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My sister called my 'frugal' dinner a 'sad plate' and it got me thinking.
She came over last Tuesday and I was eating my usual cheap meal, just a can of black beans heated up with some plain rice. She looked at it and said, 'Dan, that's a sad plate. You're just eating brown on brown.' I argued it was protein and carbs for under a dollar fifty, but she pointed out I could fry an egg on top for twenty cents or chop a green onion from the window sill. It hit different because she wasn't telling me to spend more, just to think about making the cheap stuff feel less like punishment. I've been so focused on the lowest cost per meal that I forgot eating should be a little enjoyable too. Now I'm trying to keep one cheap 'finisher' like hot sauce or a squeeze of lemon on hand. What's your go-to cheap add-on that makes a basic meal feel complete?
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theawest3mo ago
Wait, you were just eating plain beans and rice with nothing on it? That's wild! A little hot sauce is a total game changer for stuff like that.
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tessa3682mo agoMost Upvoted
No you're totally right about the hot sauce thing. I was the same way with my rice and beans for the longest time, just eating them plain and boring because I didn't think to add anything. Then one day I grabbed a bottle of that Valentina black label my roommate had and put a few shakes on there. Man, it woke me up. It's not even just the heat, it's the vinegar and the little bit of garlic flavor that makes everything come together. Now I can't even look at a bowl of rice and beans without grabbing something spicy to put on it. It's like a whole different meal.
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hayden_rivera3mo ago
Honestly, I was the same way. Then I tried it with some cholula. Totally changed my mind.
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