It’s bad enough our country is forced to house and feed thousands of illegal immigrants as they try to circumvent proper procedures, but now those free meals need to take it up a notch.
Apparently, the handbook “How to be an Illegal Immigrant” doesn’t list any good old fashioned manners. My mama taught us “you don’t bite the hand that feeds you.” But maybe that’s an American attitude these foreigners haven’t yet grasped. Still, it’s rude to complain about anything free, and I do believe that idea transcends national borders.
To put this all in perspective, we’re supposed to give free housing, free meals, free healthcare, free education, and free legal representation all wrapped up with a voter registration attached to the card. Further, we should ignore any criminal history or plots against America while we’re at it.
Ridiculousness
Honestly, every time I think I’ve heard it all, something even more appalling makes headlines. Apparently, we now need Gordan freaking Ramsey to prepare detention center meals.
According to Bloomberg:
Immigrants housed in a federal detention center in Texas were fed frozen sandwiches, cold burritos and potato chips, and detained children and young mothers have complained of hunger to visiting attorneys.
Details gleaned from government procurement data reflect what a nutritionist and two doctors described as a highly processed, unhealthy menu for families held in five detention centers operated by U.S. Customs and Border Protection in Texas. Breakfasts consist mostly of cereal bars, lunches of ramen noodles or bologna sandwiches and dinners of microwaveable burritos and chimichangas. Some healthier items, like oatmeal, applesauce and peanut butter, are also listed – but in much lower quantities.
The choice of foods is “appalling,” said Rafael Perez-Escamilla, a professor of epidemiology and public health at the Yale School of Public Health who has served on advisory panels related to the U.S. Federal Dietary Guidelines for Americans. Not only does the menu not meet those guidelines, but it also represents exactly the sort of diet that “has been associated with obesity, poor dental health and chronic diseases such as diabetes,’’ he said.
Ramen Discrimination
Perhaps the makers of Ramen noodles should file a defamation lawsuit. Clearly, these immigrants are trying to destroy decades of tradition. It’s a well-known fact, when you’re poor, you eat Ramen.
How many college students live on ramen noodles and spaghetti O’s? Better yet, who doesn’t have a story about the time they lived on Ramen?
As the mom of seven kids, I know we keep our Ramen supply stacked. And I know we’re not the only ones forced to balance nutrition vs budget. But price isn’t the only reason we always grab an orange box at Wal-Mart. There are a few other advantages to these crazy noodles. Not only is Ramen cheap, but it’s simple to prepare, takes up little space, leaves little waste, can be fixed a thousand different ways, and has a shelf-life of at least a hundred years. So what’s all the complaining about?
Good Enough for Us
This Bloomberg article had me asking myself, “just how many college kids do live off Ramen noodles?”
Here’s the answer I got:
In 2012, over 100 billion servings of ramen noodles were eaten worldwide. That’s nearly 14 servings for every person on the planet.
That’s a lot of noodles.
I get it, Ramen isn’t your best choice when it comes to nutrition. But obviously these illegals aren’t the only ones eating them, so it’s not like it’s some form of mistreatment or discrimination. Like grandmother used to say, “the children in Africa would be grateful for that.”
And what of the American dream are we deleting here? Isn’t the idea that people dream of something better, and they go out and make it happen? Never have I heard it told that demanding entitlements is the American dream.
Why should our citizens work so hard to fill their pantries while illegals get food stamps (EBT) cards? They do nothing but wait for their benefits to drop. Then, these immigrants stock up on fresh vegetables and steak dinners on our dime.
Charitable Intentions
Of course we want to feed the needy and help the poor, but shouldn’t we feed our own children before we pass out all the food to the neighborhood? It sounds so simple when you put it in everyday life terms. However, leftists don’t seem to grasp the idea that we can’t give what we don’t have. Instead, they just want free everything for everyone all the time until its all gone.
The article continues:
What many people don’t realize is that cheap processed foods like Ramen are not just for college students or people trying to make ends meet. For many Americans, processed foods like Ramen are dietary staples.
For the millions of low-income Americans who receive assistance from the Supplemental Nutrition Action Program (SNAP), living on a daily food budget of only four dollars is a fact of life. Their options are severely limited to cheap meals — like Ramen for 19 cents.
While it’s easy to suggest alternatives, like going to farmers markets to buy less expensive fresh food, many of those Americans don’t even have the option of going to a fully stocked store. According to the USDA’s recent economic research, 23.5 million people live in food deserts, communities without easy access to fresh, healthy food. More than half of people living in food deserts are low-income.
In fact, 16 million American children struggle with hunger.
Further, nearly 50 million Americans live in houses where there isn’t enough to eat.
It’s easy to assume that someone who eats Ramen on a regular basis simply has unhealthy eating habits; but this assumption ignores a larger, more problematic picture. . A tight budget and little time to cook is an issue that transcends the university dorm room. From the college quad to the inner city project to the retirement home, children, moms, dads, veterans and senior citizens everywhere are increasingly finding themselves resigned to ramen.
So if we’re going to tackle the issues surrounding Ramen noodles, please, for the love of God, let’s start right here at home. Until then, if my kids have to eat Ramen, illegals can eat it, too.
