FAST FOOD

FAST FOOD

Anyone that knows me, knows I love great food. I was raised on delicious home made food, lovingly and painstakingly prepared. Healthy and nutritious dinners, huge three course holiday meals, and my share of leftovers.

Back then, meals were planed, prepared, and served after hours in the kitchen. Back then, we actually knew what was in the food we prepared. Back in Jersey my mom and grandmothers insisted on homemade pasta or the venerable Ronsoni pasta and they knew it by it’s number. “I’m thow’in a box of 23’s. That was then, and now is now..Today…who has the time.

Everybody is busy, we’re always running, and going, and rushing some place or the other. We have appointments, and commitments and meetings. It seems the pace of life is much faster today, then when I was growing up. Heck I can remember when even our pasta tomato sauce took all day to simmer.(back then the old ones called it gravy) Home made bread fresh and hot from the oven with real butter just melting on it, what a treat.

Dinner used to be a big deal at our house, it was a time when the family got together, relaxed, and talked to each other. It’s hard to do that over a burger you’re wolfing down at the stop light.

Americans today want their food fast and on the run. Whole businesses have become successful just fulfilling our desire for fast and convenient food. Sometimes I wonder just how easy they are going to make it, and how lazy we will become. I mean, I’ve seen pre-cooked pancakes and bacon at the supermarket for goodness sake.

Any trip down grocery lane will quickly make my point. They have canned food, canned ham, frozen vegetables, pre-cooked eggs, frozen dinners, pop tarts. Not to mention instant coffee, fish sticks, hamburger helper, meal in a box (what food group is that in ?), and even refrigerated and pre-made peanut butter and jelly sandwiches (what failed culinary student thought that one up).

It doesn’t end there. We can also dine in, or take out, anything from Pizza to hamburgers, chicken, subs, and the king of all take out Chinese food. Our insatiable appetite for more and quicker take out food, has resulted in drive thru windows, taco bell, delivery food, and the pinnacle of tasty gas station cuisine, the meat like rolls that are perpetually heating on rollers at your local 7-11

In fact there is virtually nothing that the American consumer can’t make and eat in 5 minutes or less with little more than the common microwave.
Ever hear the saying, you are what you eat. Think about it.

I actually have more to say, but the microwave bell just went off, my Ramin noodles are ready.

Until latter
P.I.B.