Bread and Circuses

SNAP, Food Borne UTIs, and How to Help

It’s a weird time to work in food. Every bit of food news is decidedly *not great* but I still see creator after creator posting lavish recipes as though any of us can afford that shit right now. I understand the impulse to march ahead; there’s comfort in normalcy. I will also have to start posting lots of holiday recipes soon to make sure that people have what they need if they chose to celebrate this year. There’s a yearly rhythm to this work but right now all it makes me think of is “bread and circuses”. As you know, it’s a phrase attributed to the Roman poet Juvenal from the first century CE that refers to superficial appeasement in political contexts; the old “keep ‘em fat and happy” rule. It’s smart, it’s snarky, and it’s all too relevant 2,000 years later. If the people (that’s us) no longer feel responsible for the creation and maintenance of their own government, the ruling class just has to give us bread and circuses and we’ll let them get away with anything. Aren’t you tired of it though? I don’t want to be part of the circus anymore. People can’t afford groceries and to borrow from Liz Plank, staying informed right now feels like being awake during surgery. I don’t know about you, but I’m leaning into real life. We only have each other now.

We might still have a circus on social media, but the bread is disappearing. SNAP benefits are set to expire across the US on November 1 as the shutdown of the federal government continues. The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program is the most important anti-hunger program in the nation and feeds 41 million people, about 12.3% of the US population. Children make up 40% of SNAP beneficiaries so despite increasing instances of child labor in the US, most of these kids can’t bootstrap their way outta this one. Budgets are already razor thin and with these meager funds disappearing, it is going to be rough as hell for all of us. Our local markets also rely on the money SNAP brings in. Those extra funds disappearing from their bottom line will make prices continue to go up for every single shopper, regardless of how they pay at the checkout. People will go hungry, but we won’t know how big the problem is. Why? Well, earlier this year the USDA cancelled The Household Food Security Report. This survey and subsequent report provided yearly data on the lack of access to adequate nutrition for low-income Americans, and shaped policy on how to combat food insecurity and hunger. But there’s no policy coming so who needs data? Not us. We have to listen to each other now and help our neighbors get enough to eat. We are the calvary. There’s no one else.

its getting very Dickensian around here

Those of us lucky enough to still be able to afford groceries are paying more and more for increasingly unsafe food as protections, limits, and inspections are eliminated. The only BOGOs we’re getting are on listeria and salmonella from here on out. You might think that your food isn’t making you sick but a new study out of Southern California shows how much we still don’t know. For four years, researchers studied urinary tract infections in Southern California from over 23,000 patients and discovered that 18% were linked to E. coli from contaminated retail meat. Yeah, one in five UTIs were linked to E. coli from meat which is new information for ALL OF US. Reading the phrase “food borne UTI” felt like ice water being directly poured into my pants. My list of shit to be scared of is long enough; I don’t need new additions. Lance B. Price, senior study author and professor at George Washington University, said in a news release, “Urinary tract infections have long been considered a personal health issue, but our findings suggest that they are also a food safety problem.” None of us know exactly how much food safety is affecting our health but gutting our food safety system isn’t going to make any of us healthier, that’s for damn sure. Just to really drive it all home, the study also found that people living in low-income areas had a 60% higher risk of foodborne UTIs compared to those in wealthier neighborhoods though they couldn’t determine exactly why that was the case. So next time it burns when you pee, just know that it could be those chicken nuggies that did you dirty. Food is unaffordable or it’s giving us a UTI, why are these our options? It doesn’t have to be like this. We can make things change.

this is about chicken, obvs

I know reality is a downer right now; cocaine is back for a reason. Everything is rough as hell. Bread and circuses might have worked for years in the US, but right now, we’re not getting bread, and the circus is no fucking fun. We need to do something different. Don’t let the people in power distract you from caring for your neighbors. If you are able to buy a little extra food each week, consider donating to your local food pantry since they will be on the front lines trying to help our communities. If you don’t have extra money but have a little extra time, see if they need volunteers. If you attend a church, ask them this week what their plans are to help the hungry in your area, whether they are parishioners or not. This responsibility falls on all of us. I am working on having grace for myself and others as we all try to show up for one another, however imperfectly. Every single person deserves to have enough safe food to eat. Period. Don’t waste your breath arguing with people who pretend otherwise. They can go to the circus alone.

Thank you for reading Stir the Pot. I appreciate every one of you who spends a little of your time with me.

Tomorrow paid subscribers are getting a brand new recipe for my Roasted Delicata and Smashed Chickpea Tacos. They’re affordable, easy to make, and are actually something you’ll love eating. Imagine that. Dinner doesn’t always need to be complicated to be great. Let me help.

Is your community stepping up to help with food access? Have any suggestions for all of us on how to best support our family, friends, and neighbors? On how to ask for help for ourself? Let’s chat in the comments, we’re all in this together.

xoxo,

Michelle