What is meant by "the typical American diet?"

[Audrey]

I hope I don't offend anyone by this, but both of those meals sound disgusting. :D

 

 

I agree with you, but there are so many sites, magazines, recipes out there just like this that encourage use of pre-packed, pre-made, reduced calorie foods. My family called these types of recipes "dump food" as in, you just dump a bunch of canned and packaged food together and call it food.

 

I ate a lot of that growing up. I think it was very popular in the 70's and into the 80's. After that, I moved away from home so cooked on my own and never did stuff like that.

 

I eat a lot better living here in Canada, although Canada has too much food influence from the US to qualify as different enough in attitude towards food. I will say, though, that most Cdn restaurants seem to keep the portion sizes down somewhat, unless they are a US chain (Boston Pizza comes to mind). I think that is a good thing, but I still think the portion sizes are too much. It makes it difficult to stick to a reasonable portion size when eating out, and I admit I'm not the best on self-control sometimes.

 

I think that "American diet" is referring to what PPs have said up thread, and I think the prevalence of it makes it hard to find better choices for a lot of people, especially when time is at a shortage around meal time. I think a good rule of thumb is to try to keep it as simple as possible. Foods tastes amazingly good on its own, or with just a bit of seasoning. One of my family's favourite dishes is steamed broccoli with garlic butter. Just steam the broccoli, then melt some real butter in a pan and gently saute very thin slivers of real garlic, and toss with the broccoli. We eat a lot of dishes prepared similarly. Real ingredients is the key, but you don't need tons of butter or oil to get a nice flavour.

 

I would imagine that, for families who are used to processed foods, it would take some getting used to the taste of real food. In the long run, though, it is much better for you. It's tough to get some people to get on board and give it a try, but I suggest that it would be worth the effort.

[farouk]

Tacos in my family include:

- Seasoned black beans

- Lettuce

- Tomatoes

- Fresh cilantro

- Corn niblets

- Diced onion

 

Pizza is:

- Home-made dough stretched thin and baked until crispy

- Home-made marinara sauce

- Fresh tomatoes

- Sauteed bell peppers and onions

- Whatever other toppings people fell like adding

 

We pretty much always eat salad with pizza, too.

 

So, sure, it's entirely possible to make much healthier versions of those items.

 

Jenny in Florida:

 

Kind of combination of Mexican and Italian. Delicious.

 

We are going Mexican for supper tonight, anyway.

[Liz CA]

Aldi has packaged bread (Pumpernickel); Pumpernickel is a boiled bread that keeps once it is sealed, so these can be stocked up.

If I happen to travel to the city ( which happens rarely since it is 2 hours one way): Globals Foods.

 

Other than that: I buy rye flour, start a sourdough, and bake my own.

 

This is also my favorite bread.

Fortunately, I can get it in a few places around here, especially health food stores. I usually only eat one slice for breakfast with an egg. YUMMY.

[eternalknot]

When I use that phrase, I'm referring to TYPE of food - the convenience stuff. Anything convenient at all, be it packaged from the grocery store or rehydrated at a fast food restaurant. I don't mean the portion sizes, though that'd be appropriate, too, IMO.

 

And more than that, I think I mean not so much the type of food but the heavy reliance upon it. Convenience foods aren't so bad in moderation, but the fact that they seem to be the staple ... to me, that's the image in my head when I say "standard american diet".

 

I grew up eating a traditional diet; no convenience foods, no fast foods. I've seen the light :D and I'm not turning back! But the key is to make convenience foods and fast foods a small part of our diet, and not the mainstay of it.

 

So on a night where I just can't bring myself to cook a meal, ... it's a convenience food night, without guilt. If we do great most of the time there's no harm, no foul with taking a night off (or three) from time to time. We have five kids active in sports, so certain times of the year are crazy busy for us; those months we eat out more than we ought to. But we counter that with good meals at home around those busy nights, and healthful eating the rest of the year.

 

Those nights happen. Oh, how I know those nights happen! You could still do a pizza (light sauce, easy cheese, extra veggies) or even fast food (grilled chicken instead of crispy). Sure it might take some adjustment time, but ... it'd be worthwhile, for most.

 

We also have a few meals in the freezer for those nights; or supplies on hand. I usually have a sneaking suspicion when one of "those" nights is upon me, or is likely to happen based on our schedule. I keep a few potatoes around (baked, takes an hour but really not a ton of prep work) and a few servings of other meals in the fridge (perogies, lasagna) for those situations.

[Liz CA]

I learned that we can test dough by sticking the end of a wooden spoon into the loaf. If the hole closes very quickly, the dough has risen and is very active. If it takes longer than an hour for the hole to close, let it rise more.

Edited January 11, 2012 by Liz CA

[farouk]

When I use that phrase, I'm referring to TYPE of food - the convenience stuff. Anything convenient at all, be it packaged from the grocery store or rehydrated at a fast food restaurant. I don't mean the portion sizes, though that'd be appropriate, too, IMO.

 

And more than that, I think I mean not so much the type of food but the heavy reliance upon it. Convenience foods aren't so bad in moderation, but the fact that they seem to be the staple ... to me, that's the image in my head when I say "standard american diet".

 

I grew up eating a traditional diet; no convenience foods, no fast foods. I've seen the light :D and I'm not turning back! But the key is to make convenience foods and fast foods a small part of our diet, and not the mainstay of it.

 

So on a night where I just can't bring myself to cook a meal, ... it's a convenience food night, without guilt. If we do great most of the time there's no harm, no foul with taking a night off (or three) from time to time. We have five kids active in sports, so certain times of the year are crazy busy for us; those months we eat out more than we ought to. But we counter that with good meals at home around those busy nights, and healthful eating the rest of the year.

 

Those nights happen. Oh, how I know those nights happen! You could still do a pizza (light sauce, easy cheese, extra veggies) or even fast food (grilled chicken instead of crispy). Sure it might take some adjustment time, but ... it'd be worthwhile, for most.

 

We also have a few meals in the freezer for those nights; or supplies on hand. I usually have a sneaking suspicion when one of "those" nights is upon me, or is likely to happen based on our schedule. I keep a few potatoes around (baked, takes an hour but really not a ton of prep work) and a few servings of other meals in the fridge (perogies, lasagna) for those situations.

 

eternalknot:

 

I wonder if microwave ovens have a lot ro do with it as well.

 

Like we use our microwave a lot.

 

But I must admit, sometimes my thought is, when wondering what to have for supper: what will microwave easily? as if this is the most important aspect.

[Liz CA]

I've seen this phrase a couple of times this morning and am now wondering exactly what it means. Do you think it is portion size (super-size me mentality)? Or all the processed foods we see in the market? Or fast food? Or a combination of things?

 

And if you don't do the typical American diet, what do you do on those evenings were a home cooked meal is just one more thing on an already over full agenda? Around here our choice is fast food, fried food or pizza.

 

I am thinking of highly processed foods and a lot of sugar. I grew up in Europe and I think we lived on much less sugar than kids did (or still do) here. Dh tells me that his mother used to sprinkle sugar on their cereal (which likely was already full of white sugar). I noticed this "sweet tooth" tendency recently when I gave people oranges from our trees and some have complained that the oranges are sour. I eat them daily and they taste just fine to me. :lol:

[stripe]

Let's put it this way. During one of my pregnancies, I was at the doctor, who was talking to another patient; both are from the same ethnic background and were speaking in their heritage language. The doctor was talking to her about her diet, and the patient emphatically stated, "But I eat rice every day!" I found it amusing. I don't think this conversation even makes sense in English!

[MissKNG]

I think of lots of processed foods, a lot of sugar, a lot of fast food and over-sized portions. Especially over-sized portions.

[farouk]

Let's put it this way. During one of my pregnancies, I was at the doctor, who was talking to another patient; both are from the same ethnic background and were speaking in their heritage language. The doctor was talking to her about her diet, and the patient emphatically stated, "But I eat rice every day!" I found it amusing. I don't think this conversation even makes sense in English!

 

stripe:

 

LOL.

 

Actually, rice IS pretty versatile, too.

 

We kind of use rice a great deal. In various ways. (Not every day, mind.)

[eternalknot]

eternalknot:

 

I wonder if microwave ovens have a lot ro do with it as well.

 

Like we use our microwave a lot.

 

But I must admit, sometimes my thought is, when wondering what to have for supper: what will microwave easily? as if this is the most important aspect.

 

:tongue_smilie: Neither my husband nor I had one growing up, so we've only ever used ours for storage. I hide my snacks in there, out of view of the kids. Shh, don't tell.

 

I buy frozen vegetables, usually in bulk. Having run out one day, I sent my friend to the store to buy some (she was over, and decided to stay for dinner). She came home with this bag of frozen broccoli that you could steam in the microwave - still in the bag!

 

She laughed at me because I wouldn't heat it in the microwave, and certainly not in the microwave in the bag! That's so foreign a concept to me, I felt suspicious of the entire possibility. I've only just graduated to storing money in the bank (and not my mattress) ::grin::

 

Baby steps; old habits die hard.

[Laura Corin]

Okay, what color are apples other than red or green? I know they can be yellow. Any other colors?

 

And you'll have several of each colour. I just remember (in the US) apples labled 'red' or 'green'.

 

My small local supermarket might have, at this time of year (changes by season) Cox's Orange Pippen, Egremont Russet, Spartan, Gala, Braeburn, Pink Lady, Jazz, Empire, Rubens, Granny Smith, Kanzi, Golden Delicious, Granny Smith and Bramley (for cooking).

 

Laura

[farouk]

:tongue_smilie: Neither my husband nor I had one growing up, so we've only ever used ours for storage. I hide my snacks in there, out of view of the kids. Shh, don't tell.

 

I buy frozen vegetables, usually in bulk. Having run out one day, I sent my friend to the store to buy some (she was over, and decided to stay for dinner). She came home with this bag of frozen broccoli that you could steam in the microwave - still in the bag!

 

She laughed at me because I wouldn't heat it in the microwave, and certainly not in the microwave in the bag! That's so foreign a concept to me, I felt suspicious of the entire possibility. I've only just graduated to storing money in the bank (and not my mattress) ::grin::

 

Baby steps; old habits die hard.

 

eternalknot:

 

Well, anyway, thank-you for your honesty! and interesting that you use your microwave for storage.

 

These threads are great because you learn new ideas, suggestions and possibilities every day.

[Parrothead]

And you'll have several of each colour. I just remember (in the US) apples labled 'red' or 'green'.

 

My small local supermarket might have, at this time of year (changes by season) Cox's Orange Pippen, Egremont Russet, Spartan, Gala, Braeburn, Pink Lady, Jazz, Empire, Rubens, Granny Smith, Kanzi, Golden Delicious, Granny Smith and Bramley (for cooking).

 

Laura

Most of the larger supermarkets will have a variety of apples now. Gone are the red and green days. :D My family's preference is Fuji apples.

[LibraryLover]

And you'll have several of each colour. I just remember (in the US) apples labled 'red' or 'green'.

 

My small local supermarket might have, at this time of year (changes by season) Cox's Orange Pippen, Egremont Russet, Spartan, Gala, Braeburn, Pink Lady, Jazz, Empire, Rubens, Granny Smith, Kanzi, Golden Delicious, Granny Smith and Bramley (for cooking).

 

Laura

 

 

I would think Americans would know their apples. Some are better than others for baking the ubiquitous Apple Pie. ;) I'm always surprised by certain things. Even in winter we have a good variety, although nothing beats our wonderful local fall selection. Warm days and cool nights make for fantastic apples. Such a short season! :(

 

My kids are Gala & Granny Smith fans. We like them crisp!

[LibraryLover]

Most of the larger supermarkets will have a variety of apples now. Gone are the red and green days. :D My family's preference is Fuji apples.

 

 

Yes!

[Laura Corin]

Hm, I wonder where in the US you were and when.

 

Laura

[eternalknot]

I have one kid that likes Gala, and one that prefers Fuji.

 

I'm not going to lie; I go for whichever looks prettiest, and that changes from day to day.

 

(I eat my apples baked, though, so they all taste the same with a ton of cinnamon piled atop!)

[farouk]

This year the apples were a hit or miss because of all the rain. I made a big batch of apple sauce this fall and half the apples I bought were starting to rot on the inside. I was able to at least cut around it, but they would have been useless to eat out of hand.

 

WendyK:

 

I got a joke.

 

Why did the banana split?

 

Because it saw the apple turnover.

 

(Okay, I know ppl might have heard it before.)

Edited January 6, 2012 by farouk
typo

[farouk]

I'd love a recipe. :001_smile:

 

DH likes the Aldi pumpernickel. I find it rather cloying.

 

WendyK

 

Actually I like pumpernickel. It's seems to be especially popular in Germany, where it comes from. It's not something I've bought lately because it seems a teeny bit expensive when compared to other comparable things.

[LibraryLover]

This year the apples were a hit or miss because of all the rain. I made a big batch of apple sauce this fall and half the apples I bought were starting to rot on the inside. I was able to at least cut around it, but they would have been useless to eat out of hand.

 

 

We didn't get many paste (or as many other) tomatoes this year because it wasn't hot enough, so I feel your pain. Even the CSAs had a difficult time with tomatoes this summer.

[regentrude]

WendyK

 

Actually I like pumpernickel. It's seems to be especially popular in Germany, where it comes from. It's not something I've bought lately because it seems a teeny bit expensive when compared to other comparable things.

 

Aldi's, it is under $2 (of they have any).

All other stores- ridiculously expensive.

But comparable things? Where do I get a pound of good dark bread for less than $2?

[farouk]

Aldi's, it is under $2 (of they have any).

All other stores- ridiculously expensive.

But comparable things? Where do I get a pound of good dark bread for less than $2?

 

regentrude:

 

Maybe I've seen the ridiculously expensive sort that you mention ... .

 

I guess I meant only generally comparable, too; you're right.

[Deb in NZ]

I grew up in the States & to me the standard American diet is huge portions, lots of processed foods, meals based around meat, & lots of sweets (drinks, desserts, etc.) It wasn't until I lived outside the US for a time that I began to see the S.A.D. as not normal. Growing up dinner was usually beef, potato, & a veg. (canned peas, beans, or corn) If you were 6 yo, you had 6 peas on your plate. If you were 10yo, you had 10 peas, etc. Looking back it isn't any wonder that I never grew to like veg. :001_huh: I didn't like hot lunch at school, so I took my own from home. My mom would pack a peanutbutter sandwich on white bread, a bag of chips, & a yodel. Looking back I'm disgusted. In comparison ds#2's lunch box contains a wrap (left-over roast meat, lettuce, tomatoes, bell peppers, cucumbers, grated carrots, grated cheese), a yogurt, 1-2 pieces of seasonal fruit, a homemade muffin or museli bar, & a UHT box of milk.

 

Now we live in NZ & a typical dinner is meat & 5+ veg. (2 orange veg., 3+ green veg., etc.) Dh was determined that our dc would not grow up fussy eaters, so we made a big deal about how many colors that were on their plates. When we were visiting my family in VT when my dc were 13, 11, & 7 my mom took them to the grocery store & told them to choose whatever foods they wanted. They chose silverbeet (swiss chard) :lol: They were overwhelmed by the cereal isle & astounded that toaster strudels were a breakfast food, not a dessert.

 

A couple years later I took ds#2 (then 10yo) back for a visit & he was very disgusted that we could only get large sizes in the McDonalds in LAX. And the large was way, way bigger than the largest size found here in NZ. The size of the pizza & hotdogs at Costco disgusted him as well. Bigger was not better in his eyes. We took him to Pizza Hut one day for lunch & jokingly told him that he'd find the pizza way too big as usually & then ordered him a personal pan pizza. He was delighted. Finally a reasonably sized meal. :lol:

 

Getting rid of the "bigger is better" mentality & taking time to make real food would be a great improvement to the S.A.D. IMHO. Natural fat in a diet isn't a problem as I see it, but the processed fat & sugars have a lot to answer for as far as the obesity epidemic in America. What good is it doing my dad if he drinks 1% milk, but continues to eat a huge bag of chips with dinner with a couple cans of Pepsi?

Edited January 7, 2012 by Deb in NZ

[sewingmama]

Highly processed and too much sugar.

 

When I moved from from Australia to Canada I found it very difficult to shop and cook. I couldn't find where all the "real" ingredients were - everything was in a box or package.

 

The other thing that grossed me out was all the recipies I kept finding that required "a can of cream of mushroom soup". Do you know how much salt and fat is in that? No way would I add it to any dish I was making.

 

I have a few American recipie books - I always have to halve the amount of sugar they call for - not even my kids can stomach the sweetness of cookies that have 1.5 cups of white sugar and 1.5 cups of brown sugar - I mean really ????

[farouk]

Highly processed and too much sugar.

 

When I moved from from Australia to Canada I found it very difficult to shop and cook. I couldn't find where all the "real" ingredients were - everything was in a box or package.

 

The other thing that grossed me out was all the recipies I kept finding that required "a can of cream of mushroom soup". Do you know how much salt and fat is in that? No way would I add it to any dish I was making.

 

I have a few American recipie books - I always have to halve the amount of sugar they call for - not even my kids can stomach the sweetness of cookies that have 1.5 cups of white sugar and 1.5 cups of brown sugar - I mean really ????

 

sewingmama:

 

Oh, we are into cans of mushroom soup ...

[sewingmama]

One thing that I think is a really big factor is what Americans drink regularly with meals or throughout the day.

 

Have to agree with this. When I lived in Korea people drank water or tea with their meals. In fact water was free with your meal even in the fast food places there was a water cooler and they gave you a cup. Soda came in these tiny cans about half the size of a regualr can in the US. For fun they drink this milky tea drink with pearl barley bubbles in it. Barley tea is also popular.

[kiana]

Aldi's, it is under $2 (of they have any).

All other stores- ridiculously expensive.

But comparable things? Where do I get a pound of good dark bread for less than $2?

 

Hmm ... I should start going to Aldi again, I love pumpernickel.

[KungFuPanda]

The school lunch program is ridiculous in some (most?) places, although of course one finds truly lovely salad bars in wealtheir schools.

 

 

I taught in a rural, and not-remotely-wealthy elementary school in the

He early 90s. A beautiful salad bar was offered every day, but very few kids CHOSE it.

 

:iagree: A few times I've been traveling in areas of the States that only have the typical big American supermarket (Meijer, Safeway, Kroger, etc.). I've often been shocked at how little real food there is in these types of stores. All of the flour tortillas had chemical additives. All of the breads had chemical additives. Pretty much everything that wasn't produce was big-name brands. There were no artisan cheeses or breads. The produce didn't look great either (bred for looks, not flavor), but it was by far the best food available there. That's not at all how we normally eat, so we could really taste the difference. It all tasted fake and artificial.

 

I think many, many people in the States don't realize that the food to which they easily have access is often not of very good quality. Some of the big chain groceries have a better selection of additive-free, high-quality food, but many do not. It's very difficult to not eat a "standard American diet" when the only markets for miles around sell almost exclusively additive-laden foods and mass-market produce that's traveled thousands of miles to get there. In Europe, it would be very, very hard to find a grocery that does not sell bread without chemical additives!

 

Parrothead was wondering where you find whole-grain, artisan rye in a place like that. I end up making my own bread when I don't have access to breads that I like.

 

I grew up with a very large garden and a family that relied on home canning for winter vegetables. I thought that people in the country atw healthier because they gardened and didn't have quick access to take out. It's more trouble to drive into town than it is to cook.

 

However, my home town has developed A LOT since I moved twenty years ago. People can get pizza delivery now! Imagine! I now live in a small city near two major cities. I find it's easier to be healthy here than back home if you don't garden. I have my choice of ethnic restaurants. I can walk down the block to the farmers market that travels to my neighborhood every week. I can get whole grain breads at my grocery store, and less-sweet birthday cakes at the Asian market. "Fast food" in my neighborhood can mean kabobs, Pho noodle soup, or sushi. There's no reason to eat gross food here.

 

Shoot! It doesn't even have to be artisan rye. I'd be happy with a loaf of good sandwich rye.

 

I thought of another thing no one has mentioned yet: HFCS. That is so prevalent it is difficult to find foods without it.

 

This fight go easier when they opened a Trader Joe's in my neighborhood. They've also become my go-to place for fast food. Yesterday for dinner, I picked up their whole wheat pizza dough, pizza sauce, organic shredded cheese, and pepperoni. It took mr 30 minutes to make it, and twenty of those minutes were spent on this board while the dough rested at room temperature. I did chop some garlic to throw on there. I skipped veggies because we were dedicated to having a junk food night. :D

 

And you'll have several of each colour. I just remember (in the US) apples labled 'red' or 'green'.

 

My small local supermarket might have, at this time of year (changes by season) Cox's Orange Pippen, Egremont Russet, Spartan, Gala, Braeburn, Pink Lady, Jazz, Empire, Rubens, Granny Smith, Kanzi, Golden Delicious, Granny Smith and Bramley (for cooking).

 

Laura

 

I have never seen apples labeled by color! I do see more choices at the farmers market, but the grocery has red and golden delicious, granny smith, Braeburn, fuji, and gala. I grew up eating "cooked apples" from my grandmothers Transparent tree. She's pushing 90 and still feeding us all apples from that tree.

 

Highly processed and too much sugar.

 

When I moved from from Australia to Canada I found it very difficult to shop and cook. I couldn't find where all the "real" ingredients were - everything was in a box or package.

 

The other thing that grossed me out was all the recipies I kept finding that required "a can of cream of mushroom soup". Do you know how much salt and fat is in that? No way would I add it to any dish I was making.

 

I have a few American recipie books - I always have to halve the amount of sugar they call for - not even my kids can stomach the sweetness of cookies that have 1.5 cups of white sugar and 1.5 cups of brown sugar - I mean really ????

 

Just stay on the outside Edges of the store and you'll be safe. You can run to the center aisles for beans, rice, and baking supplies, but you have to run right out before a popsicle jumps into your cart!

 

 

Count me among those offended that tacos are on the bad list! What's wrong with a taco?

[happypamama]

To me it means a diet high in simple carbs and high in refined vegetable oil.

It is also a diet highly reliant on wheat, corn, and soy, either as main ingredients, additives, or as livestock fodder.

 

Yes, this. I would also consider the SAD to be a diet full of unnatural saturated fats, or artificially low fat foods. Margarine instead of butter. Low-fat sour cream instead of full-fat. I feel that there is a world of difference between Crisco and real, organic butter from a grass-fed cow. I also feel that the SAD uses a lot of factory-farmed foods, and a lot of added sugar/high fructose corn syrup. And I think many Americans drink far more soda, juice, and kool-aid than water.

 

As for quick meals, okay, sometimes we get take-out pizza. But for quick meals, when we were able to afford to get a quarter of a grass-fed cow at once, steak was always an option. Generally, burgers (preferably organic and grass-fed) are our standby these days; it's easy to saute some green beans and maybe make a quick salad to go with the burgers. My spinach-egg-cheese casserole is super easy and fast to mix up, though it takes a while (30-45 minutes) to bake. If we didn't do omelets for breakfast so often, they would be a good, fast dinner meal too. I often use dried beans, cooking a big batch at once and freezing half, but I'll compromise and use canned beans occasionally; I can always heat the beans, and put salsa, shredded cheese, tortillas, sour cream, guacamole, etc. on the table for burritos. Very fast. Oh, and individually wrapped frozen fish fillets; I keep those in the freezer, and they're quick to prepare too.

[stripe]

I have never seen apples labeled by color!

....

Count me among those offended that tacos are on the bad list! What's wrong with a taco?

 

the only ones I know of consistently labeled by color are Delicious apples.

 

I don't think either tacos or pizza is necessarily "bad", and the same goes for hamburgers (which I don't even eat). I think the only hamburger I've ever eaten was at the home of a friend from Afghanistan, and it seemed pretty healthy to me.

[Jane in NC]

This thread has led me to think about changes to the American diet over my lifetime (which admittedly is longer than many of the other posters on this board).

 

My parents grew up in different circumstances (one urban, the other on a dairy farm) yet both grew and preserved much of the food that their families ate. My urban grandmother had a tiny patch of grass in her backyard. The rest was garden--veggies and berry brambles. Tree fruits came from farms outside of town. My grandmother walked to the butcher and the baker. When my father was growing up, milk and other dairy products were delivered to their home.

 

On the farm, my mother's diet was influenced by what they grew. After my parents married, they maintained many of the food patterns from their early life. Canning fruits and tomato sauce was a family activity in our home. We did not have a butcher or baker in walking distance, but my mother pushed me in the stroller to the A&P where she bought groceries. It was a bit over a mile away on a hilly road. Should I note that my mother was always thin?

 

Processed food entered life with a bang. Part of the issue was shelf stability. For people like us--with one vehicle often used by my father for work and with small markets in neighborhoods disappearing and the large chain supermarket rolling in--food in boxes was sold as a "necessity" for modern life. Typical dessert recipes of the sixties and seventies, for example, start with a box of cake mix, a box of pudding mix and/or a frozen tub of fake whipped cream. (My sister and I were chuckling about this prior to Christmas. She makes one of those ubiquitous desserts of the time period which is literally scarfed down still by her extended family. Fake green pistachio pudding? Yuck. But there is so much nostalgia tied to that dessert...)

 

Cooking from scratch need not necessarily take up hours every day, but I think that it takes planning. We eat a lot of greens from a local farm. At some point in the afternoon, I need to remember to soak them in a bowl of water since they are a bit dirtier than store greens. Or I need to remember to get a biga started in the morning for bread dough. Or soak some beans the night before to cook the next day. Yet some people seem convinced that they lack the time to cook real food. Are the food companies guilty of promoting this concept? Probably. I like to think that things are changing. Newspapers like the New York Times have recipe concepts by people like Bittman who demonstrate that good food need not be complex in construction or require lots of strange ingredients. Everybody seems to be trying their hand at bread baking these days. The local food movement has been a big trend for a number of years now.

 

What I think is one of the more fascinating food changes on the American scene is the sale of food in drug stores like Walgreens or CVS. They formerly sold snacks, then milk, now tuna fish and even fresh fruit?

[Jenny in Florida]

Yet some people seem convinced that they lack the time to cook real food. Are the food companies guilty of promoting this concept? Probably.

 

I read it a few years ago when it came out, but as I recall this book kind of tells the story of how various companies marketed the idea that women are too busy to cook and food from packages can help:

 

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/something-from-the-oven-laura-shapiro/1101075232?ean=9780143034919&itm=1&usri=something+from+the+oven

 

I've been thinking about it while reading this thread.

[mcconnellboys]

I think it is all of those things: the over-processing, the low nutritional content as opposed to high levels of carbs and preservatives, portion sizes for restaurant meals, etc.

 

I try to avoid that sort of thing for dinners by using a slow cooker and putting food in during the day when I might have more time (usually mornings).

 

I also have down a set of meals that really only take me 30 minutes or less to prepare (20 is my average), and I can generally squeeze in that much time somewhere....

[beaners]

I grew up eating "cooked apples" from my grandmothers Transparent tree. She's pushing 90 and still feeding us all apples from that tree.

 

 

 

I know this is off-topic, but I would LOVE to know how she gets decent apples from her tree. We have one here, and I think I lose half the apples to rot on the tree before they ripen. I have a different variety next to it, in identical conditions, that isn't nearly as delicate. Is there some old-time secret to these trees?

[KungFuPanda]

I know this is off-topic, but I would LOVE to know how she gets decent apples from her tree. We have one here, and I think I lose half the apples to rot on the tree before they ripen. I have a different variety next to it, in identical conditions, that isn't nearly as delicate. Is there some old-time secret to these trees?

 

Some years it produces less fruit. Some years they seem to rot more quickly, but generally it produces more fruit than the family can use and the apples only rot once they are left on the ground unused for too long.

 

I have this sentimental little fantasy where I grow my own tree from hers. It's one of the first apple trees to get fruit in the spring. I believe it's specifically a yellow transparent tree, but I'm not positive. I grew up eating them from the tree with a little salt, or cooked up with butter and a bit of sugar. We eat them with a spoon or on biscuits.

[beaners]

Some years it produces less fruit. Some years they seem to rot more quickly, but generally it produces more fruit than the family can use and the apples only rot once they are left on the ground unused for too long.

 

I have this sentimental little fantasy where I grow my own tree from hers. It's one of the first apple trees to get fruit in the spring. I believe it's specifically a yellow transparent tree, but I'm not positive. I grew up eating them from the tree with a little salt, or cooked up with butter and a bit of sugar. We eat them with a spoon or on biscuits.

 

It sounds wonderful! Thanks for sharing!

[Lovedtodeath]

This is a fascinating read.

[Zuzu822]

I read it a few years ago when it came out, but as I recall this book kind of tells the story of how various companies marketed the idea that women are too busy to cook and food from packages can help:

 

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/something-from-the-oven-laura-shapiro/1101075232?ean=9780143034919&itm=1&usri=something+from+the+oven

 

I've been thinking about it while reading this thread.

 

Thanks for the link! Just requested from the library!

 

A year or so ago, my mom found this book on the bargain table at B&N:

 

http://www.amazon.com/Old-Time-Brand-Name-Cookbook-Illustrations-Kitchens/dp/0810982099

 

It is such a fascinating read about the transition to convenience cooking!

 

ETA: I think many of you would also enjoy Food of a Younger Land.

Edited January 8, 2012 by Zuzu822