The assertion in the post title is absolutely untrue. You can get foods like beans, chicken, eggs, milk, oatmeal, and pasta in bulk and for very little money. There isn't some false dichotomy between "esoteric, lefty food" and McDonald's cheeseburgers.<p>If you really want to save money on food for a family, get a slow cooker and make large quantities of food at once. The article is correct when it states that food is more plentiful for the poor now than ever.
I've often thought that it would be a good thing to have a "standard pantry" that was a set of basic ingredients and foods with a range of recipes that can be made from this pantry all for a set price.<p>the culinary training provided to every school child. Treat basic nutrition like a utility service supported by society/the government.
I enjoy an occasional McDonald's burger. But my biggest concern is what's in it. E.g up until 2011 their hamburgers had "pink slime"[1] in them.[2] Yummy!<p>That fact alone leads me to be concerned that McDonald's approach to my health could be akin to "whack a mole". They dropped the slime after everyone made a big stink about it. What else is still in there that I don't know about?<p>Contrast to Chipotle, which McDonald's used to own a major stake in. I can actually <i>see</i> Chipotle cut the steak they use into little pieces, I can actually <i>see</i> them carry that steak out to the serving line.<p>[1] <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pink_slime" rel="nofollow">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pink_slime</a>
[2] <a href="http://www.mcdonalds.com/us/en/your_questions/our_food/have-you-ever-used-pink-slime-in-your-burgers.html" rel="nofollow">http://www.mcdonalds.com/us/en/your_questions/our_food/have-...</a>
The premise of this article is incredibly short sighted: it doesn't factor in the long-term health effects of eating such food, or the sustainability of those ingredients, or the environmental impact of all those to-go food packages on landfills. In short, the article has set the bar very low when it comes to describing the impact of the McDouble and associated foods.
I wait for Soylent being mass produced, that would be an interesting baseline for this question.<p>I mean there is a point of McDonalds not being 'bad' in general, it's a cheap way to get a full belly if you are living on the street.<p>Maybe there should be a way to get Soylent for less easily on the street so it can replace the McDouble.