How is that a good deal?

or you could get a box of food from angel food ministries for 1/4 of the price and make just as good of a meal (and have enough left for 5 more meals)

@forrester:

er make that a 1/3 of the price

Hey, if it sells, God bless. Hope someone is making money in this economy selling something besides 'troubled assets.' For my part, I'd rather buy a week's worth of food for my family for that much. Granted, it probably wouldn't be as fancy or tasty.

Does this stuff actually taste good though?

I'm a fan of Omaha Steaks when it comes to certain things like hot dogs. One pack of Hebrew National can run anywhere from $5 to $6, and that's for the larger ones. Omaha Steaks can match the price, and their stuff is often on sale and you can get coupon codes.

This "deal" is higher than putting together the same items at a supermarket with some sale prices, or possibly without sale prices. I don't get it.

And then, in a flash, Consumerist's credibility, which had previously been based on unbiased reporting and its consumer-centric viewpoint, was gone forever.

Well, it does say Gourmet, doesn't it? That means that the quality is exceptional. Like gourmet cat food.

Seems rather expensive.

Let's break this down further.

You get 28 oz of steak, 30 oz of broccoli and cauliflower roasted garlic oil, 12 oz of chicken breast, 24 oz of mashed potatoes, and 24 oz of italian sausage + pasta.

The only item that has any real value is the steak, all the rest is very cheap stuff at any market. What exactly is the value?

What exactly is "broccoli and cauliflower roasted garlic oil"?

@Carso: I'm thinking that the tone of this entire story is snarky and sarcastic - not to be taken as an endorsement of this "deal".

Now I'm craving steak!

Also, with all this news of the recession, I just learned that I'm getting a 1.5% raise! Down from the 3.5% I got last year, but it's a RAISE!

I love my job.

@changed my name: Hrm, a re-read with that perspective does allow it to be interpreted that way...but if it is snarky sarcasm, it's the most cleverly disguised sarcasm I've ever seen. Someone call Voltaire!

The portions are small!

@pecan 3.14159265: I love Omaha Steaks. You can get an absurd amount of food for $50 with a coupon. We filled our freezer by each buying one of the package deals and it's great. The portions are small, but that's actually probably better for my health. I think we got something like 2 filet mignons, 2 steaks of another cut, 4 stuffed baked potatoes, 10 hot dogs, 4 chicken breasts, 8 burgers, and some other item that I can't remember. And now I want burgers again...

@forrester: Angel Food Ministries is aid for the poor and hungry...I would maybe feel a little bad about picking up a box of food from there when I can still go to a grocery store and shop deals.

Or you could buy about 95 boxes of generic mac 'n cheese and make three months worth of dinner.

News flash: Food can be purchased for different prices!

This just in: Pre-prepared food costs more than stuff you make yourself!

snark/off

Frankly, I do find this an interesting post.

The point to me is that it's not just WalMart and Taco-Bell trying to market to a depressed economy. Luxury retailers are also cutting prices to attract business.

@nakedscience: Yaaay a raise! I want a raise. Oh wait, I'm making practically pennies. I guess I could get 10 cents and it could be a 300% raise. Sigh.

Here's hope I get a real job soon.

@ pecan 3.14159265 Good luck on the job hunt!! I'm sure something will turn up.

@h3llc4t: I think I might have burgers tonight. We've been doing hot dogs and soup lately, which seems weird, but it's a great way of balancing something healthy (home made chicken and corn chowder) and something extremely unhealthy (mmmmmm hot dog).

I'm not a fan of their burgers because I can buy much cheaper by monitoring the meat at the store, but their steaks are pretty good if you cook them properly, and their hot dogs are probably the most cost-efficient things you can get because they can generally match what grocery stores charge.

@SkokieGuy: Trader Joe's mac & cheese is only 99¢. It is better than the generic sort you find in the supermarket.

sara lee outlets = profit

seriously slightly dented boxes equal a substantial discount.

@Monica Teasdale: The way this recession is going, pretty soon we are all going to be eating gourmet cat food. Well, those of us who can afford it, anyway!

@philmin:

free shipping of course

This is not a deal in any way but in name. Plus I dbout it's safe to buy a frozen product that ships via fedex ground.

Business Idea: A box of "recession bills," $1 bills for lighting your cigars with instead of $50s. Now even Wall Street CEO's can get in on the "recession" fad!

@Carso: I dunno - I guess if you compare the price of all this food to dining out, it's not a bad deal. I think it's more entertaining to think everything is sarcastic, though.

Corporate_guy, it's safe. Why wouldn't it be safe? They tend to use dry ice, or refrigerated trucks.

@pecan pi (golly, I'd like for replies to work again)

I don't *think* I have qualms about buying from Angel Food -- haven't tried to, because it's too much food and I don't have a deepfreeze. They allow you to buy food *alongside* the poor; there's no shortage, so it's not as if you are consuming resources that would _otherwise_ go to the poor.

That said, they're being investigated by the FBI for as-yet unstated reasons, so this discussion may become academic real soon.

[www.chron.com]

@SkokieGuy: Actually, I went on a date with my husband last night to Coldstone and I noticed that they now have "daily specials". A different little free, 2-for-1 or some other offer every weekday. Considering how expensive they are, I was surprised to find them so busy.

@Carso:

it's very good sarcasm.

carso, might want to have that sarcasm-o-meter tuned up...

@philmin: Exactly. This doesn't look like much of a "deal" at all...it's all cheap food.

Flatiron steaks aren't even a particularly expensive cut of steak. This looks like a total ripoff to me.

@changed my name: Yes, what is it? I don't feel like looking. . . anyone?

@changed my name: this is EXACTLY what I was wondering! maybe they left out a "with"? or maybe you actually get 5 ounces of garlic-flavored oil ... as your beverage, perhaps?

@kexline: There were rumors awhile back that Angel Food Ministries was being used to generate work for the founder's trucking business or something along those lines, and that they were being run in a way that was rife with conflicts of interest. I don't know how true that is, but that's what I had heard.

@nakedscience: Yes I also now am craving a nice steak, I wont order this "special" though, as $99 does seem a little overpriced.

I think ill just stick to going to Stop And Shop for my "gourmet" steaks.

Around $7.40 per pound. That's close to what our local Chinese buffet charges for carryout.

@logicalnoise: I miss Sara Lee's cakes. They were moist and had a ridiculous amount of icing on them. Good times.

It's not sarcasm.

@samurailynn: The Coldstone at my local mall is ALWAYS busy, usually populated by teens. I find their prices too much and their servings too big, and they won't let me get the kid's size.

@Corporate_guy: I'm pretty sure it ships in the same boxes you'd get if you ordered a fresh lobster via catalog.

@pecan 3.14159265: Wrong. Angel Food Ministries is more of a co-op buying program. AFM negotiates long term price deals and locks them in using the number of "clients" as a bargaining tool. This allows them to sell their boxes of food at a reduced price. You still have to pay for the food.

That's different than getting free food from the local food pantry where you really would be stealing food if you were still able to purchase it yourself.

@kexline: To me, the article pointed out bank CEOs are not the only people who get paid outrageous amounts sometimes. Many heads of nonprofit organizations get paid a lot, but they are essentially running a business, even if it is a nonprofit. They have to balance budgets and checkbooks and work on fundraising. I know plenty of people in nonprofits and their bosses make a great deal of money - but that's only in cases where the nonprofits are massive. I know heads of nonprofits making barely more than the average middle management guy in the for-profit sector.

@winshape: Also, AFM donates $1 from each box to the sponsor church's benevolence fund to help the poor and hungry.

So, by buying a box, you get cheaper food, expand the AFM client base to help them get cheaper rates, AND are making a donation to help the poor and hungry. It's a WIN-WIN-WIN.

If you also volunteered to help stuff the boxes...then your cup of WIN overfloweth.

@Rectilinear Propagation: And with the sheet cakes, you could just pick the frosting for the whole cake up at once and make that its own serving. Until the rest of the family caught you. Mmm.

@undefined: I don't see sarcasm either. The last line verifies that it's still kind of a rip but the previous 6.75 lines read as an endorsement.

Feeding roughly 7 or 8 for $99 probably isn't bad though as long as the food doesn't taste like microwaved junk.

@carso: (reply still not working)

Get over it. Consumerist has always included small humorous stories like this.

@johnva: @philmin: Same thoughts here. Cheap food that isn't even prepared in an interesting way. For me, gourmet = something I don't have the skills or equipment to prepare on my own. When I splurge to go out and eat (or get some take-out) it's to try something I otherwise would have no way of eating.

The preparation they do here adds no value to the meal beyond what you would get at the prepared foods section of most supermarkets. (Though I've never seen prepared steak at a supermarket... but I don't eat beef, so I may have missed it). I'd pay $99 for a meal, but it had better be extremely impressive.