Convenience ...

We have all been bombarded with the knowledge that most 'convenience foods' are less healthy than their slow-cooking counterparts, and that traditional 'fast food' outlets are to be put in the 'treat' category, but something I saw at my favorite grocery store yesterday threw me into a state of disbelief.

Apparently, our society is so desperate for immediate gratification that we are unable to wait the required 9-11 minutes to cook pasta. Yes, that's right, boiling water is now in the 'slow food' category. What I found myself staring at was packages of frozen, pre-cooked pasta, which required the recipient to microwave for a couple of minutes before eating. And I know what you are thinking but no, there was no sauce, no butter, no cheese. It was simply plain, pre-cooked, frozen pasta.

And the couple in front of me were picking up two packets of it.

I wondered whether they were going to trade in their fresh oranges to the already-peeled frozen option that they would see when they took 2 steps to their right?!

Be wary of the ever-increasing number of 'healthy gimmicks' which line our grocery aisles. While time is of the essence, so we should be more dedicated to nurturing ourselves; not all fast food is bad for us (my frozen pasta being a perfect example of a buck to the trend), but nor should eating and cooking be viewed as a mere necessity. Apparently we like eating, so lets start thinking about what we're eating, and where to spend our food dollars. Overpriced, frozen, cooked pasta doesn't jump out at me as being a huge $$ or time-saver?

And I'm sure Hippocrates didn't envisage microwaved pasta when he stated the famous quote: 'Let food be your medicine and medicine be your food'.... soon, pouring milk on cereal will be considered 'cooking'. With the advent of convenient 'cereal bars' which claim to contain your morning's 'bowlful' of calcium, maybe it already is!