I like steak.
It's an indulgence I rarely treat myself to due to their cost as well as...cost. But the night after completing SNAP I decided it was a moment needing to be taken advantage of. Texas Roadhouse was the restaurant of choice and it wasn't long before a 10 oz. medium rare ribeye, green beans, and a nice salad was staring at me from the table. It goes without saying the food was delicious, a much different dinner than ones had in days prior, but about two thirds of my way through the meal I began to have a startling realization.
I was full.
It was a surprise, however, considering meal sizes and portions from the past week it made sense. I never went to bed hungry during SNAP but I did get accustomed to eating exact portions, and my guess is it's no shock to anyone restaurants are not the best regulators of portion control. I relished every bite of my meal I could that night and then asked for a doggie bag. I guess you could say while eating out was never an option during the challenge, the "never waste" mentality has carried over into "normal" life. Other habits have also been affected, I now find myself watching the quantity of food much closer. I poured myself a bowl of cereal this morning only to look in and catch myself wondering how many more bowls I have in there.
For me post-challenge, it's glancing in the cereal box, but for hundreds of thousands of East Texans it's glancing at every meal wondering if and when the next one will make itself available.
The SNAP Challenge was more than an eye opening experience, it was a perspective changing one. I can only hope in the coming weeks, months, and years the number of people going hungry continues to drop through the help of dedicated organizations like the East Texas Food Bank.
Way to go guys.
Snap Challenge Out,
Morgan Chesky
Wednesday, September 23, 2009
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
On my way to SNAP success
The hunger pains are gone, for now.
The peanut butter and jelly sandwich should last another hour and a half before I start thinking about lunch. Today, it's pinto beans with cheese and a few corn tortillas, a simple, yet filling meal that should carry me until I clock out.
I'm on day five of the SNAP challenge and am beginning to realize why the term challenge is so fitting for the program. For the first time in my life I'm having to make a conscious effort to put a little less on my plate knowing my food supply is dwindling with every meal. The food is fine, having eaten with fewer options in my days as an undergrad, but it's the planning and preparation I'm so unfamiliar with. I spent nearly four hours cooking the pinto beans I'll eat today, spending a large part of my day off preparing the rest of my food supply to last me through the end of the challenge.
America is a land of plenty, a fact exhibited in almost every facet of our society. It is fueled by the addiction to immediate gratification with internet, credit cards, no to mention the fast food drive-thru. The past five days in contrast, have not been ones of convenience. A drive-thru on every corner makes it easy to forget about food accessibility, but as I attempt to walk in the shoes of close to four hundred thousand East Texans I realize the frustration they may feel at seeing the surplus of food options, yet being able to afford next to nothing.
Two days remain in my personal SNAP challenge and when I eat my final meal Wednesday night I will feel accomplished in for having "made it." However, I believe the feeling of completion will be a bittersweet one, for while I completed my seven day challenge, I know the challenge for hundreds of thousands of East Texans continues every day with the pain of hunger.
It's a pain no one should have to feel.
The peanut butter and jelly sandwich should last another hour and a half before I start thinking about lunch. Today, it's pinto beans with cheese and a few corn tortillas, a simple, yet filling meal that should carry me until I clock out.
I'm on day five of the SNAP challenge and am beginning to realize why the term challenge is so fitting for the program. For the first time in my life I'm having to make a conscious effort to put a little less on my plate knowing my food supply is dwindling with every meal. The food is fine, having eaten with fewer options in my days as an undergrad, but it's the planning and preparation I'm so unfamiliar with. I spent nearly four hours cooking the pinto beans I'll eat today, spending a large part of my day off preparing the rest of my food supply to last me through the end of the challenge.
America is a land of plenty, a fact exhibited in almost every facet of our society. It is fueled by the addiction to immediate gratification with internet, credit cards, no to mention the fast food drive-thru. The past five days in contrast, have not been ones of convenience. A drive-thru on every corner makes it easy to forget about food accessibility, but as I attempt to walk in the shoes of close to four hundred thousand East Texans I realize the frustration they may feel at seeing the surplus of food options, yet being able to afford next to nothing.
Two days remain in my personal SNAP challenge and when I eat my final meal Wednesday night I will feel accomplished in for having "made it." However, I believe the feeling of completion will be a bittersweet one, for while I completed my seven day challenge, I know the challenge for hundreds of thousands of East Texans continues every day with the pain of hunger.
It's a pain no one should have to feel.
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