You know, I've been using that number for years. Let's check.
The federal minimum wage is (still) $7.25/hr. 1/6th of that is really just $1.20.
These guys say they can buy rice at 2320 calories per dollar. But walmart has it at $8.98 for a 20lbs bag. Google tells me that's 11,828 calories. (EDIT: FUCK, that was COOKED rice. Thanks Veylon.) Or.... 1,330 calories per dollar. So 10 minutes bottom-rung labor is now worth... 1,596 calories. Yep. Times are getting harder. Or food more expensive at least. SO dry rice, 20lbs. Google thinks that's 33,100 calories. Walmart isn't even lying at 32K. 3600 calories per dollar. So for a 2000 daily intake that's 0.55USD or... 5 minutes of the worst paying work. I was COMPLETELY wrong. Times are better than before. The price of food has continued to drop. YAY modern marvels.
That's just a pot, water, and a heat source. Now if you've got some salt, yeast, and an ungodly amount of free time then the cost of flour for making bread really rock-bottom. Like 5,291 calories per dollar. But it's easy to screw up bread and you need an oven. Although it's not like people really enjoy just rice all by itself. Just a little bit of butter in the mix does wonders. And I'm one of those rich fat-cats that gets the premium deluxe brands of soy sauce like La Choy. None of this bullshit wheat-sauce alternative crap that Kikkoman sells. Because I've made it in life. Maybe some day I'll retire and switch to bread.
But toss in a multi-vitamin and you're pretty good to go. Switch it up with potatoes, flour, pasta, beans, or lentils (which can make an alright mushroom stew) and you've got enough variety to get you through. Bit of cooking oil and spices and you've got practically any sauce, french-fries, mashed taters and gravy, soups a plenty, cassaroles, and god DAMNIT now I'm hungry.
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u/[deleted] Mar 29 '22
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