But when COVID-19 first hit the United States, Subway tried their hand at semi-altruism. The ubiquitous fast-food spot, the one with at least a big selection of semi-fresh veggies ... started selling groceries. Suddenly, people were able to purchase bulk groceries at comparable prices to supermarkets. It's hard to tell exactly how much an effect this had on stopping the spread of COVID-19, but cutting down on supermarket crowds sure isn't a bad idea right now. Sure, Subway has a profit motivation, but it is the sort of helping hand you simply don't expect from a big corporation.Â
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The Mafia Supplied Tasty Food To Schools in Philadelphia
With all the murder, corruption, and intimidation, it's obvious that the Mafia isn't, say, the healthiest group of people to have in your town. You know what else isn't super healthy? School lunches supplied by cafeteria companies like Aramark. And according to Mat Johnson, a novelist, and Philadelphia native, the mob was much better at supplying school lunches than a corporatized institution.Â
In what seems to be a literal pick-your-poison story, Johnson grew up when the old school Mafia was being taken down by the federal government and replaced by far more polite yet strangely still-sinister corporations. The tradeoff, I guess, is less of a chance of sleeping with the fishes but a greater chance of coma from the diabetes. The Mafia-backed catering company, according to Johnson, had good bread, local ingredients, and fresh fruit, whereas Aramark came in with processed bullshit (and such small portions!) As it turns out, the Mafia may be violent and dangerous, but at least they can be somewhat invested in their community, unlike corporations, who are only violent and dangerous.Â