Tuesday, September 20, 2011

People That Don't Cook

Disney World 2004
Maybe it's me trying to take my mind off the dog, but I've noticed a scary phenomenon going on around here.

My Sailor and I have 7 people living in the 3 apartments surrounding us. Of those 7 people, 2 of the households don't cook.
At all.

Ever.

No salad.

No fruit.

No veggies.

No cooking. Ever.

One household has 2 young children and 1 adult in it and they have Schwann's frozen meals delivered. The other household has 2 adults, one of which travels for work, and they exist on take-out.

This is pretty frightening to me. If my neighbors represent a subsection of the United States, than it's a safe assumption that just about 1/2 of the population has no idea what is really in their food. And those 2 kids that grow up might not have any idea what is in their food, much less know how to prepare a meal. Do they know that meat comes from butchered animals? Do they know which veggies are hybrids and which are natural?

Around our house, we cook at least one meal a day. Even when I lived alone, I cooked every day, at least one meal. Delivery almost never happened at my condo. I can count the times it happened in a year on my hands and still have fingers left over. Take-out was rare as well. I ate out once a week. It was more cost effective and healthy to make food myself. While we do have our "quick" meals (for example, today's lunch was a Lean Cuisine, left over salad from last night, butternut squash soup and an apple), we cook everyday. All meals, even the quick ones, are based on Protein, veggie and/or fiber, and fruit.

It's just scary to me to think of where things are going...

Look out - I'm starting to sound old....


10 comments:

  1. Yeah, there's a couple we've known for years...they eat every meal out or take-out. They refuse to eat left overs, doggie bags, or reuse meals for another meal. Not only are they FAT far beyond their young years, but I cannot imagine the money they spend on eating out. They probably could have purchased a house by now. It's very odd. :o/

    ReplyDelete
  2. LOL, you old girl! I'm trying to figure out what to cook tonight. I have leftover pork loin from Sunday - thought I would make rice/noodles to go with it. Whoops,need a veggie - I have salad!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Sounds perfect Pam! Rice noodles and some steamed veggies tossed in, or a salad? You'd have a great pork stir fry waiting for ya!

    ReplyDelete
  4. I love Schawn's meals. Have you ever had them? Very tasty. And stupid expensive. Of course, that doesn't mean it's good for you.

    I love to cook. Just hate the cleaning!

    ReplyDelete
  5. I've been tempted by them before! And every once in a while, I'm sure it's a great treat! I just can't understand people eating stuff like that all day long! Ew... lol

    I feel you on the cleaning! Dusting is not my greatest skill. Especially bookshelves. Blech!

    ReplyDelete
  6. @Mess, I agree! I've heard a lot of people cut out eating out for a year, and manage to pay off HUGE amounts of debt!

    ReplyDelete
  7. I don't eat out, but I don't cook much. For me it's mostly prepared meals like Lean Cuisine. It's quick and easy and I don't have to clean up afterwards. I can cook and will sometimes get in a cooking mood, but most of the time I choose not to cook as I don't really enjoy it.

    I think it's awesome that you cook and I'm sure it is healthier.

    I also have to say if I had kids I would be cooking everyday (another reason for me not to have kids) because I do think it's important that they learn good nutrition and how to do things for themselves and not count on a drive through.

    ReplyDelete
  8. @Amanda - I find that 1 Lean Cuisine is usually not enough to keep me full for too long, so I usually end up supplementing it with something - even if it's just fruit. I learned that I need some crunch to feel satisfied - otherwise I end up with a bad case of the munchies (and we all know what kind of eating THAT usually leads to). Some of the Lean Cuisines are DELICIOUS though! I try to keep one of the frozen pizzas in the freezer. It's SO much better for me than eating pizza out/delivery, and it's usually enough like "real pizza" to quell the craving. :)

    ReplyDelete
  9. We were 4 kids at home with working parents. By the time we started high school we were each responsible for making one main meal a week. It didn't have to be fancy, but it had to be filling and include protein/carb/veggies. Now all 4 of us (including my brother) are great cooks. I thank my parents for that.

    ReplyDelete
  10. We used to eat takeout more than we cooked. Since my surgery and our latest fertility journey, we have been cooking and trying to eat as much fresh food as we can. It's not always easy, but we are trying to make it work. I think it takes a good amount of commitment to break old habits. It sounds like you guys eat really well! :)

    ReplyDelete