What has happened to real food?

I am working on making my body and mind healthier. I am making strides, but sometimes old habits die  hard. Sundays can be a challenge because my husband and I both grew up with the notion that Sunday afternoons are for baking something yummy. I have been pretty good at resisting the urge to make something sweet on a Sunday afternoons, but this week it didn't happen.  "I want chocolate" my body was screaming at me.  I thought about making brownies from scratch, but that will not do, oh no not today.  If it is brownies, it has got to be fudgy brownies from a box.  I wanted that taste that you only can get from a brownie box mix.  I didn't want it all healthified (like some people I know) by mixing in beans, applesauce, pumpkin or other ingredients.

I made the brownies from a box and devoured them along with the family.  It worked, it filled that void and craving.  I don't know what chemicals they put in it that makes it cravable but yesterday I couldn't resist.  When I was in chef school one of my fellow students asked a very simple question.  Why can't I make a cake like Betty Crocker?  He then went on  " I have tried and tried, but I can't replicate that taste."  We grew up with that flavor profile and we think that cake is supposed to taste like that. I grew up thinking that all casseroles tasted like condensed soup. We are such a bottle, can and box society.  We are really good at opening packages, adding a few things to it and viola! dinner is served.


What has happened to real food?  Two years ago at Thanksgiving time this question was put past me; "Since when does Thanksgiving come from a box?" Instant mash potatoes, Gravy from a packet,  stove top stuffing, Rolls from a Tube, Pie from the freezer, and the list could go on.  I wondered that myself.  Thanksging used to be a time that we would get away from all the box stuff.  We would gather around the table and enjoy good home cooked food.  A number of years ago I offered to make the turkey.  I did this so that I could enjoy the flavorful, wonderful gravy that comes with the drippings that come from a roasted whole turkey.  I brought back my Grandma's pumpking pie.  I got tired of old yuck store bought soggy on the bottom pumpkin pie.




my son as a baby with a bowl of vegetables

  One of the questions that was posed to us at chef school "Where does the clients health fall in your duty as chef? Do you make your meals healthy, or do you give them what they want regardless of the calorie count?"  We all agreed that butter makes it better and making the customers taste buds happy was where it counted. As an example; On the way home from a trip we stopped at a hometown burger joint. Listed on the menu was a fruit plate.  When I asked about the fruit plate, the gal behind the counter told me that they no longer offered that.  She said that "people were asking for it, but when we actually put it on the menu, no one ordered it". People would think about it for a moment, but in the end  they would make a comment like "We are in a burger joint, I'll have a big juicy burger."

What about Value?  As stated in a previous post  I grew up where the Value menu hamburgers were what we ate at times. That is what my parents could afford.  A neighbor recently was talking with us about how his grocery bill has grown over the last few years, but his income has not. He talked about how all he can afford is junk food.  He said that they tried to eat healthy for about six months but could not afford it. I am a couponer and a frugal shopper.  Coupons have made it easy to supply my family with junk food. Coupons for truly healthy food (and the Staples) are few and far between.  I do have a stratagy, I use my coupons for buying toiletries and other goods.  Then I have a bit more in my budget for the good food.

But what is good food? We have been marketed to think that alot of things are "good food" It is amazing. healthy claims all over the boxes and bags of things we eat.  Just recently, in a hurry I picked up some juice for the kids; looking at the banner across the juice box reading 100% I placed it in my cart and when I got home realized that I had made a mistake.  100% daily recommened amounts of vitamin C not 100% juice. I could have kicked myself for that.  I usually do try to get real juice and not flavored corn syrup.  We drank it anyways.

Time for dinner now, but I will be back later with thoughts about our food choices, recipes, and more.