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So 15 years, inflation, a pandemic, and soaring food prices later - What does GAF think of this classic GAF moment now?

Pejo

Member
I was having some Italian food for lunch today that I ordered from DoorDash, and the total was around $35 including the tip and fees and shit, and it made me remember this old gem. For reference, I got meat ravioli in Bolognese sauce, which was like 8 decent size ravioli, and some fresh made bread (not garlic, just bread)

Only the GAF elite were probably here to see this original discussion. I didn't catch it myself until I joined a year later.


NwqsK.jpg


$30.00 US in 2008.

Could this be considered a good or even great deal in 2023?

Also, what are you guys eating these days?

*edit*

Moved some text around, too many people were thinking this picture is what I ordered, but it's from the old thread.
 
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Quasicat

Member
Wife was stopping off to get something from Taco Bell. Between the two of us we got a Mexican Pizza, three soft tacos and a burrito…which was $18.

I remember when I could get all of that for under $10.
 

Celcius

°Temp. member
A chipotle basic burrito is nearly $10 these days. Just a few years ago it was $7.04 out the door.
 

BadBurger

Many “Whelps”! Handle It!
Even now in 2023 I don't think that is $30 worth of Italian food. At least not where I live.

I can head down to the local Italian place right now and get a huge portion of angel hair with meat sauce and mushrooms along with a side salad for about $22 before tip (I know because we ordered from there two or three days ago). Or a large portion of chicken Alfredo for $15.99.
 

Macattk15

Member
That's still at most like $12 if you made it yourself and bought the bread. And I still cannot believe the poster bragged about it.
 
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Billbofet

Member
Just took my family for a road trip to Nashville/Memphis and it cost thousands of dollars. Shocked every single meal.
At one point we got a couple of beers, a hot dog, and a pretzel at the farmers market and it was over $50.
Hipster life is fucking expensive!!!
 

Go_Ly_Dow

Member
Sadly no, the $30 Italian meal has not been vindicated.

I've spent a lot of time and effort past few years cooking different cuisines for fun by looking for more authentic recipes on YouTube, Spanish, Japanese, Italian etc... to name a few.

I'm no snob, but it's made realise the majority of restaurant food is either bland, overpriced, disappointing or could just simply be done better at home. Invest in some equipment, seasonings and go nuts.
 
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Days like these...

Have a Blessed Day
I agree food prices are insanely high but you can still find cheap food. I frequent a little Mexican restaurant that has these massive burritos stuffed full they don't skimp on the meat (imagine 2 chipotles burritos) for $12. I
 
$35 bucks for that is absolutely absurd today, and makes me question what you get from being such a paypig. $15 is enough for me to question why I'm not just cooking it myself.

Edit- Gaf before The Enema. I don't put anything past a furry that takes out a 5% car loan for 8 years.
 
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I've always wondered why people complain about food prices in America. There's so much of the stuff that you could go someplace else for half the price. Or are those days over, or did they even exist?
 

StreetsofBeige

Gold Member
First mistake regarding food prices is using delivery services. Youre paying about 30% more, then add delivery charges and tip.

Near me a greasy chinese take out place. Prices increased from about $8 to $10. So even using $10, add 13% tax and it's $11.30 picking it up after I do grocery shopping next to it.

Skip the Dishes is $14 online. Add tax, delivery fee and tip and it's $20. No thanks.
 
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diffusionx

Gold Member
prices are insane everywhere. I paid $16 for a acai bowl today, pickup (I do not do delivery services anymore). I get sticker shock when I buy anything in NYC though, prices there have blown up to a crazy degree.
 

ReBurn

Gold Member
I still wouldn't pay $30 for that meal if I had to eat it from a sack. I had a great Italian meal earlier this week for $21 including tip and I got to sit down to eat it.
 

StreetsofBeige

Gold Member
Food prices have gone up, but I find deal prices not much different than before covid. Just buy shit on sale. And cook at home more than eating out. An air fryer works miracles. Eating out prices have definitely gone up more than grocery store prices.

Then again, it seems US pricing is all over the place. Not sure what that is since in Canada, a lot of the staple stuff like bread, eggs, meat, milk are basically the same as before. When chicken is on sale for $1.99/lb, pork chops are $2.99/lb and cheaper cuts of steak are $6/lb I load up. Just like before covid. Same prices.
 

StreetsofBeige

Gold Member
I was having some Italian food for lunch today that I ordered from DoorDash, and the total was around $35 including the tip and fees and shit, and it made me remember this old gem. For reference, I got meat ravioli in Bolognese sauce, which was like 8 decent size ravioli, and some fresh made bread (not garlic, just bread)
You could had bought something at the grocery store and make it at home for probably $5.

Most Italian food is heavy into carbs (bread and pasta), a side salad, pizza, and perhaps some chicken or a sausage too. It's among the cheapest stuff anyone can make thats why there's so many Italian restaurants and pizza places everywhere. Dirt cheap ingredients.
 
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A mcdouble is CAN $3.19 here. It's getting insane. It really wasn't that long ago that they were $1.99 here.
 
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Ownage

Member
I was having some Italian food for lunch today that I ordered from DoorDash, and the total was around $35 including the tip and fees and shit, and it made me remember this old gem. For reference, I got meat ravioli in Bolognese sauce, which was like 8 decent size ravioli, and some fresh made bread (not garlic, just bread)

Only the GAF elite were probably here to see this original discussion. I didn't catch it myself until I joined a year later.


NwqsK.jpg


$30.00 US in 2008.

Could this be considered a good or even great deal in 2023?

Also, what are you guys eating these days?

*edit*

Moved some text around, too many people were thinking this picture is what I ordered, but it's from the old thread.
I remember this.

That's still expensive in 2023. There are still plenty of places to get a good meal under $10. Low $20s would feed two nicely. But... these places are not in Tier 1 or some Tier 2 US cities.
 
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jufonuk

not tag worthy
Even now in 2023 I don't think that is $30 worth of Italian food. At least not where I live.

I can head down to the local Italian place right now and get a huge portion of angel hair with meat sauce and mushrooms along with a side salad for about $22 before tip (I know because we ordered from there two or three days ago). Or a large portion of chicken Alfredo for $15.99.
italian GIF
 

navii

My fantasy is that my girlfriend was actually a young high school girl.
There is this local Chinese near me that has special fried rice for $26AU (just above $20US) and I couldn't bring myself to buy it until it was raining and I didn't wanna walk far in the rain, so I tried it. It was sooo shit. Probs the worst special fried rice I had. I still don't understand how they can charge that much.
 

Vyse

Gold Member
I bought 20 pounds of pork shoulder from the grocery. Cost me $30. Going to slow smoke it on Monday.

Back in 2008, I could gave gotten it for $20.
Let me know how it goes. Mrs got me a smoker and we tried to smoke pork shoulder on Christmas Eve. In the middle of the night it turned off and went cold for hours until I work up. It was trashed and had to scramble with everything closed to make Christmas dinner for the fam.
 

Vyse

Gold Member
My old man yelling at the clouds moment last week was stopping at Starbucks and ordered a grande pike place with 2% milk and it was $3.40. It wasn’t even that good. Wtf.
 

Vyse

Gold Member
It amazes me how popular these services are.

I know the pandemic helped them grow a lot but I can’t ever justify the extra expense versus just picking up food on my own.
Totally agree. Now that my kids are working and not using my money, they never use doordash anymore. When I asked why not, they told me that it was a ripoff. 🤣
 

DKehoe

Member
I never got why he didn't have the lid off for taking the picture. The condensation means you can't even really see the Manicotti.
 

SmokedMeat

Gamer™
It amazes me how popular these services are.

I know the pandemic helped them grow a lot but I can’t ever justify the extra expense versus just picking up food on my own.

I agree, but in the case of the elderly that can no longer drive themselves to a store or would have a difficult time doing so - it’s been great.
I have a long distance elderly relative in that situation, and it’s been such a help to have. He makes his list of groceries he needs once a week and I order it for him. With Instacart I can at least give their customer service high marks. Anything that’s missing or incorrect they immediately refund him no questions asked.
 

Aesius

Member
The only time I ever use food delivery services is when Uber Eats randomly gives me 40% off up to $15. It usually makes the meal roughly equal or slightly cheaper than picking it up myself, so it's a no-brainer. I don't see how people can afford to regularly use it and other services, though. $60 for a meal for two that should cost $35? Hell nah.
 
Buffalo wings are now like 18 dollars. It's insane. Pizza and wings would cost me like 25 and change and now I'm paying 40 bucks.

It amazes me how many people will insist that the economy is doing just fine.
 

Unknown?

Member
This is why we need communism comrade!

Follow Chairman Meow!

v8rh8.jpg
We already kinda do. In Marx’s Communist Manifesto, the 5th plank calls for the “centralization of credit in the hands of the state, by means of a national bank with state capital and an exclusive monopoly.” Should we be surprised when we socialize the banking system(Federal Reserve System) that we have one financial crisis after another?

That said it's crazy how fast inflation is happening. I remember, in amazement, my dad telling me how candy bars were 5 cents when he was young. Now $20 is pretty much standard for a meal.
 

Meicyn

Gold Member
Let me know how it goes. Mrs got me a smoker and we tried to smoke pork shoulder on Christmas Eve. In the middle of the night it turned off and went cold for hours until I work up. It was trashed and had to scramble with everything closed to make Christmas dinner for the fam.
Damn, scrambling for Christmas dinner is the worst.

I use a kamado style grill to smoke, have had it for almost a decade. High learning curve, but the results are always great and you can use it for traditional grilling over hot coals, making it very versatile. Can even do pizza on it to get that fire brick oven experience, I recommend it over any other smoker option.

Might post pictures Tuesday when it’s done.
 

eddie4

Genuinely Generous
Buffalo wings are now like 18 dollars. It's insane. Pizza and wings would cost me like 25 and change and now I'm paying 40 bucks.

It amazes me how many people will insist that the economy is doing just fine.
Wings are a rip off. A drum and a flat are technically one wing, but they cut that shit up and say it's two. Fuck off. When I want wings, I'll buy them myself, cut them and properly make them.
 

Jsisto

Member
Come by my place I’ll make you an Italian meal that’ll knock your socks off for free, fuggetaboutit.
 
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