Ensalada de la Clase Obrera
The Recoup
One of the primary ways in which the working class is kept down is through our consumption habits. Enough of our time is taken up that we become disconnected from our food and we tend to eat in the quickest, cheapest, and easiest way possible. It’s the same way we are alienated from production itself - they own what we produce and own what we consume, so ultimately we are paying them back a portion of our wages through consuming their products. It’s quite the dupe and recoup. It’s the same reason Whole Foods gives its employees a 20% discount encouraging them to spend, but because everything’s so expensive you end up spending $15-$20 a day or more on their products, even with the discount. Fast food, instant noodles, and TV dinners are many of our main food sources, which keeps us on the unhealthy side and still costs a surprising amount of money for the relatively low amount of energy and nutrients they offer (especially fast food and TV dinners). This in turn keeps us in a state of low energy and mental fatigue, preventing us from doing helpful things for ourselves and our communities outside of the workplace.
One of the few and only ways to ameliorate this unfortunate dynamic is to be much more deliberate with what we consume, and find foods that are not only healthy and delicious, but inexpensive and easy to make - all while giving as little money as possible to corporations. I propose the Working Class Salad.
Much like Hobo stew, Working Class Salad is an amalgamation of whatever you have available, in an attempt to pack the most possible nutrients into a dish. The act of making Working Class Salad keeps you on your toes and ensures that you have something good to eat throughout the day without having to eat out, as well as cuts down on needless food waste by utilizing whatever you have in your fridge or pantry.
Working Class Salad can be made very cheaply - approximately $10, give or take, for almost 10 servings that can last the entire work week. The purpose is for it to be full of whatever veggies you like, but you do not need to overbuy anything - 1 box of pasta costs about $1.50, a can of chickpeas costs about $1, 1 bell pepper costs between $0.50-$1.50, 1 tomato costs around $0.50 or less, 1 cup of peas costs around $0.50, 1 zucchini or yellow squash costs about $1.00, 1 head of broccoli costs about $1.00 - and you don’t need more of each for a weeks worth of meals. To make it more filling, add a half pound of deli chicken, turkey, pepperoni or salami. The purpose is to pack as much nutrients and energy into it as you possibly can for as little money as you can. Since humans must eat and most of the time we must go through grocery stores, it is important to learn how to glean as much value from those stores as we possibly can, even if it means discreetly bending the rules a little bit when possible (hint: everything is bananas, b-a-n-a-n-a-s).
This meal is very malleable, you can add literally whatever you want to it so as to suit your taste. You can make it with whole wheat pasta or or bulgur wheat instead of white pasta to make it even more nutrient-dense, you can add meats and cheeses, olives, pickled vegetables, whatever you have that would taste good. I tend to make it like a chop suey - using whatever ingredient is available that needs to be used up - therefore cutting down on some wasted food as well.
What I like to do is make a large batch on Sunday night, then fill tupperware (or reused Noosa yogurt containers) and have one per day of the week while I’m working. Again it costs approximately $10 and gives me a weeks worth of meals. It is likely that one small tupperware won’t be enough to fill you up during an 8 hour shift, so make sure that you’re bringing some fruit, snacks, and other foods, but this pasta salad is a good centerpiece for your daily meal.
Here’s how to make it:
There really isn’t one ‘recipe’ in particular - again, it’s like Hobo stew. But there are a few basic steps that I’ll list. Other than that, it’s just about making combinations of ingredients that taste good to you and have as much possible health benefit. The dressing is a simple vinaigrette.
This recipe is based off of 1 16-ounce box of pasta.
Here are some ideas of what to put in your salad:
Veggies:
Bell pepper
Zucchini
Raw mushrooms
Tomatoes
Red Onion
Yellow Squash
Carrot
Lightly steamed asparagus or broccoli
Peas
Corn
Jalapeno/serrano peppers
Lettuce/spinach/kale
Artichoke hearts
Olives
Sun-dried tomato
Banana peppers/pepperoncini
Capers
Fresh basil
Fresh parsley
NOTE: Do not add minced fresh garlic to this salad - fresh garlic in oil can breed botulism very quickly, and if you’re storing it in the fridge for a week, it heightens the risk for botulism. So leave the garlic out or use garlic powder instead.
Meats/Cheeses:
Salami
Pepperoni
Deli turkey/chicken/ham
Pulled chicken
Shredded/grated parmesan
Mozzarella
Provolone
Feta
Grains/starch:
Pasta
Lentils
Beans
Chickpeas
Potatoes
Bulgur wheat
Pearled couscous
Quinoa
How to make a basic vinaigrette:
Use 3:1 parts oil to vinegar (i.e. 3 tablespoons of oil, 1 tablespoon of vinegar") - I usually use red wine or rice wine vinegar and olive oil, but really any kind of oil and vinegar will work. For 5-10 servings of pasta salad (1 box of pasta), I would suggest approximately 1/2 cup of oil and 1/6 cup of vinegar, add it to the pasta bits at a time and taste, add more if desired. A vinaigrette is best if it has an emulsifier (something to bind together the oil and vinegar). Stone ground mustard or mustard powder, honey, egg yolks, tomato paste, or mayonnaise are all suitable emulsifiers. Again, make it however you see fit as long as you begin with 3:1 ratio oil to vinegar and an emulsifier, everything else is based on your liking.
My vinaigrette recipe:
1/2 cup of olive oil
1/6 cup of red wine vinegar or rice wine vinegar
1 tablespoon stone ground mustard or mustard powder
1/2 teaspoon lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon Italian herb blend, herbs de provence, or dried basil
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
Using a fork or whisk, mix it all together until blended and incorporated and you got yerself a fine vinaigrette there. You can always add more of each ingredient depending on the taste.
(Also consider pesto instead of a vinaigrette)
IMPORTANT STEP: After cooking the pasta or grain to al dente, drain it, then run cold tap water over it in the strainer until cooled.
Once the grain is cooked and cooled, throw it all back into the large pot or mixing bowl, stir all chopped veggies, meat, cheese, and vinaigrette together, and it’s done. Can be stored in closed containers in the fridge for about 5 days.
Note that it can last without refrigeration for about 2-4 hours, depending on the days temperature.
On top of this being a fantastic meal for the work week, it can be used to feed large amounts of people. Consider it if you’re ever cooking food for your unhoused neighbors or working with a mutual aid group.
Like I said before, reclaiming our relationship with the food we eat can be very important in an unsustainable world where we are alienated from production. It gives us at least some semblance of control over what we consume, rather than being mindlessly fed. This is merely the beginning though - ultimately the more food we produce or gather for ourselves is what gets us even further out of coercive systems. While starting a backyard garden or foraging or participating in guerrilla gardening may not be an entirely revolutionary act, you are at least working outside of the “system” that coerces you and regaining at least some of the means of production. But it’s one step at a time, so don’t put too much pressure on yourself. Nobody can be expected to work 40+ hours a week while simultaneously growing a garden with enough food to feed themselves and their families, let alone do most people have enough outdoor space to grow a garden. But maybe you have a windowsill that can grow some herbs and hot peppers, or maybe you work in a kitchen that goes through 5 gallon buckets, which can be taken home and used to grow potatoes under a grow light. Keep thinking outside of the box, keep doing the little things to gain control over your own livelihood. That’s really all you can do, but I promise it is worth it.
Good luck and solidarity to you all.
𝕊𝕀𝕃𝕂 ℝ𝕆𝔸𝔻 𝔾𝕆𝕌ℝ𝕄𝔼𝕋
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