Most expensive groceries in the country...

[ironyak]

Edge - Was anyone in a grocery store the last two days?
I was! Didn't you read about my Hilo run-in with the self-described well-intentioned troll? (maybe my wall of text defense against the illiterati hoards has been too effective - need more quips, less beat-style spontaneous prose, gotcha ;)

Edge - Grumbling about giving them a card for food while supporting... seems like, what’s the word I’m looking for?
Not sure some of them support any public spending - seems like a "f you got mine" principle and putting more effort into attempts to "own the libs" than help the people of Puna own some groceries. As for the missing word, does it relate to claiming Aloha while participating in an attack on a minority community, and rhyme with autocracy?

[HereOnThePrimalEdge]

Didn't you read about my Hilo run-in with the self-described well-intentioned troll?

Certainly a memorable experience, but did you mention the crowds or lack thereof?

[MyManao]

To me, the "Most expensive groceries in the country" is a no brainer. Like duh, what do you expect is the consequences of living in the most remote part of the country?

What I wonder is what are the naysayers going to do when we blow away the welfare programs that help the needed deal with our exorbitant cost of groceries in exchange for a Universal Basic Income program that also gives welfare to all the techies being displaced by AI? 

That's coming, right? How could it not? Wasn't Hawaii, and a lot of Puna, a great place to ditch Cali for when working remotely during the pandemic was in vogue? Ain't those high wage earners themselves starting to join the ranks of the unemployed right here? I mean, I think AI, in its current incarnation, is a joke. A paperweight. And still it's killing a lot of jobs. So, what are they going to do? Push a shopping cart over at the Mooheau Bandstand? Take up residence on the lava fields mauka of HOVE?

Any suggestions Dude?

[HiloJulie]

Now, I promise no mention of bananas, rice, performative spritzes of anything or well intentioned trolls!

I would like to mention that in Barney's little neck of the woods here in Hawaiian Acres, he, along with my husband, as well as a gaggle of other like minded neighbors, look after 8 other neighbors, all over 80 with 2 now in their 90's.
 
All of them are on SNAP and Medicaid.

Why do you ask?

Well, 2 of those neighbors worked long and hard in careers for huge national companies. Their dreams of retirement were secured with the promises of millions of dollars when they retired. Then, the corporate gold rush of highly leveraged acquisitions, take overs, blah blah blah saw those retirement promises fizzled to pennies on the dollar.

3 other neighbors were forced into bankruptcy due to their respective spouses becoming sick and then dying with incurable diseases, 2 with cancer, 1 with Alzheimer’s, because back then, they had "pre existing" conditions that no employer offered insurance program would touch.

The other 3 just never got around to planning their needs for retirement, working until they more or less could not, thus forcing them to have to be on that "free gravy train."

Now, my whole point being is that without SNAP and Medicaid benefits, these 8 neighbors would be dead. Further, in addition to Barney, (to think the little guy actually loves to carry bag after bag of groceries up a flight of stairs!) myself, my husband as well as the other people in the hood here who all help and contribute to these gang of 8, none of these 8 people deserved to be where they are at in their lives, yet as we see here, some would say they got it great. The continual rise in grocery prices, for whatever reason, mostly tariff driven as well as corporate greed make these 8 neighbors live in a daily constant fear of going hungry. In as much as these 8 neighbors are coincidentally and amazingly able to budget their monthly food expenses literally to the penny, it is a daily thought process of "do I get this or do I get that" coupled with a constant fear of what they CAN afford as they walk (with assistance) into WalMart, KTA, Foodland - or even a local farmers market.

My only sincere hope for these 8 neighbors other than them living much much longer, is that they don't have to go through what these eventual cuts to these programs will ultimately do to them. Even just the added stress of having to jump through the required additional hoops to be imposed will not bode well on their health or mental psyche.

How anyone can find Aloha in all of this is beyond comprehension.

ETA: All of the "gang of 8" are 100% born here not flown here Native Hawaiians.

[ironyak]

Edge - Certainly a memorable experience, but did you mention the crowds or lack thereof?
I didn't, no, bit of troll tunnel vision perhaps. But being able to shop for groceries in Hilo when the stores are less busy is certainly a privilege, because, as is common knowledge, near everyone gets paid near the first-of the month. As for helping people be better workers and members of society, it reminds me of that old George Bailey speech - maybe someone on Punaweb is well suited to cosplay the role of Henry F. Potter and scowl a lot at the local rabble?

"But he did help a few people get outta your slums, Mr. Potter. And what's wrong with that? Why -- here, you're all businessmen here. Don't it make them better citizens? Doesn't it make them better customers?
...
Just remember this, Mr. Potter, that this rabble you're talking about, they do most of the working and paying and living and dying in this community. Well, is it too much to have them work and pay and live and die in a couple of decent rooms and a bath?"

MM - So, what are they going to do? Push a shopping cart over at the Mooheau Bandstand?
Maybe like this? Not sure the plans extend past next quarter's profits, but history shows what happens when the powers-that-be lose touch and believe they can tell millions of people "let them eat (fish)cake" (also goes well with ramen packets, is locally made, and is SNAP/EBT eligible)

HJ - that without SNAP and Medicaid benefits, these 8 neighbors would be dead.
Maybe that, rather than UBI, is the more likely plan?

[TomK]

Good stuff Tom.  Hana has some of the most expensive groceries I've ever encountered. They basically have two stores, neither of which is very large and half of the larger one is devoted to general store type merch including an impressive collection of machetes and knives.

As an aside, if someone needs a recipe for bananas and rice, it's easy to Google.

As a kid, my favorite dessert was bananas and custard. It sounds simple, and it was: sliced bananas in warm custard. It was delicious and so simple. I have yet to try bananas and rice, though. I still haven't got used to locals eating rice for breakfast here!

[Punatang]

Good stuff Tom.  Hana has some of the most expensive groceries I've ever encountered. They basically have two stores, neither of which is very large and half of the larger one is devoted to general store type merch including an impressive collection of machetes and knives.

As an aside, if someone needs a recipe for bananas and rice, it's easy to Google.

As a kid, my favorite dessert was bananas and custard. It sounds simple, and it was: sliced bananas in warm custard. It was delicious and so simple. I have yet to try bananas and rice, though. I still haven't got used to locals eating rice for breakfast here!

Papa Tang always said, "the best things in life are free or under $3.00"

[randomq]

It is good to know we still have "free food" programs for those in need, but if we're being honest that's just a band-aid, it shouldn't be something vast portions of the population need, right? Much better if we can actually solve the high cost of groceries here.

I also think our modern shipping methods should be able to minimize the cost of our remote locale, if we would let them. Do our shipments really have to go to California, then to Honolulu, then to us? Etc...

And finally and most importantly, spaghetti and meatball pizza ends up like lasagna, it's great, and I was baking when I came up with it. :-)

[MyManao]

I also think our modern shipping methods should be able to minimize the cost of our remote locale... 

Nope, that moat of our's costs.. and it will always cost.. but damn it's such a good moat. Sure does keep all kinds of riff raff from just being able to get in their car and come on over. And that, to me, is well worth the added costs.

But, if one were serious about offsetting those costs then you'd have to get rid of the Jones Act...

https://www.investopedia.com/terms/j/jonesact.asp

Otherwise, protectionists that think it's suppose to be all America all the time will always be sticking it to us.. to Alaska.. and to Puerto Rico

[TomK]

Nope, that moat of our's costs.. and it will always cost.. but damn it's such a good moat. Sure does keep all kinds of riff raff from just being able to get in their car and come on over. And that, to me, is well worth the added costs.

No riff raff?

https://youtu.be/c4aw4c_PStU?si=f376nea0Igkh9kjI (Fawlty Towers - A touch of class)