• Jamie Oliver v/s Amy Dacyczyn: Finding a frugal balance in the search for foodie fulfillment

    Posted on February 1st, 2010 Saver Queen 22 comments

    In an interview with Jamie Oliver last November, a Globe & Mail reader sent in the following question:

    How do you balance the demand for healthier meals for British, and now American school children, with the cost considerations of poorer parents who may not be able to afford fresh, good-for-you foods and ingredients?

    Jamie Oliver said in response:

    Well, I always say that through history, the best food has always come from the poorest people, because they’ve had to use their imagination, knowledge and skill to create meals from very little. So ‘good’ food isn’t about having money, it’s about having knowledge.

    Amen, Jamie! Knowledge is far more important than money, and perhaps Albert Einstein was right again, that imagination is more important than knowledge. After all, cooking is not all that difficult to do; in fact even if we were completely devoid of  information, we could learn just by experimenting.

    Sometimes it’s also about unlearning, that is, unlearning what we’ve been taught about food.  Boiling vegetables until they are mush, insisting on table salt, cooking a piece of meat until it resembles a hockey puck, believing that a meal must consist of a piece of meat, a starch, and a vegetable - once popular wisdom among some cultures, these old practices ought to be retired for good.

    I think another necessary component to good food is a genuine interest and desire to increase the quality of one’s diet.  In “School Dinners” Jamie put together beautiful, nutritious meals for school children for 66¢ a person, but in the “Ministry of Food” the adults often complained that they did not have enough money to purchase healthful ingredients for their families. One woman complained that she was too poor to buy all kinds of fancy ingredients, and decided instead to feed her little girl “cheap”(?) take-aways like chips & cheese or kebabs from chip wagons.  She explained her dilemma to Jamie with a cigarette dangling from her lips.  Of course, different individuals have different ways of coping, but someone must want to change before they can start making a significant change to their diet.

    On the other spectrum, I’ve been reading The Complete Tightwad Gazette lately, which is a whole other universe of frugality.  Amy Dacyczyn’s classic newsletters are still great for a few tips and also a few laughs.  Although I commend her for raising her family of 8 on a combined income of $30,000 while managing to save a hefty portion of her husband’s income, Dacyczyn promotes cooking practices that I think are devoid of imagination. Dacyczyn started writing when total tightwaddery were imperative to her family’s survival, but over the years her family did well enough that they no longer needed to resort to extreme measures. During these more comfortable years, the family continued to practice frugality as a matter of principle and also because they enjoyed doing so.  Some of it is helpful and/or inspiring, but I am definitely turned off by some of her ideas.  For example, her family would chuck the leftovers from dinner into a big bucket that she kept in the freezer, and once the bucket was full, she would create a soup or casserole out of the contents.  Yes, they manage to use up every bit of leftover food, but were they really making the most out of the food that they had? I would answer no, and that kind of carelessness is tantamount to waste in my mind.

    Taste is important, and this is something I’ve emphasized time and again on the blog; we are given the gift of being human, and while on this earth, I want to live, be present, and enjoy my senses to the fullest extent. I don’t want to go through life just eating food as a means to an end.  I don’t just want to eat something that’s just cheap, or even just healthy. I want sit down with that meal and say, “oh wow, is that ever good.”  I want make the kind of quality food that I hope to get at restaurants, but usually cannot find.

    Eating my own food rather than eating out or eating convenience foods has so many advantages. It means I get to eat great tasting, healthy food, that lets me almost effortlessly maintain a healthy weight.  And it means that my food costs are low.  The main drawback to cooking most food from scratch is, of course, the time involved. But there are always solutions. In order to manage my time, I’ve recently starting my own version of batch cooking.  On weekends, I tend to make two soups at the same time.  Making two soups at once is faster, and it also provides me with some variety throughout the week. The leftovers get portioned out into smaller containers for freezing.  The soups do not contain meal leftovers like Dacyczyn’s; instead, I choose the ingredients based on what I have in the fridge, first using up the foods that spoil the quickest.  For example, last week I made a Minestrone and a Cabbage & White bean soup; this week I made Cauliflower & Cheese.  Two other recent successes include White Bean w/ Bacon and Carrot & Parsnip w/ Ginger. When making the soups, I also prep some ingredients that may be used throughout the week, for example I might prepare some roasted garlic (which can then be added to pasta, pizza or bread)  and then use the residual heat from the oven to make delicious “sun dried” tomatoes that might otherwise spoil. I will make enough salad dressing to use on a week’s worth of salads, or perhaps bake bread.  I find it much easier to eat healthful meals throughout the week if most (or all) of the prep work is already done.

    My experiences in frugal cooking have led me to some truly wonderful places, and I am still learning.  Sometimes I have flops, but when I make something truly delicious, I get excited for the years ahead.  I wonder what kind of cook I’ll be in 20 years if I just keep practicing and experimenting.  I may not be the most glamourous cook in the world, but then again, eating locally and in season has its own rustic charm.

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    22 responses to “Jamie Oliver v/s Amy Dacyczyn: Finding a frugal balance in the search for foodie fulfillment”

    1. it's me, Sam February 1st, 2010 at 20:44

      Saver Queen, I loved Jamie Oliver’s school lunches. It’s scary to see what kid’s eat. I’ve working on eating well and choosing what i buy carefully. I love soup’s, and I’ll eat them every day for lunch at work! My DD calls me the queen of left overs, as I’ll take for example the left over potato scallop and turn it into corn chowder! As always, your site is inspiring!

    2. Amber February 1st, 2010 at 21:22

      Kids are picky eaters, and it’s not just because we indulge them. Their palate naturally narrows starting at around age 2 or so and then expands again as they get older. I am a very adventurous eater now, but when I was 7 I thought my mother was trying to kill me when she put parmesan cheese on my pasta. I think that most people will remember episodes like that if they think back.

      I am not able to make meals that are as elaborate or interesting as I like when I’m feeding my toddler and preschooler. I have accepted that. I would rather make a flavourless soup that everyone will eat than have yet another argument over something gourmet.

      But I also don’t resort to take-away or the like, either. Balance in all things, and one day I will be able to make more interesting meals again.

    3. Catherine February 1st, 2010 at 21:55

      Interesting reading SQ! I, too, enjoyed watching Jamie cook for the school children.
      It is so true that you spend far less making meals from scratch. Both my Mom and her Mom were excellent cooks and I’d like to think I’m not half bad.
      Back in olden times Mom used to go shopping with her friend on Saturday around 5 (stores were not open on Sundays). It was then that the grocery stores put everything on the reduced rack. They would buy up what they could and then cook and bake together and share the finished products for the next week of food for both families. It was on one of these reduced racks that she bought a cactus she felt sorry for. That was in 1946. ‘Dorothy’ is still doing well and is in bloom as I type.
      On a funnier note, when I was young my Mom made a soup that I thought had shrimp in it - blech! I wouldn’t eat it. It wasn’t shrimp at all - she had carrot shavings in it for colour. We laughed about it years later with her saying ‘as if we could have afforded shrimp!’.

    4. psychsarah February 1st, 2010 at 22:55

      I love anyone that quotes Jamie Oliver-he’s my (not-so) secret crush :) I fully concur with both his and your sentiment. I strongly prefer cooking simple stuff from scratch (his new cookbook based on Ministry of Food is a great start for “non-cooks”), as I’m always amazed at how much better simple stuff tastes versus packaged food. Further, I think cooking stuff yourself makes you mindful of what you’re tasting.

    5. Katie February 2nd, 2010 at 17:06

      My husband and I are both your typical newlyweds and full time students (aka VERY tight budget and very busy). I am just learning how to cook as well, which I thought would be very hard to do when most of the recipes in our cookbooks call for many ingredients we can’t afford, and I have no idea what to do with those we can. Your recipes look great and inspiring, and I love your emphasis on learning how to cook with minimal ingredients, giving way to later imagination, which I hope will come with experience! Thanks!

    6. Money Funk February 2nd, 2010 at 19:45

      Um… cigarette dangling from her lips. Then she has $$$ to feed her child right!

      When you are on a tight budget, it is vital to learn cooking with spices & herbs. Grow your own or invest in them. Although, they may be pricey at first, you don’t use that much in your cooking - they last a long time.

      The frugal spice rack: invest in the following repeats: oregano and basil (or just an Italian Blend), cayenne pepper, cumin, ground mustard, ground nutmeg, clove, and cinnamon, cracked pepper and rock salt (for grinder), baking soda, baking powder, sugar and flour. And sage, if you like meat loaf.

      Fortunately, my grocer’s carries cheaper priced spices from a mexican vendor.

    7. Saver Queen February 5th, 2010 at 00:57

      thanks for your comments, y’all! one of the things i love about jamie oliver is how he makes simple, nutritious, rustic cooking so accessible. he shows how you can make great meals with very simple, local ingredients, and i just love that.

      katie - thank you so much for the nice comments! Yay! i can’t tell you how happy it makes me to know that you’re enjoying the blog and recipes. thanks so much for your nice feedback.

      money funk - i had the same thought about the cigarette. i can’t put myself in her shoes, but clearly there were funds that could have been applied to fresh produce instead of going up in smoke. it’s what i mean when i say someone has to be ready and willing to change habits and behaviours. i felt really sad for the little girl who was being brought up on all that junk.

      about the frugal spice rack - i love whole spices, including all the basics of indian cooking. i do love my hot curry powder too and my hot smoked paprika. another one i use all the time is tumeric, and it’s very good for you as well. my huge shipment from the spice house is still going strong, and i use my spices all the time.

    8. Sarah DeVries February 6th, 2010 at 11:54

      Thanks for being a kindred spirit. I agree with Jamie that some of the best food is born out of limited resources - necessity is the mother of invention. And even picky-kid foods can be both cheap and nutritious.

      Take for instance classic homemade mac ‘n cheese. Parboil or steam a head of cauliflower and use it as the base for the cheese sauce instead of flour and milk. Your kids will not know the difference, and they will be better for it. I can usually find cauliflower on my local No Frills clearance rack for 79 cents a head, and then I’m saving money by omitting the milk.

      It’s funny you should mention the everything-leftover soup though - my aunt-in-law was recently touting this as a delicious family favourite in her house. “It sounds gross,” she says, “but try it and you’ll see how good it can be!” …I don’t know if I’m quite ready to take that plunge. LOL

    9. Saver Queen February 6th, 2010 at 13:29

      Sarah D - I love the idea of using the cauliflower instead of the flour and milk. That kind of ingenuity that adds nutrition and reduces cost is exactly the kind of frugal activity i love. thanks for the tip!

    10. Mrs. Money February 13th, 2010 at 14:48

      Throwing leftovers in a bucket in the freezer just sounds disgusting. I really think that frugal people can eat well if they go back to the basics! :)

    11. Angela February 14th, 2010 at 14:10

      Just wondered whether you’ve seen the wonderful talk Jamie Oliver gave on TED recently? (he won the TED prize). Well worth watching - you can see it on the TED website. I’ll be really interested to see how his new show (American Revolution) fares when it’s broadcast in March. I’ve really struggled with people’s attitude towards cheap food since moving from the UK to Canada. In the UK we have had a number of food scares and people (I think) are more aware of the downside of cheap food. In Ontario (where I now live) I’ve tended to come across more people who just want to buy cheap and mock spending money on organic food or healthier food because they say they just can’t afford it. Whilst I sympathise - it’s hard to make ends meet on a minimum wage job or on benefits - I still feel that people don’t see the hidden costs of eating cheap processed crap - like health costs for example. I think what’s missing is that people have lost the art of cooking for themselves - and that’s part of a societal change - and it’s unfortunate that the food manufacturer’s on the whole choose not to prepare and sell really healthy fast food options.

    12. Saver Queen February 15th, 2010 at 01:01

      Angela, OMG thank you for drawing my attention to this. It’s amazing. I’m going to write a separate post about this. Great speech!

    13. Humble ingredients make a delicious, nutritious, cheap and eco-friendly breakfast @ Saver Queen March 6th, 2010 at 11:49

      [...] and this homemade granola is a perfect example.  Although I’ve rolled my eyes a few times at Amy Dacyczyn’s “recipes” I love her homemade granola.  As always, there are many different variations to making granola - [...]

    14. Reconciling scratch-cooking and the busy lifestyle, batch by batch @ Saver Queen March 28th, 2010 at 13:40

      [...] my post, “Finding food fulfillment” , reader Angela directed me to Jamie Oliver’s TED speech, which is brilliant.  I have a lot [...]

    15. Tari April 11th, 2010 at 11:59

      Thank you, Saver Queen for highlighting Jamie Oliver. I think his show and crusade are brilliant and for once a reality show of value. I encourage readers to dig beneath the surface re: Amy Dacyczyn and her “Tightwad Gazette”. Having been a follower for years, I assure you this mention of the left-over casserole is one teeny tiny piece of her prophesy. Amy is adamant that readers take what they like and leave the rest - trust me, there is a LOT to her banquet. She understands some of her practices are over the top for some people. The Dacyczyn family lives a life of frugality because they really enjoy it and feel NO deprivation. Many comments above could be suggestions of hers. One has to read the whole story before judging Amy and her hints - many of which I have used for decades. And I do not consider myself anywhere near a “frugal zealot”, just someone who appreciates practical advise that saves me money, time and energy - and in the kitchen providing my family with reasonably healthy meals. Thanks again, Saver Queen. Happy to have stumbled on your site. I was looking up that infamous granola recipe which I misplace. Made it in a jiffy. YUM!

    16. Saver Queen April 12th, 2010 at 21:43

      Tari,
      Yes, I don’t mean to knock Amy Dacyczyn because she’s awesome. She really is, and I love her. I’ve read all of the TG books now and she always encourages people to do their own thing. She never pressures or proselytizes. I think her best legacy is from just encouraging people to think before they automatically go to buy something: “can i make this myself? what alternatives are there?” So I don’t mean to judge her. I do think she falls short on the recipe side but I don’t mean to criticize her because she can’t be all singing and all dancing - she’s a writer and a homemaker, not a chef, after all. That being said, there are so many wonderful resources out there for people who want to eat delicious food and yet don’t have a lot of money to spend. Jamie Oliver is a huge inspiration in this regard. I certainly believe that it is possible to eat delicious meals while staying on a very tight budget, and that people do not have to eat leftover-casserole in order to live frugally. I enjoy Amy’s inspiration for just about everything household related, but skip most of her recipe suggestions, save for the homemade granola which is *fabulous*!

    17. CB May 26th, 2010 at 19:39

      My grandma does the leftover-soup thing.

      They call it “the Soup Du Jar.” HAHA.

      Anyway, it really is quite tasty. Don’t knock it till you’ve tried it! ;)

      Jamie Oliver kind of gets on my nerves. Maybe I just think he’s trying too hard to be cool.

      Amy, whatever one thinks of her, was never into being hip.

    18. d_montaigne June 6th, 2010 at 23:15

      Amy Dacyczyn (whose books I read and re-read when they were published *and* as my DH and I experienced financial crises due to my health) had a very large garden. She and her husband and children put up a large amount of vegetables and fruits *and* ate much fresh produce in season.

      This helped bring their food spending way, way down. She didn’t always include the fruits and vegetables in the menus she listed in the book; if you read each book carefully (or the Complete book), you’ll pick up on this attitude. The fruits/vegs were simply there and available at all times, not just mealtimes.

      That was–and remains–a very avant-garde and nutritious way to feed a family.

      I found this blog through a web search for updated info on Amy D. Whoever is trying to diss her: take a look at what she actually did, not what others SAY she did. Amazing information and ways of analyzing/looking at things.

    19. Belinda June 14th, 2010 at 07:57

      The bucket in the freezer thing was NOT Amy’s idea, but rather a contribution from one of her newsletter readers. Amy would put her leftovers in the freezer in separate containers and then perform leftover wizardy or have a smorgasborg night. That bucket thing always seemed gross to me.

    20. Candy Kane July 15th, 2010 at 09:17

      When I make vegetable soup, I combine carrots, potatoes, tomatoes, corn, peas, etc. in a beef stock and slowly simmer. Sometimes I add barley, rice or small pasta. My vegetable soup is popular with my family and friends of the family. What’s the difference in combining everything in one pot or combining it in one container in the freezer. Personally, I prefer to store leftovers separately because it allows me greater flexability in using them later, but I have kept the soup container in the freezer before and there was no difference in quality.

      So many people criticize Amy Dacyczyn and say she was mean to her kids. I recently read that she should have had her kids taken from her because she gave them reconstituted powdered milk. The author claimed there was no calcium in nonfat milk. The truth is that the kids were probably getting a little more calcium because 4% milkfat was removed. She has raised a happy, healthy family. Her kids never went without the necessities and they have all had education or training after high school. How many other families can claim this on $30,000 a year?

    21. Jennifer Roberts August 2nd, 2010 at 05:08

      Following Amy Dacyczyn’s recipes has led to some of the best food I have eaten. She taught me how to make sourdough bread (which I am now making with home ground wheat berries), my own yogurt, delicious and inexpensive homemade pizza, etc. She also taught me about the advantages of a pressure cooker, which I use everyday, a food processor, which I frequently use to make bread and grate cheeses, homemade bean soups, and gardening. Because of her methods I frequently eat more fruits, vegetables, and whole grains than most of the people around me, and I am able to cheaply accommodate a very food sensitive diet while working full time. So keep rolling your eyes if you want to, but you are missing out on some really great advice.

    22. Martha September 2nd, 2010 at 17:04

      As a lover of both Jamie Oliver and Amy Dacyczyn I loved this post. They are both great sources of inspiration for living life on your own terms and not following mainstream thinking. I just read through The Complete Tightwad Gazette again while traveling and got so many great ideas. I think the key is to take what works and let the rest go. Have you ever found a cookbook where all the recipes and ideas sounded good? Why would The tightwad be any different. I love her formulas for creating muffins and breads. They allows to develop our kitchen skills and become less dependent on recipes which is a key to creative frugal cooking! Thanks for the great post.

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