Cheap and available, as said before. There are lots of things in cans and boxes that can be eaten without using fancy plates and pans. As for the hippie/veggie food - depends on the cook. It may be pretty simple or pretty complicated. I have seen veggie recipes with three ingredients and I have seen recipes using half of the grocery store. You can eat simple hippie food provided you are a hippie and not a hipster, looking for 75 types of cheese.