The Frugal Gourmet

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.