I Grew Up Poor, Not Broke: Now I’m Broke, Not Poor.

Food Bank Boxes: Iron Chef for the Newly Broke.

Due to the pandemic, I was deemed non-essential. What an ego boost! I am currently at nine months and counting. The first six months were manageable because the federal plus-up of the EDD benefits. Then, those went away in August. Ok, things got a little tighter.

No problem, really. I have been poor before. Like most of my life it seems. During my childhood, I remember tough times, but not like this. I knew we were poor, especially when we moved to a 5-acre farm in the 1970’s. But it never felt like we were broke.

Poor: lacking sufficient money to live at a standard considered comfortable or normal in a society.

Broke: what something becomes when it stops working. The same is true of people. If you are not working, you will soon be broke.

During this crisis, we CANNOT work. And they STOPPED the payments. How‘s that a recipe for success? We don’t need a “mental health expert” to tell us what we all know, and are experiencing: this lockdown is making us BROKE – financially and mentally. And spiritually. And emotionally.

I started seeking out food banks. I discovered LA Regional Food Bank. I give credit to LA County Supervisor Hilda Solis. I have received three boxes, and waited in line for over three hours each time. It was well worth it. The have perfected the system. The wait is only because of the overwhelming need.

I made a $10 donation after finishing this essay, and would love if anyone reading this post can donate whatever amount. It literally has provided food for us during a time I didn’t know how we were going to make it.

Everything is Carside in this new environment. That makes people-watching somewhat difficult, so I transitioned to car-watching. We were fortunate pre-COVID-19 to have purchased a brand-new vehicle on 12/31/19. Now we are fortunate to have just kept it this long.

I am not the only one in a new vehicle. I drive a Chevy, but every car maker is represented in these lines, and every model and price range, too. In one line, I was behind a Ford Aerostar (last model year - 1997) and in front of a 2020 Mercedes GL with paper license plates. Everywhere, all of society is represented, all colors, classes, genders, political and religious affiliations. And we are all BROKE.

I must admit, though, as a cook I was excited to discover what was in the boxes. I felt a great sense of anticipation carrying the sealed cartons from the car to the house. They gave us a turkey and a bag of apples and oranges. Good start. Both boxes were the same, so we donated one to my wife’s colleague who is suffering along with all of us.

Oatmeal, instant mashed potatoes, spaghetti sauce, canned corn, five blocks of cheese, and canned tuna and chicken. This was a cook’s dream. The crown jewel was the 5-pound sack of dried figs! I treated Christmas like a furlough-cooking competition. Dried figs were the secret mystery ingredient. This was awesome.  

Of course, during this furlough, our oven stopped working. The stove-top still burns, so thank God for that. I have a little toaster oven that kicks ass, and I just inherited an air-fryer. Along with my grill, I am good to go!

THE CHRISTMAS DAY GOVERNMENT-SPONSORED FEAST

·         Fig and Government-Cheese Stuffed Wontons

·         Tuna Caesar Salad with Parmesan-Fig Dressing

·         Rustic Fig, Orange and Cranberry Sauce

·         Instant Mashed Potatoes with Oatmeal and Figs

·         Roasted Giblet and Fig Gravy

·         Cornbread Stuffing with Apple, Fig, and Canned Corn

·         Deconstructed Grilled Turkey with Balsamic-Fig Glaze

·         Home-Kitchen-Made Farmers Market Pies

The air-fryer is the perfect tool for the wontons and roasted giblets. I baked the stuffing in the little toaster oven. The deconstructed 12 lbs. turkey cooked in 1 hour 20 minutes on the grill at 400 degrees, covered in a big foil pan on a bed of mire-poix. I made the glaze on the grill side burner. We supported a good friend making and selling her pies.

So there it is. The day was a perfect SoCal holiday. Blue skies, bright sun and 70 degrees. The patio table was set for two. The prep work was done. The apartment complex smelled like a public food market. My grill was pumping out the most incredible smoke-aroma.

We sat down and gave thanks to God for providing the most amazing bounty imaginable. I gave thanks also for the bumpy road of life that gave me the skills to prepare this meal, the humility to accept the help, the humor to make the best of every situation, and the resiliency to always persevere.

I was judged winner by unanimous vote of the 1st Annual Food Bank Box Iron Chef Competition. I hope that is the last of that competition.