Over the course of the past few weeks, there's been a “discussion” about a $3 meal here in America, one side saying it's doable, the other side saying it's out of touch with reality.
To begin with, we here at Cornfree are proudly independent, and the reasons for avoiding corn go far beyond politics.
For myself, a corn allergy was my impetus for pursuing this topic as I found that I am actually allergic to corn, although the source of the allergy is admittedly debatable. I simply have found avoiding any corn has provided a relief practically unobtainable otherwise.
But getting back to the debate. To some, the idea of living off of $3 meals seems provably impractical as most food in this country costs conceivably more than that, just for the basics.
However, if you've been reading the recipes here, and have tried any of them, you have probably found the cost to make them considerably lower than going out to eat, or purchasing them premade at the store.
And that's because making these items yourself, at home, costs much less.
And with attempting to omit any corn means omitting much of the shelf stable and frozen items available at the grocery store.
Cost is one of the major benefits to scratch cooking, which is what most, if not all, of these recipes have in common.
One of the biggest hurdles to overcome when you start out attempting to avoid corn is, how do you avoid it in a country where it's used so ubiquitously.
Look on any ingredient label and the chances are better than 95% you'll find some form of corn in the product.
And that's why we here at Cornfree focus on raw ingredients, those that are grown and packaged on their own, free from any other manufacturing.
Sure, there are some items you simply cannot acquire outside the manufacturing process, but for the most part, the bulk of ingredients listed here are raw.
But what does that have to do with the debate?
For the most part, here in America, people are used to quick and easy, and seldom give a thought to “a few cents more” for convenience.
For example, for most families, coming home to a home cooked meal is a thing of the past, with frozen dinners, or takeout, being preferred in lue of cooking.
It's one of the big hurdles people have to removing corn from their diet.
So last week, I watched a video designed to protest how difficult it would be to live on a $3 a meal diet, and the presenter only demonstrated their complete lack of understand of how to cook.
For example, he spent $1.39 for 20 tortillas, which, had he made them himself would not only have been better tasting, but also would have cost him maybe $0.25 to make. Then he purchased $13 worth of chicken (boneless, skinless chicken brests, mind you) for about 5 pounds on sale. Yesterday I went to the store and bought 4.5 pounds of chicken drumsticks for $5. Then he purchased $1.89 worth of frozen, broccoli crowns, which lasted less than 3 meals.
He then said that his meals were lacking in flavor and he ended up feeling rundown by the end of 3 days.
Like I said, he only demonstrated a complete lack of understanding as to how to actually cook.
One of the biggest differences after learning how to cook without corn you find, is that the cost of food drops dramatically.
I could go to the store and purchase a bottle of ranch dressing for around $4, but making it myself at home with raw ingredients takes maybe 10 minutes, tastes a LOT fresher, and cost less than a buck for the same volume.
That's part of the underlying assumption most Americans have with a cornfree diet, that not only is it practically impossible to avoid corn, but it will cost you extra to avoid it.
At this point, dear reader, you know, don't think you know, you know with experience, how that is a deep misunderstanding of avoiding corn.
It's both healthier (avoiding all those chemicals and additives) but also cheaper (no taxes or manufacturer mark ups on raw food), so just know this, you're most likely eating better than 95% of the American people.