Jul 29 2008
Misplaced Priorities - Losing Sight of the Prize
Before her death, my Granny used to tell me stories about growing up in the south. I can still remember her describing the first time she met the woman who would become her mother-in-law, “Big Mama”. Big Mama was in the kitchen (as she often was, it would seem) preparing a meal. Without a moment’s hesitation - and in mid-sentence - she stepped through the screened door and into the yard, grabbed an unsuspecting hen and snapped its neck.
After finishing the needful and hanging Henny Penny upside down from the clothes line to drain, she stepped back into the kitchen and picked up right where she left off without missing a beat.
I think a lot about that period in my family’s history. Biscuits came from a few minutes time and a few basic pantry essentials that were always on hand, not from the McDonald’s Drive Thru window. What we spend on a fast breakfast on the way to work - even adjusted for inflation and the cost of living - would have fed Big Mama’s entire family for several days.
Did she know some great and powerful secret to which the rest of the world is not privy? Heck no. She knew how to cook in a day when knowing how to cook was a requirement for women everywhere. Convenience foods didn’t exist and even when they did, they didn’t taste anywhere close to what she could make in her own kitchen.
In our desire to live faster paced lifestyles we have misplaced our priorities and lost sight of the prize. We value convenience and speed over quality. The family dinner table is just a place for papers and book bags to gather, no longer the central conversation zone that once held together the strong family tapestry.
Instead of growing a tomato plant or two for a couple of bucks, we spend that much every time we go to the grocery store to buy a pound of mealy, anemic hybrids that don’t go far beyond the appearance of a tomato and we settle for that.
Is it possible to get back our misplaced priorities and to realign ourselves with the way things used to be? Technology and the need to get ahead may have made it more difficult, but the current econonmic situation has led more and more people to the welfare lines when they lose their jobs in a layoff or they can simply no longer afford the gas it takes to get back and forth to work every day.
Learn to cook. I don’t care if you make a mean Hamburger Helper, you can do better. My partner and my roommate both adore the aforementioned company’s beef stroganoff flavor, but for the same price I can make three times the amount of my comparable (and more flavorful) version. What’s more, it is homemade and I control exactly what goes into it.
Learn to shop. Just say “no” to convenience foods. Your time may be precious, but so is food. When you make something yourself, you have no choice but to appreciate it more. buy fresh and local produce whenever possible. It is better for you, better for your local economy, and it takes fewer food miles to get to your table.
You know, this is such great advice. For awhile, I had fallen into the habit of buying premade salads from either a drive-thru or the market. These things cost about $5 but I tried to convince myself that it was worth it because I didn’t have to do any work. But really!! How hard is it to make a salad? These past couple of weeks, I’ve gotten back into the habit of making my own salad for lunch and it’s amazing how much the savings is.
Thanks for the comment, kalilea.
What I noticed when I was in a similar situation to what you describe, aside from the savings, was how much better the food tasted. The majority of salads I purchased were tasteless!
I agree not to mention you are so right about the cost of eating versus eating a home cooked meal. I limit us to eating out once a week and no more than that. My grocery bill is running about $150.00 a month including sodas when we get them.
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