I finally had a chat with my grandma about her depression meals

She was telling me about living through the 80s recession and how she'd stretch a single pack of ramen with frozen peas and a beaten egg. She said it fed four people for under two bucks and she still makes it when she feels nostalgic. I always thought budget meals were about saving money, but she framed it as resourcefulness and making do. Made me wonder if anyone else's family has those weird cheap meals that just hit different.

2 comments

2 Comments

sean11918d ago

Yeah that ramen with an egg stir in is straight up comfort food.

anna_craig18d ago

Three packs of maruchan and one egg stirred in right before the noodles are done, that's my Sunday night go-to when I've got ten bucks left for the week. It's funny how the simplest meals become the ones we circle back to, like that egg in ramen is just a little upgrade that makes it feel like a real meal instead of a cheap fix. I've noticed that same pattern with other stuff too, like how adding a fried egg to a frozen pizza or a can of soup turns it into something you actually look forward to eating. It's like we all know the basic versions work okay, but that one extra step is what makes it feel like comfort instead of just surviving.