Food stamp diet

San Francisco Assemblyman Mark Leno is an idealistic man, but one who's clearly never been poor. This week he bravely undertakes the food stamp challenge in which he tries to eat on $21 a week, which is the national average allotment to poor folk in these new compassionate conservative time.

On day 3, he's already having a tough time of it:

From his online diary of the experience:

my energy is drained, I am seriously hungry and feeling a bit ornery (yes, major low blood sugar). When I get home I will enjoy my allotted bowl of cereal. This experience of hunger is much different from that experienced each year when I fast for 24 hours on Yom Kippur. That is almost as much of a mental exercise as it is physical. In that case, I make the decision and muscle through it. I can look forward to breaking the fast and celebrating the New Year with friends and a sumptuous meal.

With this challenge, the hunger is never more than dulled by the little I can afford to eat and greets me each day when I arise. It is a small opportunity to actually experience a chronic state of hunger. It is definitely not fun and there is the sense that hunger itself is just

I don't have to talk the foodstamp challenge as I lived it growing up. But I do have some tips for Leno to help him enjoy his $3 a day.

1) Top Ramen with fresh sliced zuchinni and onion is quite tasty and healthy meal. Plus so cheap.
2) Ditto with mac and cheez. Look for those 5 boxes for $1 sale. With a couple of bucks of veggies you can have 10 meals for less than a buck each.
3) Food for Less, dude.
4) "Ethnic markets", e.g. local cambodian food store and Vallarte supermarket, cater to a poor crowd and don't jack up prices as much.
5) Rice and beans, and not from the can. Buy them in bulk and cook yourself. It's cheap, it's filling and most of the world subsists on it. Add some veggies and Tapatio sauce and you got yourself an authentic meal.