I don’t have a cell phone. I would love to have one, but the fact of the matter is simple: I can’t afford one. I have a tight monthly budget, and until I get certain debts out of the way, a cell phone isn’t an option.
Which makes this story doubly irritating to me.
Michelle Obama made a surprise visit to a D.C. area soup kitchen to volunteer to feed the poor and homeless who needed a bite to eat. She brought food from the White House kitchen and started dishing it up to the poor, destitute people who were struggling on a daily basis.
Then some homeless dude wanted a picture of her and took it…on his CELL PHONE CAMERA!
This is just one of several irritating aspects of this story. The second one is that they brought so much food from the White House kitchen.
мебели бургасThe fruit salad served along with the risotto, steamed broccoli, apple-carrot muffins and whole wheat rolls was prepared with fresh fruit donated by the White House. Eight cases were sent over, enough to make Thursday’s salad and be used at breakfast for two weeks, said Scott Schenkelberg, executive director of Miriam’s Kitchen.
You and I pay for that food, which they saw fit to just give away. It’s small potatoes compared to the waste we see every day, but it’s the principle of the thing, you know.
(Update: Turns out I was wrong about that. Mental Floss notes that the president pays for all his meals:
Apparently, the White House functions like a luxury hotel in this regard. At the end of each month, the president receives a bill for his food and incidental expenses. Nancy Reagan was famously taken aback by this practice when an usher presented her first bill in 1981, saying, “Nobody ever told us the president and his wife are charged for every meal, as well as incidentals like dry cleaning, toothpaste, and other toiletries.” (Once they got used to the bills, though, the Reagans loved the White House; President Reagan often joked that all the amenities made it like living in an eight-star hotel.)
Thanks for pointing that out, Matt.)
The third thing that really bothers me Dan Riehl brought to light. Seems the people who are feeding the needy are picky eaters:
"We said we were celebrating the end of February. And Steve, our chef, was making a special meal. They know his cooking is so good," said Sara Gibson.
"If anyone brings us donuts, Steve throws them away," Gibson said. "It is not good food for our guests. We care too much to give them anything but the best. Steve wants our guests to have the same experience as if they were paying $30 for the meal."
One person. One meal. $30.
I can’t remember the last time I spent $30 per person for a meal.
This is Bizzaro World. It has to be. Only in Bizzaro World would a soup kitchen throw away food donated for the needy. Why in the world would they do that? If they don’t want to serve it, they could donate what they won’t serve to a place that will.
I had never considered the idea of elitist charities. Only in Bizarro World.
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