Canada - alcoholism / food poverty plausibility, and specific foods eaten

[doranwen]

I'm writing a story about a girl whose father was a cop in Toronto until his alcoholism took over and caused him to lose his job. I'm trying to confirm that the setup as I've got it is plausible, and also figure out some details of what they would eat

Comments

[meg_tdj]

I lived in the sort of greater Toronto area in the 90s, and at the time you're talking about my parents were involved in a ministry that helped underprivileged children and their families, so I was in a lot of poverty-stricken homes and kitchens. Certain kinds of eggs would definitely be cheap, and there would be cereal (corn flakes, rice krispies, oatmeal) which could be eaten for any meal or snack, but remember if you have her use milk it would come in a bag and not a carton. Kraft Dinner was always a go-to (macaroni and cheese) because it was super-cheap, often adding chopped up hot dogs to make it more of a meal. Canned beans were popular, and spaghettios or beefaroni or whatever... a can of Chef Boyardee made a meal for very little money. Also Chunky Soup was a big one, a filling meal of meat and vegetables in one can. Also, potatoes were pretty cheap and would go a long way if you had a pot to boil them in. Carrots, green beans, peas, and corn were usually the dinner vegetables, canned or frozen. Probably a kid would reach for

[doranwen]

Thank you - that is very helpful

[meg_tdj]

The problem with buying rice in bulk is the time it takes to cook it. But if she has a slow-cooker or something that she can leave on all day while she's at school, then yeah, definitely stuff like rice and lentils would be cheap and really filling. That was how my mom shopped when our budget was tight - cheap but as filling and nutritious as possible. The over-processed crap (like microwavable rice) leaves you hungry and unhealthy, so it costs you more in the long run.

I guess it depends on how desperate she feels. If she's gained some control over the situation, she might be comfortable spending a little more now for a longer-lasting food source that will keep her healthy. But if it's all new to her and she hasn't had much guidance, she might just be clipping coupons and taking whatever she can get.

[doranwen]

Yeah, I'm used to cooking white rice on the stove in about 20 minutes, brown takes a good deal longer, but if she's cooking it for the following day, she could be doing her homework while it cooks.

My scenes come in after she's been dealing with this for quite a while - so yeah, she probably started with the pre-packaged stuff but then took the time to figure out how to economize as she could.

Thank you again! This was really helpful. And knowing what she would've been doing otherwise (if she weren't cooking more healthfully) is actually very useful - there's a scene I'll be writing that will mention some of that contrast and it'll be a bit of a characterization, even a plot point. :D

[meg_tdj]

I've just thought of something - you said her family was originally middle-class? And she's 16, so her parents probably married in the 70s or early 80s? Every middle-class Canadian household had a Crock-Pot in those days, probably as a wedding gift. Google "Crock Pot 70s." They were fugly things, but a household staple, so she would definitely have the means to cook rice. Also stew of any kind. She could just dump anything in there and leave it cooking all day and have dinner ready when she gets home.

Could lead to a moment of despair if she comes home one day and finds her dad has pawned it.

[doranwen]

I remember those Crock-Pots, lol, we had one until it gave out and we had to buy a newer model.

Sadly, at this point in the story he's already pawned everything of value (she's taken to keeping anything small that she wants to hold onto in the backpack that goes with her everywhere). But I may bring that up later in some fashion! Thanks again. :)

[meg_tdj]

Wow, the dad's really a piece of work, huh?

Sorry, I was wrong about the meat - the cheapest meat option was "ground chuck." Yuck... but cheap! I remember my mom putting that stuff in pasta sauce when we had spaghetti. She'd buy really big jars of sauce and make it last a couple weeks by using only a bit of it and adding the ground meat. So there's another cheap-but-nutritious meal option. :)

[doranwen]

He's kinda let this take over his life pretty badly, yeah.

Ah! Useful to know. :)