I’m Hungry and Broke
The story of an average college student…
All through life, hunger has never been an issue for me till now…
I immigrated to the United States from Singapore when I was around 13 years old. The culture, and educational system here is very different from Singapore’s. In the United States, students in Universities have to provide themselves with their own sustenance but in Singapore meals are provided for low income families. Not only that, Singapore also have local coffee shops where people can sit and eat healthy meals for less than $2.00 USD. Think about the differences in culture… Where can you find food in the United States for $2.00 or even $1.50? If you are thinking fast food you are right! Yes! There are meals in the United States for the same price as the food shown below but the only option is fast food.
This is a $1.50 meal in Singapore, this dish is called Hainanese Chicken Rice. A dish that takes only 5 mins to prepare just like the American fast food companies. But the benefit of this meal is much more different than fast food. Foods like Hainanese Chicken Rice always comes with a protein usually Hainanese Chicken, a vegetable, rice for your carbohydrates and a cup of soup. To some people this is shocking news! Now lets compare an average $1.50 meal in the United States.
Below is a picture of a Hot and Spicy McChicken from McDonald’s. It cost about $1.50. It has your protein the meat patty in the middle (that is deep fried and then baked), vegetables in the middle (a few pieces of chopped up lettuces), and your carbohydrate the buns. There is a shocking difference when comparing these two meals because one actually looks like a meal and the other, ehh not so much. Let’s even do a quick calories comparison. When comparing the Hainanese Chicken Rice (333 calories, 24.2g of fat, 5.7g of carbohydrates and 22.2g of protein) to McDonald’s Hot and Spicy McChicken (360 calories, 16g of fat, 41g of carbohydrates and 14g of protein) we can pretty much say that Hainanese Chicken Rice is drastically healthier. Now what does this have to do with being hungry and in college?
As a college student paying some $40,000 a year just earn a BA degree. My college does not provide me with sustainable living, nor do they provide me with healthy food choices. On campus (University of California-Riverside) there are a few ‘restaurants’, the choices are: Panda Express (for your average oily Chinese food), Panda Sushi, La Fiamma, Starbucks, and Coffee Bean. These companies are some of the biggest fast food franchises in the United States. How is a meal from any of those places compare to my Hainanese Chicken Rice? Who would want to eat at these places if local restaurants that can potentially serve healthier foods were on campus?
“Today, when we produce more food than ever before, more than one in ten people on Earth are hungry.”
In a world where food production has never been as easy and efficient as the past, hunger and obesity rates are still skyrocketing. Recent statistic shows that more than two-thirds (68.8%) of adults are considered to be overweight or obese. 35.7% of adults which is more than one-third is considered to be obese and 1 in 20 (6.3%) have extreme obesity. Almost 3 in 4 men (74%) are considered to be overweight or obese. The United States is the most obese country in North America with 35% of its population to be considered overweight or obese. Racking up a yearly debt of $40,000, I do not have a choice to consider my food choices. I have to find some of the cheapest foods available (which is fast food), or starve. On campus (UCR), 62% of students are food insecure! I am part of this 62%! In order to keep a decent body figure I have to avoid all kinds of fast food. I also have to save my money because I have a huge debt on my shoulder that I have to pay after college. Me, a full time worker, a full time student, and a full time son have to save money in order to support my family in the future. On a day to day basis I starve myself two times a day and only wait till I get to work (a restaurant) so I can get some Miso Soup and rice. Food insecurity is not a joke! How can education be a top priority if students are hungry? Singapore college students spends an average of $21,000 a year on their education, but they have healthy and cheap food choices and don’t have to starve. In the United States, I have to starve myself so my family can afford paying for my college. This is an issue that needs to be address by the United States and of course Universities as well. Why do I have to pay $120,000 for 4 years of University when I’m only eating one meal a day?
Maybe test scores will be higher if you( the university) start feeding us (the students)!
