It's getting tough out there. Feeling the pinch?

elsien

I think you’re being slightly disingenuous here. That may be your choice as to how to eat but I suspect that if you look at your friends/family/work colleagues, again it’s not how most people prefer to have  all their food. I have cereals, sandwiches etc but unless it’s hot and I’m on the salads, the main meal of the day is hot more often than not. And when it’s a cold day then it helps to keep warm. 

TheAble

Rosa_Damascena said:

OrkneyStar said:

TheAble said:

OrkneyStar said:

poppy811 said:

Porridge two to three minutes in the microwave. 

For most of us that's fairly straightforward, unfortunately less so for those who cannot afford to use electricity.

But that electricity would cost like 1p. I know times are hard but 1p?

I was thinking of someone with a top up electric meter - if they have used all their credit, and the emergency, and have no access to money to top it up, then they will essentially be without electricity.  We don't have a normal meter and pay by d.d. so for us it would be a very nominal figure to consider, but it doesn't work like that for everyone, sadly.

Some children don't even get a hot meal at home, often eating sandwiches or something else cold for dinner, it's fortunate that some of these will be entitled to a hot school meal, but not all of them. Being able to eat hot food should not be seen as a luxury, having a hot meal has psychological benefits too, especially if you have had a long, hard, tiring day!

Again this is something that just doesn't register as being weird, what's wrong with that? It's unusual for me to eat hot food (beverages yes, not food). I might whizz some Weetabix round in the microwave for a couple of minutes but it's a rarity. 

I eat once a day, might have a sweet snack with my afternoon coffee (this is not a meal) but generally all food is cold / room temp.

Nothing wrong with it but I'm not sure most would follow a similar routine. Generally folks like a hot meal in the evening.

Spendless

If I go a full day without 1 hot meal (unless the weather is hot) then my stomach feels 'cold' inside. It's a strange sensation but I'm always aware why it's there. It's a v long time since it last happened and has never been due to finances, the last time was due to a hospital stay - not mine one of the kids when little and I stayed overnight so wasn't fed as the patient and only cold food was available to be bought.  

OrkneyStar

Rosa_Damascena said:

OrkneyStar said:

TheAble said:

OrkneyStar said:

poppy811 said:

Porridge two to three minutes in the microwave. 

For most of us that's fairly straightforward, unfortunately less so for those who cannot afford to use electricity.

But that electricity would cost like 1p. I know times are hard but 1p?

I was thinking of someone with a top up electric meter - if they have used all their credit, and the emergency, and have no access to money to top it up, then they will essentially be without electricity.  We don't have a normal meter and pay by d.d. so for us it would be a very nominal figure to consider, but it doesn't work like that for everyone, sadly.

Some children don't even get a hot meal at home, often eating sandwiches or something else cold for dinner, it's fortunate that some of these will be entitled to a hot school meal, but not all of them. Being able to eat hot food should not be seen as a luxury, having a hot meal has psychological benefits too, especially if you have had a long, hard, tiring day!

Again this is something that just doesn't register as being weird, what's wrong with that? It's unusual for me to eat hot food (beverages yes, not food). I might whizz some Weetabix round in the microwave for a couple of minutes but it's a rarity. 

I eat once a day, might have a sweet snack with my afternoon coffee (this is not a meal) but generally all food is cold / room temp.

Choosing to eat cold food isn't the same as having to eat cold food, that's the big difference. If it feels normal for you to eat this way, then that's great, but in reality it's a fairly normal occurrence to eat a hot meal at least once a day, for many people that will be in the evening. Going from doing this as a 'normal' thing to suddenly not being able to afford to (lack of food, lack of electricity/worry about cost of electricity) will hit some people quite hard. Yes, there are ways to manage money, to make meals last etc., but the rising dependency on food banks (from people in work or not, on benefits or not, disabled/carers or not, suddenly ill, suddenly unemployed, suddenly over their head with debts which were manageable etc) shows just how many people are struggling in this country. 

-taff

Rosa_Damascena said:

Again this is something that just doesn't register as being weird, what's wrong with that? It's unusual for me to eat hot food (beverages yes, not food). I might whizz some Weetabix round in the microwave for a couple of minutes but it's a rarity. 

I eat once a day, might have a sweet snack with my afternoon coffee (this is not a meal) but generally all food is cold / room temp.

It might not register with you as being weird. It registers with me that it is weird to eat cold or lukewarm food food all the time. No stews, no fried breakfasts, no fish and chips, no pasta, no risotto, no paella, no soup, no meat and two veg, no pies, no crumble and custard...In fact, it'd only be in the summer that the idea of cold food, i.e. salads would even register at all. I'm beginning to wonder what it is you do eat.

cuddlymarm

I agree with OrkneyStar that’s it’s about whether you choose to or have to eat your food cold (or even can afford to eat at all.) With the price rises already people are having to do without things and if you are dependent on a fixed budget a sudden expense can push you over the edge. A warm meal makes a big difference to your health and well being.
It’s a horrible feeling having nothing left in your purse and having to wait until your next money comes in. 

I think the main point is that there are many people that were just getting by will find it impossible to cope and even some of the more comfortably off will have to cut back. We live in a wealthy, modern country yet many of the population will discover what it’s like to be hungry or cold for the first time.

Rosa_Damascena

-taff said:

Rosa_Damascena said:

Again this is something that just doesn't register as being weird, what's wrong with that? It's unusual for me to eat hot food (beverages yes, not food). I might whizz some Weetabix round in the microwave for a couple of minutes but it's a rarity. 

I eat once a day, might have a sweet snack with my afternoon coffee (this is not a meal) but generally all food is cold / room temp.

It might not register with you as being weird. It registers with me that it is weird to eat cold or lukewarm food food all the time. No stews, no fried breakfasts, no fish and chips, no pasta, no risotto, no paella, no soup, no meat and two veg, no pies, no crumble and custard...In fact, it'd only be in the summer that the idea of cold food, i.e. salads would even register at all. I'm beginning to wonder what it is you do eat.

I don't eat any of the above. I have soup in the freezer which I'll defrost if I'm desperate, ditto curry. I am rather fond of bread, cheese, salad and cake.

It occurred to me that dread the thought of non-family staying over. Whilst they would be welcome, I would hate to be forced to put a meal on the table every night. I don't bother for myself 

tooldle

I've come across a few people who don't eat hot food. For these people this means they don't cook for themselves as such. Soup from a tin at room temperature etc. Ready meal straight from the chilled cabinet etc or throw something together from the ingredients they have in the fridge.
I like cooking and generally produce a meal of some sort everyday although its not always a hot meal. Add that to my breakfast of yogurt with a cuppa and my lunch of salad with a cuppa and voila, I have a full day of cold meals. It is just me and OH at home. We both work full time and sometimes neither of us have the energy to turn to and cook.

Woolsery

Dr Suneel Dhand is a UK doctor currently practising in the US. With regard to general health in older people, he's warned frequently about the 'tea and toast' diet, emphasising the importance of fresh fruit and veg. You can Google him using his name and  that description.

It seems to me that if some of our UK citizens are unable to afford the sort of diet he describes, we're no longer living in a truly developed country which, by definition, should enable all its people to have the basics for maintaining their health.

euronorris

I'm another 3 meals a day person, plus snacks (too many snacks, but that's another story).

I'm that big of a fan of a hot breakfast, preferring cereal, but often have a hot meal at lunch and dinner. Soup, jacket potatoes, beans on toast, noodles etc for lunch is not unusual for me. DD (5) has complained about me offering up a ham baguette for dinner in the past as 'it's not hot mummy. Dinner is hot'. So we've obviously brought her up with that expectation.