struggle meal
/STRUHG-uhl meel/noun
Meaning
A low-cost, easy-to-prepare meal assembled from inexpensive staples, leftovers, or whatever ingredients are available, often during a period of financial strain. The phrase can also describe a basic meal made to save money or stretch a limited pantry, even when the cook is not experiencing serious hardship.[1][2][3][4]
- 1. A meal prepared or eaten because money is tight, such as ramen, rice and beans, or pasta with a simple sauce.
- 2. A creative, inexpensive dish made from leftovers or a small number of ingredients already on hand.
- 3. A humorous or self-deprecating label for an unusually plain, improvised, or slightly chaotic meal.
Examples
“Eggs over rice is my struggle meal until payday.”
“Tonight's struggle meal is buttered noodles with frozen peas.”
“I turned the last tortilla, beans, and hot sauce into a struggle meal.”
“Not fancy, but this struggle meal absolutely hit.”
“We are making a struggle meal all week so we can afford concert tickets.”
Origin and spread
Struggle meal is a transparent compound of struggle and meal. Locally retrieved sources describe the hashtag #strugglemeals as emerging in 2017, with the phrase later popularized by chef Frankie Celenza's show Struggle Meals. The label covers both meals made during financial hardship and resourceful, budget-conscious cooking from inexpensive or available ingredients.[3]
How to use it
The phrase is informal and can carry pride in resourcefulness, humor about an unglamorous dinner, or a serious reference to food insecurity. Use it carefully when describing someone else’s circumstances: calling an ordinary low-cost meal a struggle meal may sound dismissive to someone who is actually short on food or money. In online food communities, the term can also be used loosely for a meal with very few ingredients.
Sources
- 1. Salon — Why Facebook’s “struggle meal” groups are the most wholesome place on the internetSupports: meaning.
- 2. Tastemade — Struggle MealsSupports: meaning.
- 3. Beyondish — In the Kitchen with Chef Frankie Celenza of "Struggle Meals"Supports: origin, meaning.
- 4. ABC News — More people searching for 'struggle meals' as grocery 'stress' continuesSupports: meaning.
