I saw a commercial the other day for yet another new prepared food product,Marie Calleter的家庭式面食创作, sold in microwaveable plastic containers that heat the pasta and sauce separately, presumably making them taste more like something you make at home. I don’t know how they taste, but it sure looks like they will produce a lot of plastic waste if they are successful. I was never a big fan of eating packaged meals at work myself, but I do realize that they are relatively inexpensive, and while not as cheap (or as healthy) as homemade meals, they are definitely easy.

Why do we need everything to be easy?

I recognize that we live in a fast-paced world, driving frantically from place to place, trying to fit work, play, family, hobbies, and exercise into days that often seem too short. It does seem to me that this type of lifestyle is ultimately a self-destructive one that we should strive to change. Getting back to food, one problem we face is that very few people cook anymore. Whether it is an issue of time, will, ability, or a combination, a large portion of our meals are either eaten out; ordered in; or prepared in a store or factory, brought home, heated, and eaten. We do this because it is easy. It doesn’t necessarily taste better, it certainly isn’t healthier, and it doesn’t cost more than cooking it yourself.

Not casting stones

While I enjoy cooking, and do so often, I will be the first to admit that I eat out more than I should. Although my fast-food habits lean toward burritos and pizza, and I almost never eat at chain burger or chicken places, I must admit that I am occasionally tempted by those advertisements for $2.99 value meals. Think about it: you can barely buy the raw ingredients for that price even if you wanted to cook it yourself. But then again, how bad will it taste and how much will it clog my arteries? These cheap meals are an indicator of our skewed priorities. We may not realize it, but food is pretty cheap, if not necessarily healthy or tasty. Food costs as a percentage of income have consistently fallen for several decades.

As a society, we have become addicted to cheap things. Whether it is a meal, a TV, a computer, or even a house—we always look for the “best” deals, and are proud when we get them, myself included. But are those deals as good as they seem? Lots of cheap fast food can lead to obesity, diabetes, and other long-term health problems. I finally gave up on cheap Windows-based PCs that kept crapping out and paid real money for a Mac (which, incidentally, still cost about 80% less than my first computer). For too many years, people bought houses based on the best price per square foot, which, as my buddy Peter Pfeiffer points out, is like buying cars by the pound. I am hopeful that with the reset in real estate values, we will begin to see more value placed on quality and efficiency in our buildings, displacing some of the emphasis on quantity.

Let’s get our priorities straight

现在是时候改变我们生活中的东西的时候了。我们需要愿意为质量付出更多，并停止尝试以廉价地下汇价格购买数量。这适用于食品，家庭产品和我们把它们的房屋进去。我愿意为来自当地拥有的企业的高品质食物花费更多，生活在一个更好的，更小的家中，是高效健康的，购买优质产品会持续。我不是一路走来;我仍然难以讨价还价，但我试图改变。如果我们给它拍摄，我们应该最终更健康，更快乐，在我们较小的房子里有点少，塑料午餐容器更少，在一天结束时扔掉。