A poor man's snack box
- Thread starter winterybella
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winterybella
Guru
No, I've never been inclined. I've been happy to have the sister of sorts in a tin of luncheon meat. Should I go out and get one? I have not seen any in ages. I feel like it was something the family sent in from overseas in the barrel of food.
Rosyrain
Veteran
If you have never had Spam before, you are not missing a thing. I personally hate the stuff and would rather eat dog food than a slice of Spam. It is rubbery and really stinks when you cook it.
Down South they have these sandwiches called Po' Boys and they are stuffed usually with shrimp, or some sort of seafood. I have never understood why they were called that because shrimp is expensive. Perhaps there was a time when shrimp was not considered a desirable food?
Down South they have these sandwiches called Po' Boys and they are stuffed usually with shrimp, or some sort of seafood. I have never understood why they were called that because shrimp is expensive. Perhaps there was a time when shrimp was not considered a desirable food?
Its very similar to Luncheon meat so hardly worth bothering to buy a tin if you already know the taste. Spam fritters used to be popular here! Nowadays I reckon pasta comes high on the list. You can buy pasta here so cheaply. About 30p for 500g pack (about 50 cents for 20 oz). Lots of people where my partner works (a warehouse), cook the pasta and mix with salad and mayo in a lunch box to take to work. This seems to be particularly popular with the European workers at the warehouse. I think they add bits of cooked Polish style meats to the pasta, too. Apart from the mayo, its probably quite a healthy 'poor man's' snack.
winterybella
Guru
Rosyrain, is it that bad? Maybe I 'smelled the rat' and stayed away. The 'poor man' food I would pick at sometimes is the same sardines. Give me my way, when I am done preparing then you might think it's a meal at a fine dining restaurant. My husband and son like the close to rum shop preparation. Tons of hot sauce, onions and a little lime if any at all.
Morning Glory is back!!!!!!!!!
Bring out the beers.
Morning Glory is back!!!!!!!!!
Bring out the beers.
Corzhens
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I sometimes bring lunch to office with the leftover food. To me, that can be considered the poor man's lunch since I did not buy it. But in cases where there is no leftover, what I usually bring is a fried hot dog with bread (separately and not a sandwich) that I eat together with some chips. In other times, an apple will serve me well for lunch particularly when I am on a diet. When I was in school, my lunch was always a sandwich made of jam. Maybe that's the reason why I do not eat jam sandwich anymore. I've had enough.
lexinonomous
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I want to say spam, but honestly where I'm from spam is not all that cheap. I have avoided buying it before because it was a bit too expensive. I think it has become more popular over the years and they realized that they can easily bump the price. I'm going to go with top ramen, though it's not in a box. Top ramen is definitely everyone's go-to around here when they're on an extremely tight budget.
Rosyrain, is it that bad? Maybe I 'smelled the rat' and stayed away. The 'poor man' food I would pick at sometimes is the same sardines. Give me my way, when I am done preparing then you might think it's a meal at a fine dining restaurant. My husband and son like the close to rum shop preparation. Tons of hot sauce, onions and a little lime if any at all.
Morning Glory is back!!!!!!!!!
Thank you. I brought some good bottles of wine back from the Loire Valley, straight from the chateaux.
Its interesting you mention sardines. They are very popular in France. In the supermarket there were shelves and shelves of beautiful tins, each with a unique design. In fact, I even had sardines presented in their tin with cheese melted on top as a starter in a restaurant there. This was not a 'poor man's' restaurant!
winterybella
Guru
Just as I thought. What's a poor man's dish one place is creme de la creme elsewhere. Even here I think it has moved into many households rich and poor. The same thing with red herring. As a child many did not want to prepare it for others to know. The smell would often expose you to the public and your seeming poor means. I have lived to see the well to do embrace it and produce some creative recipes. In the end there really isn't anything such as a poor man's meal is there?
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Berties
Guru
A poor mans lunch box in Cornwall is the original pasty half meat half fruit hold it with dirty hands by the crust and discard that after eating ,what's more easier
winterybella
Guru
I had another so called poor meal a few days ago. Maybe I had tasted it once before. My son asked me to cook him some ramen which I have seen him buy and prepare before. I was never interested but because I suppose I've seen it mentioned here I decided to cook it for him. Before I blinked it was finished. Maybe I have found my new poor man's meal.
sidevalve
Guru
Spam [which stands for SPiced hAM] is nothing like luncheon meat which is almost a pressed meat mush. The spam fritter [dipped in batter and deep fried] is still popular. HOWEVER as said above neither it nor corned beef [once a very cheap meat and a WW2 staple] are really cheap anymore and the OP did say poor man's lunch box. Sardines pilchards etc are fine if you like eating fish bones Strange that so many 'poor peoples' meals have now become fashionable [and in many cases risen in price accordingly].