Walmart or other Supermarkets you are going to pay more. Obviously if you go to Whole Foods, you are going to pay even more...for all the hype. Actually local farmer's markets are quite expensive... That is unfortunate, but to be expected.

Coming from meat-and-potatoes Michigan, I never had fresh pasta until coming to NY. Big difference.

 

[ZiprHead]

Hey Horatio! Where in MI did you come from? Spent my entire life here in Saginaw.

And yes, fresh homemade pasta here is rare indeed. Fresh lake perch is abundant however.

 

[Horatio Parker]

Hey Horatio! Where in MI did you come from? Spent my entire life here in Saginaw.

And yes, fresh homemade pasta here is rare indeed. Fresh lake perch is abundant however.

Buicktown. Flint Southwestern. MSU. I did a little adjunct teaching at GVSU before departing to the big and bigger cities many moons ago...remember Holly's Landing?

Michigan also excels in babka and sauerkraut. My mother's family is from Saginaw, tho the remnants have scattered to Frahnkinmoot and environs.

 

[Ford]

Hey Horatio! Where in MI did you come from? Spent my entire life here in Saginaw.

And yes, fresh homemade pasta here is rare indeed. Fresh lake perch is abundant however.

Can confirm. I lived on the north end of Lake St. Clair, and worked in Saginaw for a brief time. I never ate store bought fish growing up, but if you asked me what fresh pasta was I'd have had no idea.

 

[Horatio Parker]

Hey Horatio! Where in MI did you come from? Spent my entire life here in Saginaw.

And yes, fresh homemade pasta here is rare indeed. Fresh lake perch is abundant however.

Can confirm. I lived on the north end of Lake St. Clair, and worked in Saginaw for a brief time. I never ate store bought fish growing up, but if you asked me what fresh pasta was I'd have had no idea.

Back in the day, besides locally caught, you ate fish on Friday from a Catholic church. I don't remember which one it was, but there was one in Saginaw that was exceptional. With beer, of course.

 

[Jimmy Higgins]

Huh? How much do you pay for potatoes??? Around here you generally can't even buy a kilo of ordinary potatoes--because they're usually sold in 10 pound bags. Only specialty potatoes are available in such a small quantity.



Around here it's mostly the opposite--more expensive neighborhoods have more expensive stores.

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5 pound bag of flour - $5
Dozen of eggs - $2
Veggie Oil - $3

$10 investment should get you about 12 family sized batches of pasta. All you need is a rolling pin. A pasta roller would be better (much quicker!), but a rolling pin would work. The set back is the time prep. Mixing the dough is quick. But rolling with a pin takes a little time, and not as fast as a box of pasta. Can cost less if you get the flour/oil on sale.

We were just out shopping. The ad had eggs 5 dozen for $5.

You'll be hard pressed to have them last long enough to use them all in pasta.

I live in a major high cost of living city and I have about 20 stores within 2 miles of me where I can buy a box of dried pasta for $1...

Which probably means you can get the flour, eggs, and oil for cheaper too. Probably about $6 total.

...that makes about 6 hearty adult servings of pasta, which means $10 for 60 servings of pasta, which means 1 pasta main course or 2 side dishes every day for 2 months for $10.

Or 48 to 72 servings with fresh pasta for $6.

Making your own pasta is an expensive hobby for hipster foodies and or a job for servants of the rich.

Or people that know how to cook and appreciate that fresh pasta tastes much better than boxed pasta. Granted, there isn't much savings, but people typically have flour, eggs, and oil in the house already. So pasta is just half an hour away. I'm sorry you can't cook.

 

[bilby]

I think you have to need to do it.
Last time I ate this cheap, I had no choice. I was in navy tech school and hurting for money. My roommate was the Drum Major for the base marching band and told me to join the band. I could draw ComRats (Commuted Rations (money for meals in lieu of eating at the mess)). Sounds good. Can't play an instrument but why sweat the details. The ComRats was nice but my car kept breaking down. I ended up living off one Extra Value Meal a day until I graduated. I was 163 lbs when I transferred. Which was down 30 lbs from my norm. The McLean Deluxe lived up to it's name.

I really think the McDonald's Extra Value Meal is the way to go here for those looking to step up. You may have to split a meal or skip a day here and there. Try to sleep through the weekend, maybe.
Package of Ramen with an egg and Keebler crackers are an unhealthy alternative.

5 pound bag of flour - $5
Dozen of eggs - $2
Veggie Oil - $3

$10 investment should get you about 12 family sized batches of pasta. All you need is a rolling pin. A pasta roller would be better (much quicker!), but a rolling pin would work. The set back is the time prep. Mixing the dough is quick. But rolling with a pin takes a little time, and not as fast as a box of pasta. Can cost less if you get the flour/oil on sale.

A five pound bag of flour would cost about US$7.50 at current exchange rates.

Still, you would get about 3.4kg of flour for that much money, so it's not too bad.