Grocery Stores and Short-Order Cooks
I've wondered of late the relationship between grocery stores and short-order cooks. What's brought this to mind is watching my kids interact with my grandkids. I hear things like, "Well, I don't think he/she will eat that two days in a row," and "He seems to be a vegetarian," and "He only likes sweets."
Say what?! Seriously? They eat what you fix. You fix what you can afford to buy. So what has changed since I was a kid who ate what my parents put on the table (coon, possum, deer, squirrel, fish)? And what of my parents? I never heard stories of them eating anything other than what was served.
If you didn't like what you were served, guess what, the next meal will be here in about four hours and you can eat then. No issues.
So what has really changed? Well let's see. A young mother goes through all the same things every mother has gone through. How to get the kid to eat enough so they'll sleep through the night, be healthy, be happy, and load those diapers properly. Where does that mother get the food to feed the kid?
They used to milk the cow, make the cheese and butter, curds and whey, and they used to pick the fruit and harvest the produce from their garden. Then along came drying fruits and veggies and eventually came canning and they could bottle the produce (longer shelf-life).
Grocery stores used to be fairly small and simple. They had dried beans and some produce (produced locally) and eventually a meat department was added. Pretty basic foods. Why were the people so healthy and trim back then? Some would argue it's because they had simple whole foods. Personally I think it's just that they had to work so hard for every grain and piece of produce they consumed.
Fast forward to our day. With all our modern conveniences and modern processed foods and we have voila! instant everything! So now we have squeezy packs of fruits and veggies pre-pureed. Processed (and in some cases over-processed) crackers, chips and cookies. Foods target marketed for babies, teens, busy adults, health conscious gurus and the grumpy geriatric group.
Easy-breezy foods cut out a lot of pre-planning and preparation on parents parts. Instead of planning either how to use that roast for 3-5 meals through the week (initial roast, sliced-sandwiches, casseroles, pulled beef BBQ sandwiches, etc.) we now have, "Gee, it's dinner time, I haven't prepared anything, let's go out to eat!"
I know this is true because I do this stuff too. I may not have the little kiddles under the feet anymore, but I do have a hubby to prepare food for (I certainly know where grumpy old men come from) and the excuse of 'we work 45 minutes away from home which makes the day so short' somehow just doesn't cut it.
I wasn't a picky eater as a child and I don't feel I am now, but I wonder if we're doing our youngest and newest generation a service or disservice by letting them get away with refusing what we fix. Whatever happened to mother's rule #1, "I fix it, you eat it"?
Say what?! Seriously? They eat what you fix. You fix what you can afford to buy. So what has changed since I was a kid who ate what my parents put on the table (coon, possum, deer, squirrel, fish)? And what of my parents? I never heard stories of them eating anything other than what was served.
If you didn't like what you were served, guess what, the next meal will be here in about four hours and you can eat then. No issues.
So what has really changed? Well let's see. A young mother goes through all the same things every mother has gone through. How to get the kid to eat enough so they'll sleep through the night, be healthy, be happy, and load those diapers properly. Where does that mother get the food to feed the kid?
They used to milk the cow, make the cheese and butter, curds and whey, and they used to pick the fruit and harvest the produce from their garden. Then along came drying fruits and veggies and eventually came canning and they could bottle the produce (longer shelf-life).
Grocery stores used to be fairly small and simple. They had dried beans and some produce (produced locally) and eventually a meat department was added. Pretty basic foods. Why were the people so healthy and trim back then? Some would argue it's because they had simple whole foods. Personally I think it's just that they had to work so hard for every grain and piece of produce they consumed.
Fast forward to our day. With all our modern conveniences and modern processed foods and we have voila! instant everything! So now we have squeezy packs of fruits and veggies pre-pureed. Processed (and in some cases over-processed) crackers, chips and cookies. Foods target marketed for babies, teens, busy adults, health conscious gurus and the grumpy geriatric group.
Easy-breezy foods cut out a lot of pre-planning and preparation on parents parts. Instead of planning either how to use that roast for 3-5 meals through the week (initial roast, sliced-sandwiches, casseroles, pulled beef BBQ sandwiches, etc.) we now have, "Gee, it's dinner time, I haven't prepared anything, let's go out to eat!"
I know this is true because I do this stuff too. I may not have the little kiddles under the feet anymore, but I do have a hubby to prepare food for (I certainly know where grumpy old men come from) and the excuse of 'we work 45 minutes away from home which makes the day so short' somehow just doesn't cut it.
Comments