Grub Will Keep Us Together

Okay, I know. I know! Where the F have I been? I told you that this was going to be a weekly column about food around town. Now I post, oh, every month or so.

So what’s taking me so long? Where have I been? Have I stopped eating?

Nope. Broke. I’ve been broke. I bet many of you know the feeling.

Suddenly you realize that that owner-occupied apartment was not such a good idea after so many months of late rent. That wonderful, understanding friend has insisted on taking you out for another Julian’s brunch on her dime, as you shamefully promise to, someday, return the favor. Your phone just got shut off. And if it weren’t for ‘Gansett, you’d never be drunk.

Now, it’s true that I have a terrible relationship with money. And for the next few months, I continue to sacrifice a living wage for the lucky fact that I have the best job in Providence.

But I look around and get this sneaking suspicion that the struggle is made of something bigger than my own personal irresponsibility or martyrdom.

Recession, maybe? Or the beginning of the next great depression? Every time we pick up the paper there’s more to freak out about, most of which I don’t understand. War, oil prices, global food shortage, health care costs, foreclosures, the possibility of a President McCain and his vapid daughter. Fuck.

The terrible truth is that our generation was destined for financial crisis long before the war, long before the mortgage crisis, long before economists warned of recession. Pick up Anya Kemenetz’s Generation Debt. That was a quick, enlightening, horribly uneasy read, and just an intro into the specifics of how truly f-ed our generation really is. Have you got a 401k yet? Yeah, me neither.

Still, I think humans have a right not only survive, but to live well. Not only to eat, but to eat delicious food. I apply that to my own life. And so I insist upon the occasional lunch out, even if I have only $10 to live on for a week.

I rely upon the $5 lunch, the roses to my bread. There are some uber-cheap classics around Providence, like New York System, Spike’s, Via Via, and Louie’s (ew), but these are some of my favorites, followed by one disappointment:

East Side Pockets, 278 Thayer St.
Duh. A plethora of wrapped veggie options under $5, East Side Pockets is really good, especially for its location. Sometimes when the line is really long they give me a free baklava. A diamond in the rough, as Thayer St. is ground zero for slightly overpriced, mediocre food.

Taqueria Pacifica, 103 Empire St.
When trust fund babies and broke artists cross the socioeconomic divisions and hang out together, where do they go to eat? Taqueria offers a diversity of prices, so I never feel singled out for my poverty when I’m hanging out with my more well-off buddies. They can order the $8 burrito, and I can be equally well fed with the $3 veggie taco.

Hudson Market, 68 Hudson St.
Order a small sandwich on a grinder, and hungry girls are guaranteed an extra-large sandwich good for at least two meals, all for $5. (Plus change, if you like avocados.) Hudson Market has the raddest, friendliest staff in town, along with a diversity of meats and veggies and a good sandwich option for vegetarians or vegans.

A warning: If you plan on eating the whole sandwich, be careful, and take it slow. I was really hungry one day last summer and housed the whole thing in 10 minutes. I was in bed for the next 16 hours, digesting.

Sandwich Hut, 1253 North Main St.
This spot is difficult to get to by foot, but worth the trip along North Main. It’s a little pricier than other sandwich spots, but the key is to order a large and share with a friend. They roast their own turkey, so you’ll never have to worry about slimy deli slices. Sharing the sandwich will leave you well under the $5 limit, so grab a piece of the chocolate cake for a full meal.

Seven Stars, 342 Broadway or 820 Hope St.
I’ll never understand why this wonderful bakery traded the filling and affordable calzones of yesteryear for these funky sandwiches on mini-baguettes. But whatever, I guess these lunch options are supposed to pass for high end with all the arugula and olive tapenade. I could go to Seven Stars every morning for the rest of my life for a coffee and a raspberry danish, but I will only eat the sandwiches if I am getting them for free.

There are a few more $5 lunch options that I love, but they deserve their own column. They help me keep within my budget, but they bring up a whole different opportunity for my political proselytizing. I’ll talk about it next week.

Here’s a hint: it’s got something to do with a Governor trying to distract us from his shitty economic policies, and everything to do with embracing the community that brings us sopes.

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This entry was posted on Wednesday, May 7th, 2008 at 10:41 am and is filed under Amuse My Bouche, Daily Dose, Food. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

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