My memory is a little hazy on this, but I recall as a child that my mother and brother and me were able to go to McDonald's for $5. Like I said, this was a long time ago.
Today, in most markets, a whole fast food meal cost under $5.
Inflation, minimum wage increases (less than inflation), and the cost of food should make that go up, but the true cost of the 2011 fast food meal isn't in what you pay the cashier. The food is heavily subsidized, and the fast food companies try to keep those value meals as cheap as they can to lure in patrons.
Most people in their hectic everyday lives don't factor in subsidies or corporate strategy. They look at a menu board, think about what they have in their pockets, and then decide what to order.
Previous coverage: Slow Food USA offers $5 meal challenge to eat well for half a sawbuck
Eating on the run, besides not being always the healthiest choice, gets rather expensive. For example, in Chicago, food from a restaurant has about a 10% tax where food from the grocery store is about 2% tax. And you pay for the restaurant's taxes, salaries, overhead, etc. In Michigan, you pay no sales tax on food from the grocery store.
Also, the "value meal" is a source of protein (burger) followed by white flour carbs (bun, fries) and finished up with carb-intensive and subsidized high-fructose corn syrup. Not a lot of fruits, vegetables, and fiber; they cost extra.
So the idea of a slow food $5 challenge sounded easy. Food from the farmers market may be more expensive on some level, but farmers have less overhead and tax is factored into the equation. Water is free, though in a value meal, you are paying pennies for the soft drink (which is good since soft drinks only cost pennies). Fruit and vegetables in-season or preserved aren't that expensive, and provide taste, flavor, fiber, and nutrients.
Eating food that is good for consumers, producers, and the planet can easily cost more than $5 if you stretch it out. An 8 oz. buffalo burger is a $5 meal in itself. The challenge was designed to show some creativity yet also demonstrate to people who aren't on the slow food bandwagon that you can adapt well-grown food into a $5 budget plate.
Let's take the buffalo example, as having meat is a good way to convey the parallel cost of a non slow food meal. A 4 oz. burger would cost about $2.50, a couple slices of sourdough bread locally baked would be 50¢, condiments (homemade ketchup, locally grown mustard, home pickles) would amount to 18¢, a lettuce salad with several vegetables and homemade dressing might amount to 65¢, ½ cup of blueberries would be 60¢. This hypothetical meal costs $4.43, well under the $5 challenge. You can pack more food for less than this meal, but I wanted a semi-realistic vision of what a novice would try.
If you compare that meal against a corporate-chain sandwich, I would take the slow food meal any day. Better quality food, more food, and more taste for less money. Yes, you need time and commitment. But your stomach and other insides are worth the effort.
Comments