Poverty Line Experiment

Prepared for
Professor Keisha Ellis
Politics 313

Prepared by
Gilberta Paul 000-04-7310
Business Management

October 7th, 2015

Introduction

In the Bahamas, food has been assimilated into our culture. The smell of peas and rice,
baked macaroni, cracked conch, and potato salad instantly signifies a sense of home to the
average Bahamian. Many Bahamians may even argue that local cuisines serves as some form of
identification and allows us to feel Bahamian. Despite this, there are persons residing the
Bahamas that are unable to partake in local feast as many others are privileged to do. These
persons are a part of the lower class or are considered poor.
Poverty is a real issue in the Bahamas. According to the Department of Statistics, forty
three thousand persons were living in poverty in the Bahamas in the year of 2013 (Jones, 2014).
A household expenditure survey was conducted in 2014 stating that 12.8% of the population
lives in poverty. As of 2014, the absolute poverty line in the Bahamas is $4,247 annually which
equates to an astonishing $11.64 per day. Any individual that cannot meet this requirement is
considered to be in poverty. In addition to this, $3.82 is the maximum that these individual in
poverty can afford to feed themselves. With such a low threshold, those in poverty would not be
able to achieve the requirement of eating three meals a day. Not only that, these individuals
would be unable to eat balanced meals in order to properly nourish their bodies.
As a result, an experiment was conducted by myself as well as other students at the
College of the Bahamas. Each student was required to use a maximum of $3.82 per day to feed
themselves for an entire week. This experiment would allow the students to encounter their own
experience and make a determination as to whether or not this statistic is realistic.

Prior to this experiment, my daily eating habits tend to be erratic. I would basically eat
according to the way that I felt. While typically, I am not a fan of fast food, I would eat at
restaurants often on weekends and enjoy home cooked meals throughout the week.
Unfortunately, these meals are not balanced and like the average Bahamian, I am not particular
about portion sizes. I also enjoy Bahamian delights such as conch salad and sky juice.
Initially I attempted this assign two days prior to getting it right. In my original plan, I
attempted eat with just $3.82 per day. I am a full time student that also works, therefore I am
always on the go. This method of purchasing at $3.82 for an entire day did not work on both
days since I eventually gave in and purchased the food. It was at this point I realized that this
experiment would be a lot harder than I thought. I also decided to devise a plan that was realistic
seeing that the latter was not. I combined my $3.82 for 7 days and decided to go to the food
store. This gave me $26.74 for the entire week on food and beverages. Although I would not
describe myself as a health conscious person, I still decided that I wanted to attempt to create a
balanced diet. I figured it did not make sense to be hungry and unhealthy. I eventually went on
line to research cheap foods which were nutritious. The model I decided to use was the Food
Pyramid to display the ideal portion size of each food group. The Food Pyramid is a widely used
educational tool. This tool was designed to recommend the appropriate portion or serving size
per food group. According to the U.S Department of Agriculture, at the top of the pyramid, fats
and sugars should be consumed sparingly. Next are dairy products and proteins with serving
sizes of 2-4 respectively. Fruits and vegetables may range from 2 5 servings while breads and
grains can vary from 6 11 servings. To my surprise based on my budget, this was non-existent.
Fruits were extremely costly and had to be factored out automatically. Dairy products were also
expensive and could not be factored in. Vegetables seemed cheap, therefore they were on the
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list. After an hour of deliberation, I finally came up with a meal plan that was balanced to a
certain extent and seemed affordable. This meal plan consisted of the following:

Breakfast Grits with tuna or corn beef with avocado & tea as a beverage
Lunch Bologna & bread or crackers and cheese & water as a beverage
Dinner White Rice, tuna or other meat, Canned Mixed Vegetable & water as a beverage
Snack Lettuce & Tomatoes (Salad)

On Monday, September 28, 2015 after work, I eagerly went to the food store. Within five
minutes of my visit to the food store, I immediately realized that my desired plan would not go
according to plan due to insufficient funds. I am no stranger to the food store, however I am
accustomed to grabbing which ever items my heart desires. Unfortunately, this was not the case.
After maneuvering from aisle to aisle for what seemed like hours, I was able to purchase my
weekly meal. It was nothing like the original plan, however I felt optimistic that I would survive.
The revised meal plan was as follows:

Breakfast Oatmeal & water as a beverage

Lunch Ramen Noodles with Vienna sausage
Dinner Rice and tuna
No Snacks

As the cashier scanned my last item, she said the total was $24.77. I sighed in relief that I had
just enough to purchase water for the week, however in that same sigh I gathered that this was
going to be one long week.

Day One: Tuesday, October 29, 2015

Due to an early morning class, I woke up extremely early and rushed straight out the door. I was
unable to make breakfast. Usually on mornings such as these, I would purchase breakfast.
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Unfortunately, due to my finances (or lack of), I was unable to purchase breakfast. On the other
hand, I did not feel very hungry therefore I was able to focus in class. After class, I went
directly to work. I informed my co-worker that I did not have any money for lunch. She was
shocked due to the fact that I normally do not need any lunch or financial assistance. After
convincing her that I was telling the truth, she decided to purchase a banana for me as a snack.
The moment I ate this banana, I instantly became hungry and felt happy that I brought my
noodles and Vietnam sausage to work with me. I rarely eat noodles due to the lack of nutrients
in them, however on this day I was extremely excited. After eating the noodles, in about an hour,
I felt hungry all over again. As time progressed, this was no ordinary hunger. I began getting
headaches, I did not converse with my co-workers as usual, and felt like snapping. One of my
co-workers noticed my difference in behavior and asked me what was wrong to which I told her I
felt hungry. Surprisingly, this felt a little embarrassing for me. She sympathized with me and
reminded me that there was a tea and coffee station at work. Little did I know, this station would
become my very best friend. I thought to myself, I have worked in this environment basically
forever, how I could not realize there was tea and coffee? This was enough to keep me through
the day. For dinner I felt exhausted, therefore I just made oatmeal. Once again I felt full for an
hour but I didnt want to cook anything else for fear of running out of food for the rest of the
week.
Nutritional Value per Serving: Banana- 121 Calories, Quaker Oats 148 calories, Tea - 45 calories,
Noodles & Vienna sausage 535 Calories Total: 849 calories
Day Two: Wednesday, September 30, 2015
I had a lot of errands to run that morning, therefore I skipped breakfast once again. These
errands took much longer than anticipated and were not completed until after one that evening. I
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had class at two and I was very hungry. Since my job is not very far from the college, I decided
to stop by in order to check on some stuff. In reality, I was interested in the hot cocoa at the
coffee station. Knowing that I was off that day, my co-worker instantly asked me what in the
world I was doing there. She is also aware that I am at classes on Wednesday. Feeling
incredibly embarrassed and morally obligated to tell the truth, I told her I was making cocoa. At
this point, I knew she was suspicious but she offered me another banana. I told her thank you but
in my mind, I was hugging her and throwing her in the air. That banana was just enough to get
me to class. Upon my arrival at the college, in less than an hour, my stomach started to grumble
again. I could not focus once again. That lecture seemed as if it lasted 40 years. I also did not
hear a word the lecturer was saying and I struggled to understand the documentary. I
immediately texted my significant other and asked him to bring some lunch. Although it seems
dramatic, I felt like I could not make it another step at school. He bought a Mcdonalds chicken
and bacon sandwich combo, mcfrosty sundae, and nuggets. I am normally not a big eater and as
stated, I am not particularly interested in fast food, however on this say, I ate every single french
fry. Even the ones in the bag. This was enough to carry me for the rest of the evening and I did
not eat anything else for the rest of the day.

Nutritional Value per Serving: Banana- 121 Calories, McDonalds 1,602 calories, Hot Cocoa 400 calories Total: 2,123 Calories
Day Three: Thursday, October 1, 2015
I decided on this day, I would not make the same mistake as the previous days. Although I had
an early morning class, I woke up early enough to cook oatmeal for breakfast. On this day, I

decided that following the meal plan would be best if I wanted to actually focus and accomplish
the task that I had set out to accomplish. I was incredibly alert in class and for the first time in a
few day, I felt normal on some level. I also bought noodles for lunch, however I neglected to
bring them out of the car. I did not have the car on that particular day, therefore shortly after two
o clock I became hungry. I called the individual that had the car and demanded that I needed my
noodles. At this point, all form of embarrassment was gone. Seeing as it took some time, I
asked another co-worker for lunch. Once again, after deliberation, I was able to convince her
that I did not have any money. She eventually felt sorry for me and gave me $6.00 to purchase
lunch. Normally I would run to the deli for a sandwich, however since I realized it would be
more beneficial to stretch the $6.00, I began calling for my noodles again. I made hot cocoa
during the waiting period. Eventually the person came and I ate noodles. That evening, my
significant other bought chicken for both of us. I also had a friend that came over and bought
conch salad. That was absolutely the best conch salad I have tasted in a long time.

Nutritional Value per Serving: Quaker Oats 148 calories, Noodles & Vienna sausage 535
Calories, Hot Cocoa - 400 calories Conch Salad- 125 calories Total: 1,208 Calories

Day Four: Friday, October 2, 2015

On Friday morning, in what appeared to be overnight, the entire Bahamas was under hurricane
watch. Despite this, I continued my normal daily routine until I was informed otherwise. My
significant other decided to bring over grits and tuna for breakfast. Automatically, this was a
relief for me. In just a few short days, I had grown tired of oatmeal and noodles. It is almost as
if I did not have a taste for it anymore, however I had to mentally remind myself that I did not
have a choice. Once breakfast was completed, I scurried off to work. Within an hour, I went to
my new favorite place at work. I made a cup of tea. Regrettably, a short time later, I became
hungry once again. My co-worker was eating turkey and almost instinctually she offered me
turkey. I wanted to eat the turkey by itself, however knowing my funds were low, I had to think
ahead. I saved the turkey, made my usual noodles for lunch. I ate the turkey along with noodles
in hopes that it would keep me full for a longer period of time. My boss announced the location
was closing early however another location would be open for those who were interested in
working. I was not particularly enthusiastic about working, however she promised to purchase
lunch for those that stayed behind. I was caught between a tough bargain. It was either go home
to more noodles and oats or stay at work and eat a decent meal. I decided the latter. She
purchased pizza for the staff and I ate more slices than I can remember. I also decided to take two
slices home for the following day. At this point, I could not wait for this experiment to be over.

Nutritional Value Per Serving: Grits & Tuna 575 calories , Noodles & Turkey 471 Calories,
Tea 45 calories, Pizza Approximately 1500 calories Total: Approximately 2,591 calories

Day Five: Saturday, October 3, 2015

I could finally see an end in sight. I decided to eat the pizza for breakfast. Those two slices felt
filling enough and I decided to head to work. Optimistically, I anticipated that this experiment
would get easier. I assumed that I would get used to eating a certain type of food and eventually
I would crave less and less of what I was used to eating. Unfortunately, the exact opposite
happened. At work, later on that day, a friend of mine surprised me with conch salad. This was
perfect since I did not have to eat another noodle. Anything was better than noodles at this point.
That evening when I got in from work, I made oatmeal. Just as all the other days, in about an
hour I was hungry again. I did the next best thing and cooked noodles. It is almost as if I had to
force the noodles down my throat. After eating the noodles, it was only enough for me to go to
bed. I was still hungry, but I was not dying of hunger.

Nutritional Value Per Serving: Quaker Oats 148 calories, Noodles 426 Calories, Conch Salad125 calories, Pizza 570 calories Total: 1,269 calories

Day Six: Sunday, October 4, 2015

It was Sunday, my favorite day of the week. There was no work, no school, just simply resting
and home cooked food. The mere thought of eating noodles on Sunday made my head hurt and
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stomach turn. Instantly, I remembered the $6.00 my co-worker so graciously gave me. I decided
that I would use this $6 to purchase pork chops and cook it with the rice I had purchased from
the initial food store visit. In a normal circumstance, I would purchase center cuts, however pork
chops ends were much cheaper in this situation. I ultimately purchased pork chops ends. I
prepared the pork chop and rice, which turned out to be enough to serve about five persons. On
Sundays, guest normally stop by and I would often give them food. This Sunday, I was not as
charitable since I had to preserve for another day. I ate from thi food twice and saved some for
my final day of the experiment.

Nutritional Value per Serving: Baked Pork chops and Rice 1,848 calories Total: 1,848
Calories

Day Seven: Monday October 5, 2015

The final day had arrived and I could not be any more enthusiastic. I decided to eat the rice and
pork chop for breakfast so that I could be filled throughout the day. Once I completed this meal,

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I went to work. This meal kept me throughout half the day. When I started to feel a bit hungry, I
at noodles along with tea. As usual, I felt hungry, however at this point, I became accustomed to
the hungry feeling. That even my significant other decided to treat me to a conch snack at
bamboo shack.

Nutritional Value Per Serving: Baked Pork chops and Rice 1,848, Noodles 426 Calories, Tea
- 45, Conch Snack 720 calories Total: 3,039 Calories

Conclusion

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This experiment was one that was truly life changing. I was fortunate enough to come
from a privileged life. When I initially heard about the experiment, I did not even think it was
possible that persons were actually surviving from such a low budget for food. Once I began to
take part in the experiment, I realized how many persons in the food store were also shopping the
way that I was shopping. All around me baskets were barely filled with tuna, grits and oats. My
heart broke for those persons. Even as I continues the experiment, I began to understand this
was the reality of over 40,000 persons in the Bahamas. The more I thought about it, I was
brought close to tears. On average, a female of my age, weight, and height would need
approximately 1700 calories per day. If I did not have the assistance of my co-worker,
significant other and friends, I do not believe that based on $3.82 a day, I would have been able
to meet that requirement. This experiment has also made me interested in donating to
organizations such as Hands for Hunger. I will begin to investigate the local charities to see if I
can assist in this devastating issue in the Bahamas. I am a lot more grateful for the ability to
purchase food and wish to help those in need.

Appendix
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