Rice and Beans

[degringolade]

Contemporary / Mark Tansey/ A Short History of Modernist Painting

Blue skies out today.  Last day of loafing and relaxing before a two-day work week.  Can’t really say that my life is too bad right now.

JMG just hit a home run over at his place (Again, the bastard) discussing the connections between rice and beans and spirituality.  Now, as most of you who frequent this little cul de sac far off the information superhighway know, rice and beans is a long time love of mine.  So much so that I have even managed to become a little snooty about the specific types I prefer (Royal Basmati Rice and Orca Beans) but there is quite a bit of flex with that.  Back in the day of toilet paper psychoses, I had to buy a $17.00 bag of Arborio rice which did not thrill me a bit, either price or texture.

Now, I have to agree with the Archdruid Emeritus about how diet has become a frequent stop on the virtue-signalling pathway.  It has always been that way though.  Hell, look at Kosher and Halal.  Any dietary restriction not directly related to a DIAGNOSED allergy is a way of signalling that you are on God’s good side and thus better than the Hoi Polloi around you.  

But rice and beans are just kind of a start.  Let’s call the baseline level for food a month to be around $120.00.  Unless things have changed, you get your card loaded at the first of every month so you have the money just sitting there.  First thing you do is find your local restaurant supply store.  It is tucked away somewhere awkward close to the industrial area, get used to that.  Let’s spend that $120.00.

$20.00 go to rice (Royal basmati, 20 pound sack, $17.99)                   =17.99

$20.00 go to black beans (Fiesta Black Beans 25 pounds,  $16.85)    = 34.84

$10.00 goes to sugar (C&H granulated 10 pounds, $9.09)                   = 73.93

$11.00 goes to flour (Unbleached 25lbs $10.49)                                  = 54.42

$8.00 goes for yeast (Red Star Active Dry 2 pounds $7.55)                 =61.97

$4.00 goes to salt (Morton Kosher 3 pounds $3.55)                             =65.52

$4.00 Goes to cocoa (Hershey’s 8oz $4.07)                                         =69.59

$3.00 goes to Baking Powder (clabber girl 10 oz $2.35)                       =71.94

$11.00 goes to corn oil (Mazola 1 gal, $10.99)                                      =82.93

$24.00 goes to the magic of El Guapo mexican spices            =106.93

13.00 goes to cheap meat to parse out over the week                   =$120.00

Now this first month is going to be boring, but trust me, you will be fed the entire month and you will have a lot of raw materials left over.  Next month you will probably need to work on less bulk and more spices and flavorings.  My guess is after this first month, you will be able to significantly upgrade your menus.  But $120.00 a month per person is a pretty easy mark to hit