| 
  • If you are citizen of an European Union member nation, you may not use this service unless you are at least 16 years old.

  • You already know Dokkio is an AI-powered assistant to organize & manage your digital files & messages. Very soon, Dokkio will support Outlook as well as One Drive. Check it out today!

View
 

ThePracticalitiesOfFoodDistribution2012

Page history last edited by jerry 11 years, 8 months ago

ThePracticalitiesOfFoodDistribution2012

 


 

Introduction/Definition/etc

 

It was going to be the Politics of Hunger

or something else for a catchy title,

but practicalities won out in the end...

 

People have problems feeding themselves,

myself included, and when the budget gets

tight, they used to you it was easiest to ask for

food, but in practicality, it's not all that easy,

as with any system, it involves paperwork,

which they did, and waiting which I ended

up doing, a lot, both a week for the day to

come around but less than the paperwork

and waiting a month for other systems of

assistance...

 

 

Body

 

Food Stamps people may have heard of,

or experienced, it's shaming to pay with

food stamps at the register, usually a

RetailDiscrimination2012

and snickering type transaction, if

it goes through, we don't take those

things here, why do you exist,

what is your problem, type shaming

and humiliations you might think

"the poor" get used to, but never really

do...

 

I'd done food stamps now called SNAP

in the past, but over the years/ decade(s)

the system has updated a little, in practicalities,

not really in reality, instead of paper money

like coupons you take to a restricted list of

vendors (read stores) who might or might

not accept them (thinking McLean doesn't

and the Barrio and low rent/ points of blight,

where poor are supposed to live

(see ArlBAC20120507 and just about any

of the other rants up here about segregation,

discrimination, humiliation and social

controls/ er, snobbishness to outright

verbal or other nastiness...)

 

Anyways, the day of distribution came

around, finally, I was busy trying to have

 a life worth living, and the recent storms,

power outages and now heat wave again,

makes one alternatingly hungry, not hungry,

and disgusted, but the cubbards are getting

bare, and once a week, maybe more if you

get on the right program/ list?

 

Arrive early, is the suggestion, this time

inside, as the heat and you could wait

indoors, having to pass the apartment

manglement and reception (what do you want?

what are you doing here? attitude

overhearing talk of pesticides/

you have to spray bed bugs directly

and lice and other appetizing sounding

reminders that the management had outright

threatened to poison me, police didn't hear it,

do anything (let's assume he's crazy)

and then all those other power differences,

employed behind a desk, but not really

caring, some might, others are nasty,

I guess it takes it's toll, all those demands,

phones ringing, language and cultural barriers,

denying any vacancies, but making others,

pick and choose who you tell what to,

who you help and who you let fall through

the cracks, it must be tough being a

warden in the asylum...

 

I'm thinking that we get to go to the

grocery store, like regular people,

or that there are bags, grocery

bags, but this is bring your own,

and I didn't get the memo,

my neighbors, in some English

lots of loud Spanish, some of which

I'm starting to pick up despite my

lack of formal training, French and

crepe's high brow language,

and culture, (don't read about the

French and abuses/ killing of MH

people, it will look like death camps,

fair warning...)

 

So having been homeless, and worked

in a seasonal shelter one season after

graduating college, finally on the 17+

year plan, people donate food thinking

they are helping others, and many times

actually are, I Guess, but the distribution,

the free/ paid vs enslaved labors,

money, time and policy and procedures,

even in a beaurocracy (still can't spell that

crap, so rename it anyways) are

lacking, IMO.

 

Waiting 30 minutes plus, take a number,

who to get them from, not sure who is

staff/ looks like a neighbor handing out

numbers, take a number, but not on the

deli counter, but a person handing a

well worn number laminated ticket

reuseable, like the bags, they eventually

showed I would need, in the read the

'culture, hear the bags, see what the others,

are doing, and ah, ha, finally dawns on

me it's a retread type situation,

someone provides food, you bring

bags, so have to go get them,

and come back, dawning upon me

about the time, a truck shows up,

big guy stands over me saying someone

new was supposed to be here,

"wasn't me" I reply, not picking up

upon the cues, social cues are not

at the top of any Autistic's best qualities,

have to plunk us over the head/

read be explicit, about what things

are expected, and ask how it works,

but there is the formal procedure,

nothing written down here,

have to read between the lines,

of the social situation, older people

waiting when I got there, other

kids/ baby almost but older

laying on the floor, that was

the most comfortable/ best

seat in the house, I said,

getting a laugh even amongst

multilingual/ multi cultural audience/

crowd/ gangs...

 

People with kids, probably have

other commitments mid afternoon,

to get in line is the activity of the day,

teens getting take a number tickets,

not sure who is authorized to represent/

be head of household, the implication

is get there early, go run around outside

and play and come back when ready,

the standard hurry up and wait,

and the culture is holding court

while waiting, who is in charge?

the older black woman standing

over me, being typically bossy,

but turns out to be a resident/

volunteer, volunteers go first in

line, but not after arguing nastily

with staff the barriers of culture

seem to be hitting the high point

in the heat, staff, arriving late,

bringing expensive outside foods

in, a bottle of some drink, all the

others don't have, have to show

that stick/ club/ status symbol,

the teen kids their cell phones,

masking the shame of being,

possibly needing assistance,

but the late night ramblings/

rants ofa hungry person,

you see it goes down to

Small or Large ticket

once waited and name

given amongst the waiting

crowd of onlookers, like a clinic

have to say it out loud in crowded

waiting room, no privacy here,

you are not on the list,

well, write it here, have to add it

there, we will see, you helped?

were here before the staff showed

up, something about a dog,

which we can't have here,

the inmates are different in the

asylym, how ever you spell it,

got to show you don't need it,

while eating you inside that you do,

and part of why I'm up in the middle

of the night, also indigestion,

the one thing of hot dogs,

or chicken (how do you cook

chicken, he wonders, as a single

guy, bachelor, "you need you a wife"

the older black woman, who I had

pinched her fingers not taking a

milk crate of cans correctly from her,

but her not saying how to change it,

do something different, but what?

why is she screaming at me?

what did I do?

Fake pain or exaggerated?

I am not sure, to this day...

 

And you are? I should have said,

I don't try talking down an angry

black woman, anyone who's seen

Madia (sp?) Tyler Perry should know

better...

 

So one (neo or something spelled

and put on the layed out tables

all over the community room/

library/ office in a closet, locked,

showing nice Apple notebook,

others probably don't have,

thinking and saying jokes

of most offices are literally a closet...

Beats a cube farm...

 

Nothing snappy and funny

here too tired, one can of

fruit, pears in this case,

if you get one of these,

you cna't have one of those,

I pass on the sweets, most

gone by the time number 10

comes around, staff's already gotten

a box, everyone waiting watching

what is being taken, that's hte checks

and balances, you can't have that,

we all see it, but look away when

the kids, gang wannabe's or actual

gang members, no shirts, many

together, come for a number,

then turn it back in, we will be OK,

wondering what is going on outside,

having to get home safely, even the block...

Maintenance helping the elderly,

nice touch, wonder what it's like

getting old(er) around here, hope

not to find out...

 

Young hispanic presumably paid

Staff telling older black woman

not to pickup the green beans

being repackaged on site, into smaller

bags for individual use,

don't pick them up off the floor,

but they came fro mthe ground,

the bag was in the ground when

it got here, we ate from the ground

at my age, I'm still alive,

and I can't even remember the whole

interchange, you see I'm getting senile

weak  from hunger, there isn't much,

and I didn't go back after trying to get

the cold stuff in the heat back in refrigeration,

two trips of the van, first perishables/

fruits and vegetables, there isn't much,

there is a problem today, we will be short,

I'm helping carry stuff, "if you need help"

I ask, he probably thinks he can't ask,

wonder what the policy is there,

can't force labor, but he looks healthy,

tanned at least, but clumsy, the narrow

side and small doors two can't pass,

kitchennette, pass through from waiting

area to real waiting area in the back,

guys limping, me carrying too much,

try double, need a dolly, but that

is an extra, for larger loads,

shut up and get it done,

we are laborers conscripts

in the grand scheme of things

fast food workers should know you

have to have had food safety training,

but I'm thinking that would be  the

"training" you would have to have

to become a "volunteer" officially,

you see I was no one, the only

white guy, middle aged or over,

pushing fifty, amongst all the

other colors, present, why is he

here? is he a volunteer?

old black woman showing up

as I was making notes to myself,

you see a shopping list type thing

actually an assistive type thing,

no privacy here, she is bossy and

in charge, but not really know who

is what? Fresh Meat, thinking of

any of the prison movies,

pick who to hit first, take the biggest

meanest one and hit them,

that is how you survive prison,

I guess, don't want to find out...

 

Threats, intimidation, gang type

kid round back, keep an eye on him,

laughing and hooping on a cell phone,

predatory people abound,

from paid staff, to the jackells/

laughing hyienas (sp?)

of the desert at the watering

hole...

 

Dropping green beans and picking

them up, is the least of our problems,

was the place sprayed?  was the baby

changed on the carpet, was the

diaper fresh?

 

Working in a lab and any medical

help, you know it's the bacteria,

Staff is Staph (infection),

"we touch your food",

thinking Hispanic / Latino

comedy even performing

at the White House to Obama

and family, wonder how that is

going, rumors of security details

absent around the president,

srumising they are short, after

all the Secret Service scandal,

and now all the candidates need

details too, the circus is coming

ti's 2012 election year

Next?

 

 

 

 

 

Conclusion

 

Summary of experience or similar

 

Overweight people, unhealthy foods,

can't take your time can't be picky

it's first come first served, wait in line,

best gets picked clean, I leave the

pies, and some sweets for others,

take it anyway, isn't that good enough,

the teen attitude, staff says to teens/

girls, snap to attention, wondering

how mean girls are to each other

especially about this type of stuff,

Mean Girls the movie probably,

it's on the network already,

 

Eggs, no substitutes, whole milk,

no skim, preservatives, MSG in the soup,

hydrogenated oils all over,

the comfort foods necessary when

real nutrition, those glossy flyers

selling healthy, but by the time it

gets down to the conference room

table, nothing looks fresh,

except the fresh meat,

the new white guy, the other

white meat, pig, but oh well,

just another idiot in the hood,

Welcome to DC, er VA suburb/

really urban...

 

Kennedy Center Fusion

FusionImprobableattheKennedyCenter

it's not...

 

 

Discussion

 

A place for feedback on the page presented

 

Have you ever been hungry?

 

Found your money short at the end of the month,

or even first of second week, mid month?

 

Made the choices to do one thing,

thinking I'm going to starve, which causes

you to want to eat more?

But nothing looks good?

Healthy or even safe?

 

Wonder if those "volunteers":/

inmates washed their hands,

dropped your food, picked it up,

wonder what the snickering was

as they tried "helping" you?

 

It's a heat wave and attitudes flare,

at least the A/C is working, power

is one, and well, we are going to starve,

portion sizes are not SuperSizeMe

the mice/ rats and bugs are part

of the full experience of living in the

projects, and they are not the real

pests, it's the gangs...

 

And they cancelled the emergency

preparedness training, pre Storm,

because of the storm, smart,

leave the people helpless,

instead of thinking ahead,

it's a staffing issue,

like most things...

 

How does one actually cook

hot dogs?  Were condiments

included?  Breads, no rolls,

nothing like fast food,

bags included, wonder if the bugs

got in the bags, a dead bug

fell on the fridge, after having to

stay around late last time,

send someone to his place

just break in, look around,

the wardens and guards

are playing it mean again...

 

 

Page History

 

20120716 Jerry

  • Jerry created this page to ...

 

Page Statistics

Page Views:  since creating on 20120718

 

Comments (0)

You don't have permission to comment on this page.