The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program provides food security for millions of Americans, with roughly 42 million people per month in 2024. During the 2025 government shutdown, SNAP lost its funding and those 42 million lost their SNAP benefits. As the government recovers from the shutdown, SNAP benefits are returning, but with major delays and only for half the normal number of recipients.
Food security is a continuous issue in the U.S. Approximately 39 million Americans live in food deserts. These regions lack access to affordable and healthy food options, typically in low-income communities. The ability, then, to purchase “organic” or fresh goods becomes a privilege.
Food is both a necessity and a luxury. It is a matter of survival while simultaneously a marker of wealth and status. To dine is to indulge. The privilege of indulgence is reserved for a certain class of people. Which restaurants you dine at, how much and what kinds of food you buy are all a part of cultural elitism that creates division between socioeconomic classes.
In New York City, a “gourmet grocery store” has opened: Meadow Lane. With minimalistic aisles and overpriced ready-made meals, the store is receiving both backlash and support. When you approach Meadow Lane, you are first greeted with a wrap-around line, and once you reach the front, the bouncer — yes, there’s a bouncer-esque security guard — you are told there’s a purchase limit of five prepared meals and no limit on produce or snacks. Social media users are posting food hauls or vlogs featuring what they purchased and the overall experience of shopping. However, some negative feedback of the store features one TikTok user who posted a video reviewing the $15 chicken nuggets, which appeared to be raw and undercooked. The produce is also overpriced compared to competitors, with Driscoll strawberries selling for $14 but sold for $9.49 at Target.
Critics of Meadow Lane cite the increase in food insecurity following SNAP funding cuts. Supporters conflate the critique of gourmet grocery stores with a critique of the owner and share the position that consumers choose where they shop. Founder and CEO of Meadow Lane, Sammy Nussdor, commented, “If you don’t want to shop here, you don’t have to shop here. I think people have this misconception that there’s a sense of elitism here.” The TikTok user @jess.mcgirr responded to a comment, stating, “Rich areas will always have expensive stores in them. … If you can’t afford to go to meadow lane don’t go that’s the beauty in the world, you have choice.” The comment she was responding to discussed the glorification of basic human needs. This sentiment of “choice” has spread throughout the support for Meadow Lane. Nussdorf said in a different interview, “I don’t think anywhere needs a luxury grocery store. But do they want it? … There is a desire and a demand for it, but not necessarily a necessity.” Those who create these stores are not the problem. It is the fact that we line up around the corner for these stores and find these food hauls entertaining. Nussdorf is right; there is no necessity for a gourmet grocery store, but it’s entertaining. The Hunger Games exemplifies this intersection of food, entertainment and starvation.
In the first movie and book of the trilogy, Katniss Everdeen and Peeta Mellark celebrate their win with a victory tour, beginning at the Capitol. At a dinner party, they are offered a drink to make them vomit so they may continue to eat and indulge. While their families and friends starved in the districts, the Capitol vomited so as to eat everything in sight. The Hunger Games is a demonstration of food as a weapon and an enforcement mechanism. Children from the districts must fight in the Games to secure food for themselves and their families, while simultaneously the Games enforces the socioeconomic classes and caste system of the society. But of course, there are watchers.
The Games are a perversion of survival, and it is entertaining because it is the closest and farthest someone can come to the possibility of death. Watching someone else fight to survive allows the viewer to experience it while still being safe; they receive some second-hand adrenaline and remain untouched. Gourmet grocery store food hauls are an extension of this entertainment. The desire to watch comes from the unattainability. Even if someone cannot purchase from Meadow Lane, be it that they cannot pay or cannot travel, they can indulge in the experience through video posts and food hauls. However, the critique remains that food insecurity is increasing in the U.S., and gourmet grocery stores do produce a sense of elitism and enforce a socioeconomic status through the purchasing power of food.
The sentiment from supporters of Meadow Lane that there is consumer choice and “you don’t have to buy from here” creates the idea that those in food insecurity are also choosing that. In The Hunger Games, food is centered as the main weapon between the Capitol and the districts. The Capitol exercises its power and position by deciding when to distribute food. It is a reward for victors of the Games and is withdrawn from rebellious districts. Much like real life, no one chooses whether they are born in the Capitol or the districts. No one chooses if they will fight for food or seek to empty their stomach to indulge past their ability.
While reductionism can oversimplify an issue, I believe we often overcomplicate societal issues to make them appear unchangeable. Food insecurity is a foundational concern for all. It shapes your health, access to proper nutrition and potential medical issues. Once again, 39 million Americans live in food deserts, and 42 million lost their SNAP benefits during the government shutdown this year. While gourmet grocery stores like Meadow Lane may be entertaining and desired by a subset of people, this entertainment value and desire remind us that food is both a basic need and a luxury.
Sophia Romanov Imber is a sophomore in the College of Arts and Sciences. She can be reached at sromanovimber@cornellsun.com.
‘Long Story Short’ is a column focused on the intersection of politics and entertainment. It runs periodically.
Sophia Romanov Imber is a member of the Class of 2028 in the College of Arts and Sciences. She is an assistant arts editor of the 143rd Editorial Board. She can be reached at sromanovimber@cornellsun.com.
