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Time - Man of the Year
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Time_Man_of_the_Year_Compact_Publishing_3YX-Disc-1_Compact_Publishing_1993.iso
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1992-09-22
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THE WEEK, Page 36SOCIETYThe Frugal Gourmet
A controversial video teaches the homeless what to eat on the
streets
In the age of instant information, the hard facts on
everything from coping with troubled toddlers to touring Nepal
are just a video-club membership away. But in Orange County,
Calif., the how-to tape has gone beyond providing a sort of
microwave education for the perpetually preoccupied. Last week
former nurse Linda Dunlap ran into both praise and scorn for a
video she produced to teach homeless men and women how to
scavenge the trash for contaminant-free food. Staged in a talk-
show format, the tape is five parts useless banter and one part
helpful instruction. Warnings include avoiding discarded dairy
products and punctured fruits. Dunlap has had well in excess of
100 requests for the video from shelters and aid groups
worldwide.
Conceptually, a how-to video for the homeless smacks of a
Saturday Night Live sketch gone horribly tasteless. Only those
fortunate enough to wander into a VCR-equipped shelter will ever
view the tape. Moreover, advocates for the homeless argue that
the video signals a dangerous complacency in tackling the
issues of hunger and poverty. But to her critics Dunlap has one
reply: "Get real!" The video, she insists, acknowledges a
serious public health issue and aims to save lives.