I’m sure this post will get me labeled as a heartless, cranky old man. So be it.
As I posted early this week, I purchased an air fryer in the hopes of having a somewhat healthier diet. I’ve been experimenting with it and so far have cooked some chicken breasts and French fries, both of which were quite good. One of the great features of the air fryer is that it crisps food, giving it a nice texture and adding a great deal of flavor. I was thinking about it and decided that using an air fryer might be a good way to cook shaved steak for a cheese steak (I know, not exactly healthy, but I’m in the experimental phase).
When I was growing up, most of the steak used in cheese steak subs had crisp, well-cooked edges, which gave them great flavor through the Maillard effect. The Maillard effect is a chemical reaction between amino acids and sugars that occurs when food is heated, resulting in the browning and development of complex flavors and aromas. It makes a huge difference in the taste of food. For years, I’ve been unable to get a cheese steak with crispy meat; most of the time, it tastes like the steak was steamed rather than grilled. I’m not sure why this is; maybe it’s because they’re using a different type of steak, or maybe it’s a regional thing, and in other areas, good cheese steak is still available.
Anyway, I figured the air fryer’s ability to crisp up foods might be the key to making an old-fashioned cheese steak. Since I didn’t know what type of steak was used, I did a web search, and I found that the meat of choice is ribeye. Then I looked at the price of ribeye. At the local discount store, it sells for a ridiculous $15.49 a pound. I’m in a fairly good financial place; we saved for our retirement and will not starve, but I’m just not willing to spend what I consider excessive amounts on food when there are cheaper alternatives that, while not quite as good, are good enough.
But cheese steak, my new air fryer, and my ability to purchase or not purchase expensive meat are not the point of this post. What is the point, though, is that the advertisement for ribeye states it’s SNAP EBT Eligible. Curious, I dove a little deeper and found that North Atlantic Lobster Tails, which sell for $34.99 a pound, were also SNAP EBT Eligible.
Now, I don’t want to be mean, but this is insane. I don’t want to deny anyone food, and if they legitimately need it and are unable to provide for themselves, I’m willing to see taxpayers’ money used to help them out until they’re back on their feet, but this is ridiculous. What an insult it is to take money from hard-working taxpayers and allow people on the dole to use it to purchase luxury food items. It was bad enough when we were allowing our own citizens to take advantage of this type of thing, but now we’ve opened the door to the third world, and the US taxpayers are expected to pay the bill for them as well.
How about we allow them to purchase things like chicken breasts, $3.29 a pound, pork chops, $2.39 a pound, or ground beef, $6.29 a pound, and save the luxury items for people who have actually earned them?
When you’re getting a handout, you shouldn’t live like a king. Not only is it unfair to those who are giving you the handout, but it’s also unfair to you, since you will have no incentive to better yourself and become a productive citizen rather than a parasite. This sort of thing has to stop.
