History Main / ChoosyBeggar

* ''WebVideo/DragonBallZAbridged'': Trunks get sent back to the past to give Goku heart medication so he won't die, leaving the androids to destroy the world. Goku doesn't want to take it, as it's grape-flavored.

* One episode of ''WesternAnimation/EdEddNEddy'' has Edd stay up all night working on a [[IncrediblyLameFun model bridge made of toothpicks]], then trying to get some sleep while Eddy and Ed force him to help with their latest scam. Double D spends the whole episode desperate to find a comfortable place to lie down, and eventually stumbles across Ed's bed...but when he sees how [[ThePigpen ludicrously filthy]] it is, he mutters "Not if it were the ''last bed on Earth!''"

[[folder:Films]]

>Of being too difficult.\\

* ''ComicBook/MonicasGang'': In "Perdidos no Meio do Nada"[[labelnote:Translation]] "Lost in the Middle of Nowhere"[[/labelnote]], Antenor is walking through the desert when he finds a man begging for help. The protagonist immediately offers him some water, though the man complains that the last mirage he saw gave him strawberry milkshakes. Annoyed by the beggar's pickiness, Antenor sarcastically asks if imaginary desserts are better than real water. The man comically ponders for a while before dryly responding "Meh, I guess I'll take this water then".

-->Such is the sure result
-->Of being too difficult.
-->Would you be strong and great,
-->Learn to accommodate.
-->Get what you can, and trust for the rest;
-->The whole is oft lost by seeking the best.
-->Above all things beware of disdain;
-->Where, at most, you have little to gain.
* ''Franchise/{{Discworld}}'': Her position as the leader of Ankh-Morpork's Guild of Beggars forces Queen Molly to be one of these. As it would be unseemly for her to beg simply for a few pennies, a pallet to sleep on, a crust of bread, or bottle of booze, Molly is compelled to ask for a million dollars, a mansion to sleep in, a full banquet, or bottles of fine champagne exclusively. Of course the Beggar's Guild is also one of the richest guilds in the city, so it's likely their Queen has a stipend to augment her income.

* In the poetry collection ''[[https://www.amazon.com/All-That-Remains-Peter-Serchuk/dp/1936370778 All that Remains]]'', the poem "Tending the Homeless in Santa Monica'' describes a homeless man being offered leftover pizza and responding "I don't do dairy." (This was based on a [[TruthInTelevision real experience]] the poet once had with a beggar.)

* The "[[https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/210-would-not-bang 2/10 Would Not Bang]]" meme consists of a picture of an attractive person covered in {{Expo Label}}s pointing out their supposed physical flaws (revealing more of the author's prejudices and insecurities than any ugliness) and a low final grade, then showing the picture of the purported author, [[SubParSupremacist a pimply overweight nerd who'd be lucky to get the time of day from the person in the picture.]]

* ''WesternAnimation/ClassicDisneyShorts'': In the Goofy cartoon "Two Weeks Vacation", Goofy comes across a hitchhiker and offers him a lift. The hitchhiker takes a look at Goofy's car, criticizes it, and declines the offer.
* ''WesternAnimation/TheGrimAdventuresOfBillyAndMandy'': In the episode ''Major Cheese'', Grim gives a giant cheese puff to someone who looks like he's been through Hell. As Grim leaves, the guy indignantly shoots 'Hey, these thing's will kill ya!'.
* One episode of ''WesternAnimation/EdEddNEddy'' has Edd stay up all night working on a [[IncrediblyLameFun model bridge made of toothpicks]], then trying to get some sleep while Eddy and Ed force him to help with their latest scam. Double D spends the whole episode desperate to find a comfortable place to lie down, and eventually stumbles across Ed's bed...but when he sees how [[ThePigpen ludicrously filthy]] it is, he mutters "Not if it were the ''last bed on Earth!''"

[[folder:Newspaper Comics]]
* ''{{ComicStrip/Foxtrot}}'': One arc parodying Literature/AChristmasCarol has Jason's mom as a beggarwoman going through his old electronics after the Ghost of Christmas Future takes him away and declaring it's all junk, before wondering if the curtains might be worth something. It's more a TakeThat at how quickly electronics become obsolete than her character though.
* ''ComicStrip/{{Garfield}}'': In one story arc, a starving Garfield is looking for something to eat. He wanders into a store. He then leaves, still groaning, "Food! I gotta have food!" and it's revealed that he went into a health food store.
[[/folder]]

* ''Series/{{Seinfeld}}'': In the he episode "The Muffin Tops" has a soup kitchen employee reject an attempted "donation" of the bottom halves of muffins [[ItMakesSenseInContext (leftovers from Elaine's boss' restaurant that serves only the cut off tops of muffins)]]. They say that nobody there would eat them because no one prefers a muffin with ''no'' top, and because it's clearly the place trying to get rid of its wasted food by pawning it off on the needy.

* ''VideoGame/GrandTheftAutoSanAndreas'': In one early mission, CJ and crew are fleeing from enemies, with CJ complaining that all they have to defend themselves is an AKA47 ("this fucking antique", as he puts it). He's told to shut up and shoot back.

[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/crabgrass2.png]]

* The prologue ("Tradition") to ''Theatre/FiddlerOnTheRoof'' shows an interaction between wealthy townsman Lazar Wolf and Nahum the Beggar, in which Lazar offers Nahun a kopek and Nahum protests that Lazar gave him two kopeks the previous week. After Lazar responds that he had a bad week, Nahum retorts, "Because you had a bad week, I should suffer??". The scene basically is a staging of a stock joke about [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schnorrer Schnorrers]] (essentially professional beggars).

[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/sky_gordons.gif]]

* Website/{{Reddit}} has a subreddit dedicated to this topic called [=r/choosingbeggars=].

[[AC:Comic Books]]

[[AC:Film]]

[[AC:Literature]]

[[AC:Live Action TV]]
* ''Series/{{Seinfeld}}'': In the he episode "The Muffin Tops" has a soup kitchen employee reject an attempted "donation" of the bottom halves of muffins [[ItMakesSenseInContext (leftovers from Elaine's boss' restaurant that serves only the cut off tops of muffins)]]. They say that nobody there would eat them because no one prefers a muffin with ''no'' top, and because it's clearly the place trying to get rid of its wasted food by pawning it off on the needy.

[[AC:Newspaper Comics]]

[[AC:Theater]]

[[AC:Video Games]]

[[AC:Web Original]]

[[AC:Western Animation]]

* One episode of ''WesternAnimation/EdEddNEddy'' has Edd stay up all night working on a [[IncrediblyLameFun model bridge made of toothpicks]], then trying to get some sleep while Eddy and Ed force him to help with their latest scam. Double D spends the whole episode desperate to find a comfortable place to lie down, and eventually stumbles across Ed's bed...but when he sees how [[ThePigpen ludicrously filthy]] it is, he mutters "Not if it were the ''last bed on Earth!''"

* ''WesternAnimation/TheGrimAdventuresOfBillyAndMandy'': In the episode ''Major Cheese'', Grim gives a giant cheese puff to someone who looks like he's been through Hell. As Grim leaves, the guy indignantly shoots 'Hey, these thing's will kill ya!'.

[[AC:Real Life]]
* This trope is what the entire subreddit [[https://www.reddit.com/r/ChoosingBeggars/ r/ChoosingBeggars]] is devoted to.

* ''Series/{{Neverwhere}}'': After being forgotten by the surface world, Richard is failing to use an ATM when he's approached by a vagrant named Iliaster, begging for change. A frustrated Richard hands him his debit card and says there's several hundred pounds on it if he can get to it. Iliaster snorts, "That and fifty pence would get me a nice a cup of tea," and tosses the card back to him.

* ''WesternAnimation/ClassicDisneyShorts'': In the Goofy cartoon "Two Weeks Vacation", Goofy comes across a hitchhiker and offers him a lift. The hitchhiker takes a look at Goofy's car, criticizes it and declines the offer.

* ''WesternAnimation/ZipZip'': In "Rained In", Washington's having a bad PottyEmergency and refuses to relieve himself outside because it's too rainy. Suzie and Victoria refuse to let him use their own toilets, so Washington briefly considers using Sam's litter box. He decides [[WouldRatherSuffer he'd rather keep holding it than use that filthy thing]], even though it's the only other immediate option.

[[AC:Fan Works]]
* ''WebVideo/DragonBallZAbridged'': Trunks get sent back to the past to give Goku heart medication so he won't die, leaving the androids to destroy the world. Goku doesn't want to take it, as it's grape-flavored.