Can you find GOOD food for only $1?

Yesterday (or maybe it was the other day), I checked out the "Deal of the Day" coupon in the newspaper. Those "Deal of the Day" thingies are addictive. I'm always curious to see what the newest "deal of the day" offer is (and, in some cases, "deal of the week"). So I saw one for a $1 breakfast offer at Subway: A coffee and breakfast sandwich. I didn't even know that Subway has breakfast sandwiches! For this reason, I wanted to try it. I love trying new foods and new eateries, so I thought 'why not?' But this morning, after I dropped Jennifer off at school, I chickened out. I mean, it's a $1 sandwich and coffee! What if the coffee tastes terrible? And the sandwich is probably gross. I mean, they're only getting a buck for it AND the coffee. They probably wouldn't even TRY to make it taste very good. It's like one of my sisters says: "You buy cheap, you get cheap." As it is, the type of food you can buy at a grocery store for just $1 doesn't taste very good, either! Boxes of store-brand macaroni and cheese, one package of Ramen Noodles, store brand bread. (There actually IS a store brand bread that's not so bad and doesn't fall apart when you bite into it. Albertsons. But it's the one that costs more than a dollar. Worth it, I say!)

Well, actually, there are good things in a grocery store that costs less than $1. A package of pasta, can of tuna, candy bar, one string cheese. But I'm talking about food that would actually SATISFY you and act as a decent meal. (I don't think I could ever go back to living off of Ramen Noodles like I used to. Ugh!)

And, besides, I was in the mood for grains, not eggs. So I decided not to take advantage of the offer.

I also had to think about the many "dollar menus" they have in fast food places. Honestly, some of the items on there are more than a dollar. But for the things that actually cost $1 (or less!), they're actually pretty good. I love the Fruit and Yogurt Parfaits at McD's, the tacos at Jack in the Box and the Famous Star at Carl's Jr. (though I don't think they have a dollar menu, but I'm pretty sure the Famous Star by itself is just 99 cents).

Maybe I'll try this $1 offer tomorrow, though. Or maybe this weekend, I'll go over there and get us breakfast sandwiches at regular price.

The whole thing about it being just a dollar reminded me of something else, though. When we lived in the desert, my dad had this job partnership with a family friend, and my husband, who was my boyfriend at the time, worked with them. They would often have their lunch break at a place called "$1 Chinese Food." Every single item on their menu was $1. I was hesitant to eat there, despite their claims the food was good, because, after all, the food only cost $1! My sisters and I were convinced that it probably had junk in it or didn't taste good at all. (They claimed there was no MSG in their food.)

Then I finally worked up the nerve to try their food. This actually came at boyfriend's insistence on having their food for lunch.

And it was actually pretty good! In fact, the food was so delicious, we ended up eating there A LOT. I was grateful that, despite the insanely low price of everything, they actually cared about cooking good food. (Not surprisingly, they proudly boasted that they were an A-rated restaurant. Heck, they earned it! They put so much effort into running a top notch place of business.)

Well, despite this, I was still wary about taking Subway up on their $1 offer. But I'll try and see if I have the guts to do it tomorrow. I am curious about these breakfast sandwiches of theirs. And now I want to see if they will actually put in an effort to make a GOOD sandwich even if it only earns them $1.