I have an Indian friend named Shepal who, for cultural reasons, eats very little meat. He's not a vegetarian, but tells me he eats meat no more than once a week, and usually only chicken or fish. He told me this while eating the meal pictured here. It is a meatless burger from Carls Jr. It is the same burger I order, a Famous Star, but without the meat. I was perplexed. My initial thought was to run back to the counter and demand some properly cooked beef. But Shepal assured me this was how he orders his food every time. It cost $1 for his meal. He gets the meatless burger, a glass of water, one ranch dressing packet, and a healthy does of condiments from the salsa bar.
My meal cost $7.97. A burger, a order of crispy burritos (I am so ashamed), and a large diet coke. Shepal eats for a week on what I spend in one meal. What I spend in a week ($60), will feed him lunch for months.
We talked further about his frugal habits. He and his wife don’t eat out and have fresh vegetables, rice or beans for most of their meals. He estimated his monthly food spend at $100 to $125 dollars, roughly 20% of what my family of three spends.
Shepal is a smart man. I respect him. I just don’t think like him. As I sit here eating my $6.95 turkey sandwich (Subway), I am overwhelmed by the cultural differences in our approach to food. I associate eating like him with being poor. He thinks of it as normal. He’s in ideal shape, I’m shaped like my food. He saves more money for investing. I invest in eating. The whole thing really made me stop and think. What am I doing? Could I live like my friend and not go bugfuck crazy? I’m going to give it a try. It will make for an interesting social experiment. Crap… I spend more on diet soda than he spends on food. What does that say?
Anyway… food for thought.