This piece here makes a strong point that homeless shelters funded with TARP/Taxpayer dollars should not throw out perfectly good food just because its not trendy. The example being a Washington DC shelter that tosses fresh donuts because they aren't "healthy" enough for the drug addicts and homeless folk how come to their institution.
Now I think that is a correct view. While the homeless absolutely should be fed wholesome and healthy food with dignity, arugula salad and steak on the taxpayer's dime is a bit beyond the pale.
That said, my daughter and I recently volunteered at a local shelter via her Girl Scout Troop. Because our troop is almost entirely Muslim, the mothers prepared a chicken and rice dish with their traditional seasonings. I sat down and ate with some of the folks in the shelter once and chatted with them. And they told me the meal was a big hit. So often they get the same bland food over and over again. The flavor and spice of their Muslim meal was a welcome break. One lady pointed out a man whom she said went up for three servings of the meal and she's never seen him do that.
Perhaps, the chefs at these homeless shelters are less concerned with feeding the people who come in and more concerned about exercising their culinary prowess. Quite frankly, if you are too much of a food snob to make something palatable and inviting out of canned veggies and Velveeta, then you have no business calling yourself a chef. And instead of imposing your own view of "good" onto others, perhaps feeding them simple but flavorful food options would provide more dignity than any geoduck and frisee salad.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Posts
Can you elaborate on: "While the homeless absolutely should be fed wholesome and healthy food with dignity, arugula salad and steak on the taxpayer's dime is a bit beyond the pale."? I am not seeing where or why you are drawing the line.
ReplyDeleteAlso, what exactly is a muslim meal?
Thank you
I'm drawing the line at throwing away perfectly good donuts while feeding the homeless food that many middle class households can not afford at taxpayer expense.
ReplyDeleteIf the charity is entirely funded by private donations, then I do not have a quibble.
But if the charity accepts taxpayer monies, then it is obligated to provide fresh, wholesome and healthy food at the most efficient pricing possible. If a volunteer choses to personally supply steak and arugula salad, fine.
If my taxes are going to feed people - who admittedly are in a very tough situation - better food than I can afford to feed my own family, well then I will have a problem with that.
A Muslim meal is one that follows the strict dietary guidelines of Islamic law called Hallal. Just as Orthodox Jews eat Kosher, Muslim's eat according to Hallal guidelines.
The meal was delicious and spicy roast chicken pieces with a fragrant basmati rice and iceberg salad. Relatively inexpensive but very flavorful. I sat and ate with the residents of the homeless shelter after they were fed first and chatted with the ladies who said they appreciated the spiciness of the cooking because too often they were served bland food (lowest common demoninator of taste).
The above goes to another point I'd like to make, it is not the deliciousness or expense of the meal that treats someone with dignity, its the treating of that person with dignity by simply sitting down and talking to them. My troop mothers were terrific, the folks at the homeless shelter were very nice, and my daughter learned a valuable lesson about helping others.
No amount of arugula can ever do that. And what the hell is wrong with donuts anyways?