Help me understand something, why do poor people take pride in being picky?

[PreTTy PeTe]

Best not to reply.
He always attack people intentions rather than answer the questions.

so run from the fight?

never. you can't change the world if you do that.

[shainski]

I've never noticed this.

But since you have - perhaps there is a valid reason.

For example, a richer person would have the luxury of having been exposed to many more things over his/her lifetime. A richer person would have the luxury of being able to order something - and then finding out that he/she doesn't like it, order something else.

A poorer person might more often resort to the same staples - and not having exposure to a lot of things, not want to take a chance on it in front of someone else.

I've never tried caviar. If you invited me to a high-brow event where they served caviar, I might very well pass on it. And the more that it cost, the less likely i might be to try it. If you said, "go ahead take a taste - you know that it is $200 an ounce". I might be afraid that i am going to spit it out and ruin my taste buds for the evening. Now, if i had the opportunity as a child to sample these things, i would know my reaction and i would take the chance. And the $200/ounce might not scare me away.

But I think the same example could be used for inexpensive items. Am i going to try anchovies on that $10 pizza? If i worked an hour to earn that $10 - i might decide it isn't worth the risk that i will have wasted that hour. Yes, I might be missing out on the chance that I really like anchovies, but I know that i like cheese and sausage.

And if you are paying for me, i might even be less inclined to take the chance. How would you feel, after all, if i say - "Yeah, let's go ahead and try anchovies" and when the pizza arrives, I take one bite and then don't eat anything else.

It could be self-consciousness. It could be the lack of exposure. It could be some inherent pride that they know that they can't reciprocate, so they don't want to feel beholden.

[Telstra]

so run from the fight?

never. you can't change the world if you do that.

But benny didn't debate, he attacked the poster.

[RonR18]

RE: "and can I have a slice of the second pizza, instead? I prefer supreme over pepperoni."

Pretending to be animalius: "Sure, but poor ingrates have to share."

(Scroll down.)

Sorry for the delay, Lex, butt it was cold, anyway.

[SLOPPYSECONDS]

Good question Sloppy

Where I come from poor people queue up at McDonalds not at The IvY.
Is McDonald considered upmarket now?

it dageeoruos topic is
Gods still goin all ova world
it safe ta speacks? a 1 is ask
ist world got might a ways ta - exterminate

poor a word !st world create but no figa it but create

mac donald is learnin life aint all plastic ans fast but fast is da ways wot killin wot life is

anyway


sure awsum internet 2 got alls sorted or find universtys doin sruvey or media news discova moon ans all save

but kind ask

thankyou

[Audio Tech]

Some interesting insights here.

[SLOPPYSECONDS]

insights< funny word of so supa lands
da orcale a delphi

world a swim insights build univeristys mak foot prints on moon hope aliens go HEY KOOL PRINTS we wanna buy um

but educate apes blind still of towers might a lands
or folk so invest in da play look away from da mirror ans say
all die one day anyway

there is no insights fa eons cause it all there
but let a words caue a race
ta goals not there
ans keep all in their place
ans da words
wot go nowhere
but ta cut
da day
in many way
fa da pleasure
of no measure
fa minds
enjoy
so a way

hey hey

ha

polish walls ya gonna be round long time

thankyou

[Beachguyj]

There was a member here who had trouble with being out of work and didn't know where he would get money for his groceries from. Trust me he wasn't picky, and it's an insult to even utter the words poor and picky for those who truly are in need.

[PreTTy PeTe]

There was a member here who had trouble with being out of work and didn't know where he would get money for his groceries from. Trust me he wasn't picky, and it's an insult to even utter the words poor and picky for those who truly are in need.

sadly we judge the poor more then the rich.

I hope this member is ok now.

[figjam]

I'm just talking about food. My experiences tell me poor people are not only picky at what they eat, they are proud of the fact that they are picky at what they eat.

And contrary to popular belief, affluent people will eat just about anything that's edible.

It's actually quite annoying. I'm not picky myself. If it's edible, I will eat it. My friends who are affluent will eat just about anything like me. But the guys/girls who work dead end jobs are the pickiest eaters I've ever seen in my life.

Why is that? If they are poor, shouldn't it be the case that they should accept anything that comes their way? Why are they so picky if I'm usually the one who picks up the bill?

What are you on about?! Did you have a nightmare you cannot explain?

[borg69unimatrix]

I think your friends were just scared they'd be obligated to return the favor and take you out somewhere.

[zoltanspawn]

Rich people's pickiness is often regarded merely as 'good taste'.

There's little fault attributed to the wealthy being discerning.

But along with their other deprivations, the poor must give up the pleasure of being choosy or face rebuke.

[figjam]

Then you deserve a break today...

That looks disgusting... Look at those "chips" and those unnaturally coloured sesame seeds...

[bankside]

Yes, poverty can be a culture as well as an amount of money. Not fond of it either way.

[PreTTy PeTe]

I think your friends were just scared they'd be obligated to return the favor and take you out somewhere.

nah I think they are thinking that he's a twat and a someone who use used to be a friend and he invited me out to a nice dinner but he kept looking at what I was ordering.

hopefully his "poor" friends know that he is not a friend.

[SLOPPYSECONDS]

of course -poverty- becum culture it all is got

no stop cultures of ups feedin off it wit out any question

angain wot is poverty
ans wot his affulent?
!st worlds suap dicktionarys ans Co in world ova eva check words they spit out media etc so o woteva any century? or it a for purpose ta etc so etc?

no land playin nation on planet earth is modern or medievel or backward or supa no 1 is all still fallin ova owns shit dress up as progress

ans mac donald as much a child find pretty wot is a good meal by it self even it throw away
by it ways of plastic ans interiors ways remove human out ans robot in
wot no just mac donald of usa wot may fit so a limited culture wot so easy side line humans fit da day
expensive restaurants etc play anoda way wot is no news ans da poeple sniff about in um in all lands
otda lands see so a thang of cultures so press down their skulls ans go coooooor
but from top down they same a way ans round ans round

yes this rush job

sayin obvious soooooooooooooooooooooo amaizn

anyway

if a op go say

hey ma mates wot not so full cash keep choose wot a like ans no can affords it? wot do?

not place littul mines wot is WHY POOR FOLK PICKY or dead end jobs or etc so on


ans if it about food it about food not money

ansaskin question already assume anyone read it got be affluent ans eat anythang?

make dizzy it do

anyway

is this babbullins or talkin ta brick wall?
* wall again *

ha well

thankyou

[PreTTy PeTe]

of course -poverty- becum culture it all is got

no stop cultures of ups feedin off it wit out any question

angain wot is poverty
ans wot his affulent?
!st worlds suap dicktionarys ans Co in world ova eva check words they spit out media etc so o woteva any century? or it a for purpose ta etc so etc?

no land playin nation on planet earth is modern or medievel or backward or supa no 1 is all still fallin ova owns shit dress up as progress

ans mac donald as much a child find pretty wot is a good meal by it self even it throw away
by it ways of plastic ans interiors ways remove human out ans robot in
wot no just mac donald of usa wot may fit so a limited culture wot so easy side line humans fit da day
expensive restaurants etc play anoda way wot is no news ans da poeple sniff about in um in all lands
otda lands see so a thang of cultures so press down their skulls ans go coooooor
but from top down they same a way ans round ans round

yes this rush job

sayin obvious soooooooooooooooooooooo amaizn

anyway

if a op go say

hey ma mates wot not so full cash keep choose wot a like ans no can affords it? wot do?

not place littul mines wot is WHY POOR FOLK PICKY or dead end jobs or etc so on


ans if it about food it about food not money

ansaskin question already assume anyone read it got be affluent ans eat anythang?

make dizzy it do

anyway

is this babbullins or talkin ta brick wall?
* wall again *

ha well

thankyou

honesly............stop being a twat.

[SLOPPYSECONDS]

honesly............stop being a twat.

you a god too ?

coor so man in world

bows

[Taz]

You guys should answer his questions rather than attack the Poster.

If a question contains a logical fallacy then it doesn't deserve to be answered. especially when it has offensive implications

http://yourlogicalfallacyis.com/false-cause

http://yourlogicalfallacyis.com/anecdotal

[SLOPPYSECONDS]

logical fallacy is top !st world ways

so great populations of everythang world ova get start on askin da questions wehre it matta!
unless choice option
folk die anyway
so wot point

hi world leadurs of gods nice day

thankyou

[animalius]

I apologize to those I've offended in this thread. I meant no disrespect to the less fortunate.

Perhaps my observations are flawed by confirmation bias. I'm not discounting that.

[Beachguyj]

I apologize to those I've offended in this thread. I meant no disrespect to the less fortunate.

Perhaps my observations are flawed by confirmation bias. I'm not discounting that.

That's very good of you to admit. I'm guessing you meant why are broke people so picky. That can still get you in trouble, but you don't have to be poor to be broke.

[SLOPPYSECONDS]

I apologize to those I've offended in this thread. I meant no disrespect to the less fortunate.

Perhaps my observations are flawed by confirmation bias. I'm not discounting that.

it kool it kind ya cum back ya topic

less fortunate is anoda fallacy be it case fa many by 1st world measure ans ways make so wot no need in any century

planet earth is only home folk got even it just da dirt live on

UN got lot work rethinkin wot is UN

anyway

is a hope ya mates ans you work sumthang out pay fa bite eat

kool

[animalius]

That's very good of you to admit. I'm guessing you meant why are broke people so picky. That can still get you in trouble, but you don't have to be poor to be broke.

To be fair, I've been broke before and I've been dirt poor as well. And at no time have I said ALL poor people are picky. What I said was from my observations over the years (that's probably tainted by confirmation bias), poor people tend to be pickier than the more affluent.

Of course there are exceptions. My "girlfriend" grew up in a very well off house hold. She won't even touch indian food with a 10 foot pole. Only recently after started dating an indian guy did she start forcing herself to eat indian food.

In other words, I do realize that if my observations were true, it would still not apply to everyone.

Some people here have offered great insights. For example, my ex. Probably the pickiest person I know. Always broke all the time. He would get upset when I take us out for anything other than McDonalds. No, I'm not exaggerating. It took me a long time to figure this out. He would always get upset after we dined out. Never told me why. Turned out McDonalds was the only thing he liked.

I can see how what I'm saying would get myself in trouble because of the politically incorrect nature of it. But I've never been a politically correct kind of guy anyway.

[animalius]

I'm hesitant to put my oar in with all the vitriol spraying around this topic, but I think I can explain:

By making a show of being choosy about what one eats, one achieves two ends: first, you show that you're not so poor that you have to eat any old scrap that comes along; second, you excuse yourself from eating expensive things by claiming to not like them... even telling yourself that you don't like them.

A lot of people from certain socioeconomic classes will deride any food that is "fancy" because it makes them feel inadequate; and so they make a show to themselves and others that the fancy food is just overpriced junk that they wouldn't touch if they were starving. You do this for enough generations, and you come up with a cultural behavior. Eventually the fanciness of the food is no longer the reason they don't like it, it's simply a cultural habit to not like unfamiliar foods. You may be observing this behavior in people with low-paying or no jobs because this cultural habit tends to accompany other cultural habits that tend to limit people to the bottom rungs of any career.

The thing is, poverty is just as inherited as affluence: the children of poor people tend to remain poor all their days, while the children of the rich tend to stay rich. Lots of people change their socioeconomic status, but the overwhelming majority of people do not. And since people tend to stay in one socioeconomic bracket for generations and generations, socioeconomic status becomes a subculture, with its own codes of behavior, its own languages, its own priorities, its own motives.

The affluent, on the other hand, are more willing to try new things because it is seen as sophisticated to do so. To be adventurous with food is really the province of those who can afford to eat anywhere, even if the food in question is not expensive. But one is more likely to find the eat-anything mentality in people who are not poor or rich, but who are socioeconomically mobile.

There are plenty of old-money types wandering around who won't try anything unless their mothers' cooks knew how to make it; go to any country-club in America and you'll find a dinner menu identical to the menus of every other country club, and not very different from those same clubs' menus from the twenties or the fifties. But the people who belong to those clubs tend to not know people who do not belong to those clubs... i.e., you or me.

See, there's another psychological element at work: curiosity. People who are curious are naturally more likely to be socioeconomically mobile because they want to know what the world is like beyond the borders of their own lives, and are not blindly loyal to their backgrounds. They are more likely to become educated, and therefore more likely to get higher-paying jobs. And they are more likely to eat things just to find out what they taste like.

And those are probably the people you find yourself among.

You write beautifully. The level that I can only dream of. Do you write professionally?

[bankside]

To be fair, I've been broke before and I've been dirt poor as well. And at no time have I said ALL poor people are picky. What I said was from my observations over the years (that's probably tainted by confirmation bias), poor people tend to be pickier than the more affluent.

Of course there are exceptions. My "girlfriend" grew up in a very well off house hold. She won't even touch indian food with a 10 foot pole. Only recently after started dating an indian guy did she start forcing herself to eat indian food.

In other words, I do realize that if my observations were true, it would still not apply to everyone.

Some people here have offered great insights. For example, my ex. Probably the pickiest person I know. Always broke all the time. He would get upset when I take us out for anything other than McDonalds. No, I'm not exaggerating. It took me a long time to figure this out. He would always get upset after we dined out. Never told me why. Turned out McDonalds was the only thing he liked.

I can see how what I'm saying would get myself in trouble because of the politically incorrect nature of it. But I've never been a politically correct kind of guy anyway.

In my experience, wealthy people are on average more open to new experiences than poor people. If you're wealthy and you go out for dinner, you can have something out of the ordinary because if you don't like it, there's always dinner tomorrow at a different restaurant. If you're poor, you don't have the same margin for error. One dinner out and that blows through your restaurant budget for the next six months. The next year?

That is true of things other than food as well. When you can get what you want, and when you can afford to change your mind as often as you like, it is a powerful lesson in the value of variety and change. Look up "satisficing" to explain the behaviour of poorer people.

[gvillager]

We've occasionally taken these friends to places that we wouldn't think are too "out there" - like a Middle Eastern restaurant - and found them out of their depth. They not only don't know the food or "how to order", they seem very uncomfortable having to ask or being forced to try something they've never tried before.

Did they end up liking the food?

I only ask because I've been in this very same situation a few times. I admit that I'm not an adventurous eater but I'll still occasionally try new things. I can understand how it could be perceived that I was uncomfortable, but the reality was I just hated the experience and couldn't wait to leave. I just didn't want to hurt their feelings after they spent so much time trying to talk the place up.

[Kien]

I just want my $7.49 large bowl of Pho. danx

[xbuzzerx]

I just want my $7.49 large bowl of Pho. danx

Oh god yes. Bring me.

[Rickrock]

I am a little bit picky about what I eat and I know others who are also. I never noticed whether or not there is any economic correlation. People who are more open minded or who are more socially mobile might try something new, but after that they would probably develope a preference or dislike of what they tried.

This thread brought to mind something I recently heard about. Someone I know of who is recently unemployed went to a food bank and was given some food. They could not choose what they were given but were just given a bag of food. There were some items in the bag which they did not care for so they passed them on to my sister to use and not waste, but my sister is adequately employed. She was somehwat chagrined because she donates to a food bank for the poor and thought that it wouldn't be right for the donations to be used by someone who is employed. She passed the items on to another food bank to give out.

[eastofeden]

Just an FYI ...

If you are interested in hearing more on the subject check out Karel's Podcast...dated 1-9-13 Hour 1

He is an openly gay radio talk show host and comedian/lecturer/author ect.

http://www.radiokrl.com/

It is halfway down on the right side of the page.

[AshyPhoenix]

I'm poor as dirt. Over the last week, I've consumed less than 3500 calories. This is because all I have in my cupboard is tomato soup (which I literally cannot eat; it makes me violently ill), and things that require milk, which I can't afford because I'm poor.

Oh, and I'll eat literally anything. I've made a whole meal of a tin of tuna before (yes, just a tin of tuna), and because I hadn't eaten for two full days before I happened across it, it was the most delicious thing I've ever eaten.

[eastofeden]

I'm poor as dirt. Over the last week, I've consumed less than 3500 calories. This is because all I have in my cupboard is tomato soup (which I literally cannot eat; it makes me violently ill), and things that require milk, which I can't afford because I'm poor.

Does your community have resources to help get you food? I don't know if you are in California or not but there are new programs I have read about recently which allow everyone who needs it to get access to fresh and healthy foods.

[AshyPhoenix]

Does your community have resources to help get you food? I don't know if you are in California or not but there are new programs I have read about recently which allow everyone who needs it to get access to fresh and healthy foods.

Yes, there's a local food bank every Friday. They usually give out one 2L of milk, two loaves of bread, two squares of margarine, assorted produce that's invariably two days from going rotten, and one of each of a dry good (which is almost always total junk food) and soup. Needless to say, I power through all of that in two or three days, no matter how much I try and control how much I eat. But hey, at least I'm eating normally for three days of the week.

[eastofeden]

Do they have local churches or a Salvation Army that prepares meals? I have a store in a downtown area and I hire homeless people to do all the jobs I need done and I have helped alot of people find ways to eat every day of the week. I know it depends on the area in which you reside though. The Salvation Army in alot of places serves lunch every day.

[AshyPhoenix]

Do they have local churches or a Salvation Army that prepares meals? I have a store in a downtown area and I hire homeless people to do all the jobs I need done and I have helped alot of people find ways to eat every day of the week. I know it depends on the area in which you reside though. The Salvation Army in alot of places serves lunch every day.

We don't have a Salvation Army here. I live in a town of 10000, so there's almost no social support network here to speak of. I've exhausted every option I could find. The good news is that I'm hopefully going to be moving into an apartment soon that's only $400 a month (with a government rent subsidy), as opposed to the exorbitant $600 I'm paying for a one-bedroom with no windows, so I doubt I'll be starving once I get to that point. Three years of malnutrition is long enough.

[eastofeden]

We don't have a Salvation Army here. I live in a town of 10000, so there's almost no social support network here to speak of. I've exhausted every option I could find. The good news is that I'm hopefully going to be moving into an apartment soon that's only $400 a month (with a government rent subsidy), as opposed to the exorbitant $600 I'm paying for a one-bedroom with no windows, so I doubt I'll be starving once I get to that point. Three years of malnutrition is long enough.

I am glad to hear that. I hope it happens sooner than later...I wish you the best. I am sorry about the situation you are in though but I guess in a smaller town there would be fewer options.

[xbuzzerx]

I'm poor as dirt. Over the last week, I've consumed less than 3500 calories. This is because all I have in my cupboard is tomato soup (which I literally cannot eat; it makes me violently ill), and things that require milk, which I can't afford because I'm poor.

Oh, and I'll eat literally anything. I've made a whole meal of a tin of tuna before (yes, just a tin of tuna), and because I hadn't eaten for two full days before I happened across it, it was the most delicious thing I've ever eaten.

I hear you Ashy.

I had to learn to make everything I could out of pancake mix when I was always completely out of money for the last week of every month. I've been there. It sucks.

[Benvolio]

I'm poor as dirt. Over the last week, I've consumed less than 3500 calories. This is because all I have in my cupboard is tomato soup (which I literally cannot eat; it makes me violently ill), and things that require milk, which I can't afford because I'm poor.

Oh, and I'll eat literally anything. I've made a whole meal of a tin of tuna before (yes, just a tin of tuna), and because I hadn't eaten for two full days before I happened across it, it was the most delicious thing I've ever eaten.

The solution is simple. Cross the border to the US and enjoy our massive cornucopia of freebies. Illegals get food stamps. 100 million people in the US get welfare and that does not include Social Security or Medicare. Soon free health policies.

[Kien]

The solution is simple. Cross the border to the US and enjoy our massive cornucopia of freebies. Illegals get food stamps. 100 million people in the US get welfare and that does not include Social Security or Medicare. Soon free health policies.

I can see that you no longer have a bitter attitude towards the election results.

[xbuzzerx]

I can see that you no longer have a bitter attitude towards the election results.

Totally. Not at all.

[doctorsun]

As a poor person myself, I'm offended by the notion that, since I am poor, it's expected that I be grateful for every moldy crust of bread that is thrown to me. Just because I don't have money doesn't mean that I should be forced to eat garbage. Every human has the right to be picky and only eat the things he or she enjoys.

[pat grimshaw]

^
Beggars can't be choosers, Doctor

[doctorsun]

^
Beggars can't be choosers, Doctor

Who said anything about begging? I've never begged for food in my life. If I can't afford something, I do without rather than ask for charity. As far as I could understand, the OP never said anything about these "poor people" asking for hand-outs and as such, there shouldn't have been any expectation of willingness on their part to eat anything that happened to be presented to them.

You are correct that beggars can't be choosers but as long as there is no begging go on, people have to right to like what they like.

[pat grimshaw]

How about—
'Those who receive food from strangers, shouldn't insult the givers'

[xbuzzerx]

How about—
'Those who receive food from strangers, shouldn't insult the givers'

What do any of these bizarre things you say have to do with someone having certain things they like to eat and certain things they don't like to eat?

Yes, humans will eat mealworms or human corpses to survive if they have to. It doesn't mean they have to like it.

[doctorsun]

How about—
'Those who receive food from strangers, shouldn't insult the givers'

Again, this wasn't a case of someone donating food to them. From what the OP explained, he's talking about social settings in which groups of friends go out to eat together and certain people having opinions about where they should go. The OP also said he voluntarily picks up the bill after the fact. At no point, from the OP's explanations, was there any mention of food being "given" to these people beforehand. So, again, there was no request for charity from the "poor people" and no direct offer of charity from the "affluent people" and therefore, there shouldn't have been any expectation for the "poor people" to just silently go along with whatever the "affluent people" decided.

[pat grimshaw]

^ Oh, I didn't see all that background information; I thought people were talking about the US welfare crisis and about its poor economic performance.

[xbuzzerx]

^ Oh, I didn't see all that background information; I thought people were talking about the US welfare crisis and about its poor economic performance.

Yes living in the U.S. I'm sure you know many of these stories personally, enough to make broad generalizations right?

[pat grimshaw]

^ as broad as everything else here