Staples

Part of the reason I am here with NYCUP is for an internship credit I have to fulfill as part of my public health education concentration. Part of that requirement is that the internship must be for 8 weeks and NYCUP is 5 weeks long. Jonathan, the director of NYCUP, was gracious enough to work something out for me to stay 3 extra weeks.

So, here I begin my grand experiment. I will be working on adding things and information to the new LoGOFF website. I am also trying to live as “LoGOFF” as possible – buying food that is mainly local, organic, fair trade, and living a life that respects creation and God’s people.

I am up for the challenge! I decided that I would try being vegan as well. I didn't eat meat while with NYCUP, so I figured if now was a time of experiment, why not try it? I also gave myself a budget of $30/week for food. A slim, but do-able budget for one person.

So here is what happened last week:

I woke up on Tuesday morning. I slept in until 11, a rarity for me. I was bone tired and was in desperate need of a deep nights rest. I probably could have slept more, but my hunger woke me up. I realize I hadn't even had dinner the night before since I had a late lunch at shake shack.

As I got up, I was struck with the realization that I literally had no food to eat. I clearly hadn't thought ahead in my tired delirium. I headed out to the nearest grocery store where I bought organic agave (a new favorite of mine), organic soy milk, and regular oatmeal (organic types were not available). That totaled $10 and then I pulled out $20 for the rest of the week. I got back to the apartment made myself some breakfast and then walked over to the farmers market at 168^th and Ft. Washington.

It was right outside of Columbia’s medical center. Imagine a farmers market that looked like the cast of Grey’s anatomy had invaded it – that’s what it looked like. All the young doctors and nurses looked stressed, but savored looking for fresh food in an outdoor market on a beautiful day.

It was a smaller market, but I picked up some kale (another new favorite), lettuce, carrots, squash, a cucumber, and I quickly realized, I was going to need more money. The left over change I had was not going to be enough for the other “staples” I needed. I changed my plan. I returned home, washed and stored my veggies and then made a list of the staples I needed to make all the food I got palatable. Here is my list:

Olive Oil

Vegan Butter 

Salt
Pepper

Bread

Peanut Butter

Jam

I had the list. I set out to Trader Joe's. My plan was to only buy what was on the list – in a practical size – and buy them as LoGOFF as possible. I took my remaining $6 from this week and then decided to dip into next week’s $30. I had $36 to steward at Trader Joe's. I picked up those items and my total bill rounded up to $24. Not bad, but that left me with $12 for next week. 

The staples threw me off. They forced me to reevaluate my plan. They forced me to think differently. They made me doubt. 

Sure I could buy the food, but how about the preparing and the cooking of the food. I mean, I like my food to be tasty. While they were especially expensive items, they still cost money that I was not anticipating on spending. 

Its almost kind of funny, because the staples are what pulls everything together - and they aren't "expensive" but they are essential. 

I enter this week with $12 - lets see what I can do! Wish me luck!