Let Them Eat Chocolate Ice Cream!
[guest post by Dana]
In what is being called an “unprecedented” moment, Bay Area food banks are struggling to meet the increased demand of families in crisis:
When dozens of desperate people began showing up at its warehouse — which is not a food distribution center — the Alameda County Community Food Bank realized that the coronavirus pandemic and widespread layoffs were causing a hunger crisis.
“It was a telling moment when we realized we needed to readjust in real time,” said Mike Altfest, director of community engagement and marketing. “We are seeing an unprecedented surge in demand.”
The agency scrambled to open up a new drive-through distribution center nearby where families could drive up, pop their trunks and have groceries loaded inside. It started March 30 serving about 30 households. Within 10 days, that was up to 470 households with cars weaving around a huge parking lot. On Friday, a staggering 743 cars showed up.
Throughout the Bay Area, food banks — nonprofits that distribute free groceries to those in need, often via social service agencies — tell similar stories of being inundated with urgent requests from people who’ve lost their incomes during the shutdown that has left at least 2.4 million Californians newly unemployed. The vast majority of job loss occurred among lower-income people — hotel housekeepers, cooks, waiters, janitors, cabbies, health aides, day care workers and others who often live paycheck to paycheck.
“It gives you chills thinking about how deep the hunger is now,” said Andrew Cheyne, director of government affairs for the California Association of Food Banks.
“We’ve seen the emergence of a new population that has never before relied on food banks,” said Cassidie Carmen Bates, policy and advocacy manager for the Food Bank of Contra Costa & Solano. “Circumstances have made it impossible for many people to provide the food their family needs.”
With that, Nancy Pelosi, who represents California’s 12th congressional district in San Francisco, made an (online) appearance on the Late Late Show With James Corden this week. She was asked by Corden to show the audience something from her home, and viewers were shown a large basket of chocolates on her counter. She then moved over to her spiffy refrigerator, opened the freezer drawer, and pionted out an impressive stash of gourmet ice cream:
Twelve containers of Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams can be seen in her freezer (along with Dove bars). The price for six pint-size containers runs $68 (dairy-free $58). Viewers got a glimpse of more than $135 of designer ice cream in Pelosi’s freezer. I don’t begrudge Pelosi one bit for buying expensive ice cream. She can do what she wants with her money. She can buy the whole ice cream factory. I don’t care. But given that so many Bay Area residents have recently lost their incomes, and are desperately trying to stay afloat as they visit area food banks, maybe keeping the freezer drawer shut would have been the better option.
We hear a lot about wealth disparity in America. And we know that a lot of Americans resent the wealthy, powerful, and well-connected, even on a good day. Reports about privileged Americans fleeing the nation’s hot spots to sit out the pandemic in their summer homes have been numerous, and descriptions of these privileged “visitors” depleting limited supplies and resources that locals depend upon, have been troubling. So how hard is it for a powerful and wealthy elected official to realize that, during a pandemic when unemployement is through the roof and food banks are struggling to meet demand, the haves need to be cognizant of the have-nots, and act accordingly. Bad optics aside, this was a tone-deaf move on her part.
We all have found our ways to keep our spirits up during these trying times. Mine just happens to fill up my freezer. #LateLateShow pic.twitter.com/dqA32d5lU1
— Nancy Pelosi (@SpeakerPelosi) April 14, 2020
–Dana
These people.
Dana (0feb77) — 4/16/2020 @ 4:00 pmThe saddest part is that Nancy appears sane compared to Bernie, Fauxcahontas, and even Biden.
norcal (a5428a) — 4/16/2020 @ 4:08 pmLet Them, I think you’d meant to write, Dana
Colonel Haiku (2601c0) — 4/16/2020 @ 4:37 pmLove of chocolate is above the judgment of mere mortals.
nk (1d9030) — 4/16/2020 @ 4:41 pmGiven that Pelosi weights about 90 lbs. – I don’t think she’s eating much Ice cream.
rcocean (1a839e) — 4/16/2020 @ 4:43 pm*shrugs* If she wants to eat $10/pint icecream, it’s her money. That’s a relatively small extravagance. I could afford that if I wanted and I’m just a middle-class mug. If we are going to be offended by well off people spending their money on stuff, we ought to hike the marginal tax rate back up to 90%
Nic (896fdf) — 4/16/2020 @ 4:44 pmI don’t begrudge Pelosi one bit for buying expensive ice cream. She can do what she wants with her money. She can buy the whole ice cream factory. I don’t care. But given that so many Bay Area residents have recently lost their incomes, and are desperately trying to stay afloat as they visit area food banks, maybe keeping the freezer drawer shut would have been the better option.
Yep, a bad PR move on her part. Of course that means she’ll get re-elected with 79% of the vote, instead of the usual 80%
rcocean (1a839e) — 4/16/2020 @ 4:45 pmI sincerely doubt $50/galleon ice cream is any better than $10/galleon ice cream. Nor do I think $100/bottle white wine is that much better than $35/bottle.
rcocean (1a839e) — 4/16/2020 @ 4:48 pmThere’s always a law of diminishing returns. Graeter’s is awesome, I recommend Buckeye Blitz or Brown Butter Bourbon Pecan. $60/gallon. Breyer’s is not awesome and it’s around $10 a gallon.
There’s not enough lactaid on earth for a whole gallon.
Colonel Klink (Ret) (305827) — 4/16/2020 @ 5:01 pmOT, but I’m watching Tucker Carlson and he flashed as close to a mugshot of a bat as one could take on the screen. I can’t imagine what could possibly induce a person to eat one.
Colonel Haiku (2601c0) — 4/16/2020 @ 5:26 pmNanny is also standing in front of TWO $4-5k fridges. Money can’t buy smart.
Ragspierre (d9bec9) — 4/16/2020 @ 5:28 pm@ Nic,
Eh, I wasn’t offended by her expenditures, as I made clear in my post. I simply felt that the optics were bad, all things considered.
Dana (0feb77) — 4/16/2020 @ 5:52 pmPerhaps, although one could also say it was an unscripted, humanizing moment in an era where “optics” are constantly being manipulated in service of one agenda or another.
Dave (1bb933) — 4/16/2020 @ 5:55 pmIt could be, Dave. But I didn’t see it that way. Especially not after reading about the plight of Bay Area residents.
Dana (0feb77) — 4/16/2020 @ 5:58 pmA man is walking down the beach and comes across an old bottle. He picks it up, pulls out the cork and out pops a genie. The genie says: “Thank you for freeing me from the bottle. In return I will grant you three wishes.”
The man says: “Great. I always dreamed of this and I know exactly what I want. First, I want one billion dollars in a Swiss bank account.” Phoof! There is a flash of light and a piece of paper with account numbers appears in his hand.
He continues: “Next, I want a brand new red Ferrari right here.” Phoof! There is a flash of light and a bright red brand-new Ferrari appears right next to him.
Then he says: “Finally, I want to be irresistible to women.” Phoof! There is a flash of light and he turns into a box of chocolates.
nk (1d9030) — 4/16/2020 @ 6:25 pmMemo to goddamned conservatives of Michigan, goddamned self-righteous, self-centered, selfish, right wing evangelical pastors; Doctor-it-is-only-the-common-cold-Rushbo; Captain Open America Again and goddamned Nancy the Ice Cream Queen:
Eat me. Just chatted w/my sis-in-law; she is sullen and deeply upset: a life long friend- a woman she has known all her life, has died of Coronavirus at a nursing home back East. A real flesh and blood person, not a statistic; one of the 1,108 dead in Massachusetts.
Damn all the cocaine snorting supply siders; damn the smirking, well insulated, ice-cream-eating-one percenters and all the radio blowhards.
“Damn you all to Hell!”– George Taylor [Charlton Heston] ‘Planet of the Apes’ 1968
_________
@10. Yes. Saw that. He’s an idiot; Fox is the network of and for idiots. ‘Unnamed’ Fox “sources” say Covid-19 originated in the Salisbury Steak gravy of Swanson TV dinners assembled in Wuhan. Shame on you Tucka for rumormongering.
DCSCA (797bc0) — 4/16/2020 @ 6:35 pmLol, nk.
Dana (0feb77) — 4/16/2020 @ 6:41 pmI voted for one of the people running against her in the primary.
Due to a quirk in California’s election law, we will have two Democrats running for the seat in November — her, and Shahid Buttar.
I suspect y’all would be happier with her than with him. And she’s almost certain to be re-elected; her machine is powerful.
aphrael (7962af) — 4/16/2020 @ 6:56 pmthe republican running against her, in addition to being a republican (which is an absolute bar to office here, culturally), was running on these unpopular campaign planks:
* cut spending to end the deficit
* limit legal immigration
* abolish the federal reserve and restore the gold standard
* lower taxes
* end federal backing of student loans
* reestablish the use of letters of marque and reprisal
it would help the republican party in california dramatically if they ran candidates who focused on corruption and waste instead of issues which are political nonstarters in the districts where they are running.
aphrael (7962af) — 4/16/2020 @ 7:01 pm* reestablish the use of letters of marque and reprisal
Yeah, people who dream of being pirates are too young to vote.
nk (1d9030) — 4/16/2020 @ 7:09 pm@12 Maybe so, but given that I just sent a couple of meals to a young coworker whose young husband just had a massive heart attack (he survived, but it sounds like there will be major heart surgery involved) so that she and the baby won’t have to worry about food while he recovers (we are all sending a couple of meals, a week at a time), I just can’t work up much outrage against Pelosi’s icecream.
Nic (896fdf) — 4/16/2020 @ 7:10 pm“The nonpartisan Center for Responsive Politics (CRP) estimated in 2009 that Pelosi’s average net worth was US$58,436,537, ranking her 13th among 25 wealthiest members of Congress.
In 2014, CRP reported Pelosi’s average net worth in 2014 was US$101,273,023 having ranked 8th out of 25 wealthiest members of Congress. Business Insider reported that Pelosi’s worth was $26.4 million in 2012 and made her the 13th richest member of Congress. In 2014, Roll Call estimated that Pelosi’s net worth was $29.35 million, ranking her the 15th wealthiest member of Congress.” -source, wikiletthemeatcakewithicecream
DCSCA (797bc0) — 4/16/2020 @ 7:12 pm@16 I’m sorry about your sister-in-law’s friend.
Nic (896fdf) — 4/16/2020 @ 7:15 pm@16. Thanx, Nic. The sis-in-law is a rock but this clearly hit hard; so unnecessary– and all thought he woman was in a safe place surrounded with caregiers d the proper facilities.
No place is safe. Even the streets of Michigan– or frigging evangelical church services.
DCSCA (797bc0) — 4/16/2020 @ 7:20 pmAm not!
Dave (1bb933) — 4/16/2020 @ 7:28 pmnk, ridiculously enough, this “letters of marque and reprisal” stuff is *on his campaign website*. thee argument seems to be that if we just pay pirates to conduct our foreign policy for us, we don’t need to be entangled in foreign wars.
aphrael (7962af) — 4/16/2020 @ 7:37 pmPresent company excepted.
It may not be what you intended, Dana, but I find this a very enjoyable post.
nk (1d9030) — 4/16/2020 @ 7:39 pmPresent company excepted, *Dave*.
nk (1d9030) — 4/16/2020 @ 7:40 pmThe idea was popular a couple of years ago among some devotees of a particular Congressman and occasional presidential candidate who wanted to audit if not abolish the federal reserve.
Kishnevi (42c62a) — 4/16/2020 @ 7:41 pmOf course it’s bad optics. OTOH, people trying to make a living by making the best ice cream depend on well-to-do customers buying it. So in one sense she’s doing something to keep other people employed.
Radegunda (39c35f) — 4/16/2020 @ 10:29 pmRags -Having just installed a sub zero freezer on a project, that looks to be a $12,000.00 freezer. X 2.
mg (8cbc69) — 4/17/2020 @ 3:00 amshe sucks as a human.
What? Are you guys celibate or just oblivious? A woman having the best kitchen she can afford, with the best appliances she can afford, and the freezer crammed with chocolate ice cream, is as normal and as natural as the sun rising in the East and setting in the West.
nk (1d9030) — 4/17/2020 @ 5:33 amButt pirates needn’t apply…
Colonel Haiku (2601c0) — 4/17/2020 @ 6:24 am31… I was thinking $20k, mg, but you’d know best.
Colonel Haiku (2601c0) — 4/17/2020 @ 6:25 amIt could be, Col. depending on actual size and accessories. And if it was wholesale or retail.
mg (8cbc69) — 4/17/2020 @ 10:02 amHaiku, you would think the often bad health outcomes resulting from up close experience with “folds” would dissuade anyone from eating Bat.
urbanleftbehind (9f4be4) — 4/17/2020 @ 10:32 am@31, I’m surprised Q-Anus hasn’t ventured a storyline about organ harvesting or blood sucking being the rationale for such freezers.
urbanleftbehind (9f4be4) — 4/17/2020 @ 10:34 amYeah, Nancy Pelosi, the little housewife. LOL! Only 37 comments. Guess all the “never trumpers” on this board, really, really, don’t like criticizing Democrats. But don’t call them Democrats!
LOL!
rcocean (1a839e) — 4/17/2020 @ 1:46 pmI guess I’m just old fashioned but we should be taking this time to get back to basics, not consume more. That’s why I’m spending time learning to scrapbook with my 14 cats and I’m really enjoing working less so my lover Gary and I can cuddle more. Besides, ice cream makes me poop myself, so noe for me.
F. George Dunham, III (5deda1) — 4/17/2020 @ 1:56 pmF. G D, III – have you tried dairy free? It may be easier on your bottom.
mg (8cbc69) — 4/17/2020 @ 3:36 pmyour physical bottom, that is.
mg (8cbc69) — 4/17/2020 @ 3:40 pm41… that may or may not be a concern, mg.
Colonel Haiku (2601c0) — 4/17/2020 @ 3:51 pmDoes Pelosi have gold-plated toilet tank handles on her 727 that she took her husband for a nude photo shoot on?
nk (1d9030) — 4/17/2020 @ 3:51 pmPelosi does go for swarthy mens, but is the gold toilet handle issue a deal breaker for you?
Colonel Haiku (2601c0) — 4/17/2020 @ 3:57 pmI couldn’t care less, but it might be for Donnie Palomino when they’re “thrashing out” the budget.
nk (1d9030) — 4/17/2020 @ 4:02 pmrcocean:
> Guess all the “never trumpers” on this board, really, really, don’t like criticizing Democrats. But don’t call them Democrats!
i’m a nevertrumper democrat who explicitly said that i didn’t vote for pelosi. voting for someone else is a pretty strong criticism of her, wouldn’t you say?
you’re doing a good job of making assumptions and arguing with them rather than talking to people. i congratulate you on your success in that endeavor.
aphrael (7962af) — 4/17/2020 @ 4:15 pmI couldn’t care less
Great! I’ve just called Pelosi’s office to warn her.
Colonel Haiku (2601c0) — 4/17/2020 @ 4:35 pmThis is one area where Team D is much worse than Team R. Their politicians wind up being sorta like music and movie stars, fawned over, tabloid press, all that. Who cares what Pelosi’s fridge looks like?
But let’s imagine, for a moment, that Nancy Pelosi took $130,000 dollars in campaign donations and paid off a porn star she slept with, and her associate went to prison for the crimes related to this disgusting scheme.
The same Fox News Channel that had wall to wall coverage of how Obama looked kinda girly in a bike helmet or wore a tan suit calls that kind of scummy corruption a distraction. I guess that’s why I enjoyed this post, mocking something stupid.
For having ice cream? And do you live up to your own set of rules here? Do you condemn Trump’s obviously more egregious actions?
And be careful who you call democrat. Come November you might wish you’d tried winning people over instead of pushing them away. Trump has had the most rapid poll decline in modern polling this week. That Crisis Rally and You’re a Secret Democrat Deep State tactic is failing.
Dustin (c56600) — 4/17/2020 @ 5:51 pm@48. OTOH, another insulated one percenter who wants Americans to risk death has aifferent POV:
Sean Hannity.
‘Net Worth and salary: Sean Hannity is an American radio and television host, populist, author, and conservative political commentator who has a net worth of $250 million dollars.’ – source, celebrityneopilitanonacone.com
28 flavors side, Irish and ignorant is no way to go though life.
‘I scream; you scream; we all scream for ice cream!’- Howard Johnson [yes, really] 1927
DCSCA (797bc0) — 4/17/2020 @ 6:33 pmAny republican running for dog catcher should use this as campaign gold.
mg (8cbc69) — 4/18/2020 @ 2:15 amAll these whiners hate Trump, but will vote for killing babies and harvesting their organs in the name of never trump. You people are pathetic.
mg (8cbc69) — 4/18/2020 @ 2:17 am