"We were fat"

This is Clara. She's 91 in this video (93 now, in later videos) demonstrating how her mother cooked cheaply during the Depression. They ate a lot of potatoes and pasta, she says. If you listen closely, at one point on this video she says, "We were fat, we were eating potatoes."

Odd, that statement. We were fat. During the Depression, when people stood in line for food and one year, 25% of the population was unemployed. We were fat. You know why? Because not everyone who's struggling to eat is actually starving. Some folks have enough money to buy some food, and they choose what suits them best: Food that lasts, food that is high in calories, and food that leaves them feeling satisfied, at least intially. 

That's phenomenon is called "food insecurity," and it's something that's spreading in Michigan these days as more and more people lose their job or struggle with pay cuts. Food insecurity is not neccesarily hunger, but it's one of the issues that food banks try to address. Food Gatherers recently published a study on food insecurity in Washtewnaw County. Among their more interesting findings: 

* Fresh vegetables aren't easy to access in poorer neighborhoods; Detroit and the city of Ypsilanti don't have supermarkets within their borders. Of the 124 stores in Washtenaw County that accept food stamps, only 36 sell fresh produce. 

* National studies show that high fat, high sugar foods are much cheaper than fresh fruits, vegetables and lean protein. To that point: $1 can buy about $1,200 calories in cookies or chips, but only 230 calories of carrots. 

* There's a clear link between poverty and poor health. In our county, about 32.1% of the general population has high cholesterol. But of those making less than $35,000 a year, 64.7% have high cholesterol. Just over 18% of the general population is obese, but 26.5% of the poorer population is obese. 

* Low-income families have an extremely high rate of food insecurity, with about 92% of parents saying they saying often skip meals or dole out smaller portions to make food last longer. 

That's where planting a row for the hungry comes in. If we can bring the produce from our harvest to Food Gatherers, they will distribute it to food banks, pantries, and to where ever else there is a need. The discussion on food insecurity makes me think about all the food I've donated to food banks in the past -- boxes of stuffing (lasts long, but is it all that healthy?), cereal, canned vegetables, soup (filling, but very high in sodium.) It would be lovely to help people feed their families the same way I try to feed my own: With healthy foods. 

Still, all that said, I love Clara and her Youtube cooking lessons, and am really tempted to make the Poor Man's meal for the kids. Hot dogs and fried potatoes -- oh my!