Supermarket Slobs!

The friendliest place on the web for anyone that enjoys cooking.
If you have answers, please help by responding to the unanswered posts.
Status
Not open for further replies.
I blame it on schools, going up we had Home ecomnomics, where you we were taught to cook, plan a party, clean a house right down to ironing a shirt proper making beds doing laundry etc.. Handle a household buget. Preparing a shopping list and learned how to shop. Now days a button falls off they throw it out and buy new. Pants that need to be hemmed on a women in a suit isn't - she looks nice till you get to the botom and the pants are to long - ripped and frad from her heals. They buy frozen package stuff or bring home the Mcdonald or the burger king or have you ever driven down a street during the day of garage pick up and noticed the pizza boxes, as no one has shown them how to cook anything, half the time they can't even read a recipe.
It is the schools cutting the budgets and they is one that they should bring back.
 
I would love to teach a cooking basics class, just to show how easy and inexpensive cooking can be if you know how to cook from scratch, instead of a bag, box or bottle.

I think this is something that should be offered, even required of, all food stamp recipients. I don't want to see anyone go hungry, but I've stood in line behind some people using food stamps, and some of them have no idea about nutrition.
I also think food pantries should offer sheets of printed recipes using the foods they have to offer. The only cost would be the ink and the paper. I'm sure they could find someone to volunteer to make them up.

I know, I know...I've been told I'm naive, but I still think it would be a good idea!
 
And haven't you noticed that some of these are the most fantastic dishes and so rare because you can't really duplicate them because the ingredients are what you have left over at that particular time.

GLOP. I love that. Somehow it sounds tastier.:angel:

YES! And Shrek tells me to, "write it down next time":rolleyes: There's nothing to write down...I'm not measuring it! :LOL:

I've also called it Dishrag Soup, since I'm cleaning the fridge shelves as I cook.
 
...As a teenager, I tried to imitate Hamburger Helper by cooking noodles, browned hamburger and a can of whatever cream of soup we had. Different spices for different tasting dishes and I ended up with a whole repertoire of meals. It tasted better and was just as easy. I had so much fun making simple stroganoff (just add some sour cream and maybe a small can of mushrooms) and the like, that I found out that cooking was creative and could be easy. We named the recipe GOOP. I still love to make simple one dish meals/casseroles.:chef:

As a Boy Scout, we used to cook GLOP on camping trips. Hamburg, onion, potato, cream of mushroom soup and some peas and/or corn. I still make it from time to time.
 
Before Shrek retired, he worked for W@lm@rt. Employees there are given a card (and one for their spouses) that when presented, give them 10% off their purchase. It wasn't until just a couple of years ago that the discount applied to fresh produce. They could buy all the junk they wanted and get 10% off, but not on fresh produce...go figure.
 
As a Boy Scout, we used to cook GLOP on camping trips. Hamburg, onion, potato, cream of mushroom soup and some peas and/or corn. I still make it from time to time.

I remember Boy Scout camp...they were across the lake from the Camp Fire camp. Once during camp the boys would come over and cook GLOP, we were responsible for the S'mores.:)
 
The junk food probably has a higher markup on it than fresh produce.

Addendum: As a high profile employer (any employer, really), they have a vested interest in the health of their employees. Most employees already spend the bulk of ther paychecks in the store and in my opinion, they (the company) could handle the hit to their bottom line and offer healthier choices to their employees, at the same discount.

I was in the store yesterday, checked out the produce dept...limp broccoli, dried out asparagus. I walked away and spent more money at a local-owned grocery.
 
Hmmm, very interesting Mollyanne, I was just formulating my post when I read yours. Now I don't need to.




"He who is without sin cast the first stone". I'm uncomfortable with the pethora of judgemental comments in this thread. I can say I have never looked in other people's carts to see what they are buying. I have never looked in someone's grocery bag, read their receipt, and cast judgement on what they are buying or why they are plump. Maybe they're buying it for a invalid friend. Maybe their stove is on the blink...or maybe their kitchen is being renovated. When I go to a grocery store I'm on a mission and I'm all about me, my family, and friends. I don't pay any attention to strangers there...why would I? Am I the only one?

I know you're laughing at my seemingly naive statements...yes, the supply of processed food is there because the demand is there, but my point is that we have no business judging strangers in a grocery store. It's arrogant. No?

Furthermore, I see improvements...in America anyway (i'm not familiar with other countries). Educational materials and mass media attention have reached many. More people know about processed foods, exercise, portion control, pyramid w/dailyrequirements, when to eat, why to eat, what to eat, etc than ever before. The awareness is there. It's the other factors that are too many to mention here...will-power, stress, physical issues, and emotional issues are at the top of the list.

Maybe they just lost 100 lbs but they're having a bad day and are feeling weak for one day. Anyone here ever had a bad day?

Some people have more of those issues than others so give'em a break.

Very well said. Thank you.....
 
"He who is without sin cast the first stone". I'm uncomfortable with the pethora of judgemental comments in this thread. I can say I have never looked in other people's carts to see what they are buying. I have never looked in someone's grocery bag, read their receipt, and cast judgement on what they are buying or why they are plump. Maybe they're buying it for a invalid friend. Maybe their stove is on the blink...or maybe their kitchen is being renovated. When I go to a grocery store I'm on a mission and I'm all about me, my family, and friends. I don't pay any attention to strangers there...why would I? Am I the only one?

I know you're laughing at my seemingly naive statements...yes, the supply of processed food is there because the demand is there, but my point is that we have no business judging strangers in a grocery store. It's arrogant. No?

Furthermore, I see improvements...in America anyway (i'm not familiar with other countries). Educational materials and mass media attention have reached many. More people know about processed foods, exercise, portion control, pyramid w/dailyrequirements, when to eat, why to eat, what to eat, etc than ever before. The awareness is there. It's the other factors that are too many to mention here...will-power, stress, physical issues, and emotional issues are at the top of the list.

Maybe they just lost 100 lbs but they're having a bad day and are feeling weak for one day. Anyone here ever had a bad day?

Some people have more of those issues than others so give'em a break.

You took the thoughts right out of my head and stated them better than I could have done.
 
I read somewhere that to have a healthy diet one must shop around the outside walls of the grocery store. When I think of that it really makes sense, veggies...dairy.....meats! It's the isles that get you every time!

That is mostly true. The inside isles contain Beans, Grains and our beloved Spices. For me and I suspect for most people Frozen and Canned Veggies who it is not feasible to be a slave to the grocery store. Yes it is a convenience, but I don't have the time or the inclination to grow a garden and put them up myself. I love the salt free canned veggies! I have used the tomatoes on tacos when I didn't have fresh. I could not tell the difference.It is like having fresh veggies without the time and effort. I can stock up and have my choice on hand and not have to throw something out because it will not go bad in just a few days.
 
Last edited:
I just don't like the way "cooking" is going. The art of cooking from scratch is fading. I think that celebrity chefs help a bit, but they tend to hurt at the same time. When trying to make a celebrity chef recipe, it can often become very expensive, and it is just cheaper to eat processed prepared food or eat out.

I have a dear friend that obviously grew up on processed foods and continues to eat them today. She prepares food at home but it is often a combination of canned and boxed processed foods, she recently made a lasagna that was layers of beefaroni and cheese all baked together. I applaud that she takes the time to get into the kitchen to prepare a meal, but in the long term this can't be healthy.

I take notice of people's carts because I work in a grocery store. There seems to be a very noticeable divide between shoppers, those who do a majority of their shopping around the perimeter of the store (fresh products) and those shopping mostly the middle (mostly processed foods).

There can be an affordable balance, it is just that many haven't figured it out yet.

My mom was a busy woman, raising 5 children, she still cooked from scratch every night, mostly because we couldn't afford a lot of convenience foods. She did it with savvy shopping and planning.
 
Last edited:
...thank you kayelle and suzyQ...but did you have to copy and paste my typo...LOL...pethora=plethora...when will I ever learn to proofread...i'm sure there are more :blush:
 
This is not a new discussion nor do I think it will be the last one to pop up here. It's part of what I really like about this group - the ability to express your opinion and have a discussion. That said ...

I applaud the parents who come home, cook dinner and actually sit at the table and eat with their children. I don't care if it's a made from scratch beef stew or if it came out of a can. It's the act of sitting down and sharing not only food but conversation with each other that we should be focused on.

As much as DH and I love to cook (and we're pretty good I think), there are nights when we get home at 8:00 or 8:30 and frozen pizza or mac and cheese taste pretty good. My homemade mac and cheese puts to shame the box stuff but it takes an hour versus 15 minutes. There are also cold, rainy days when canned tomato soup and a grilled cheese hit the spot. Like Mollyanne said before, we've all had bad days and needed a pick me up.

My father owns a grocery store so I'm privy to people's shopping tendencies but can honestly say I don't walk around looking into people's carts. Instead, I focus on how many people are there with their children, sharing that experience and making it a family affair - whether they shop the perimeter or the isles.

The previous statement that this has turned into a commentary on our society is correct and that is what we should be focused on. Not what people are eating together, rather the fact that more and more families are returning to the table period.
 
"He who is without sin cast the first stone". I'm uncomfortable with the pethora of judgemental comments in this thread. I can say I have never looked in other people's carts to see what they are buying. I have never looked in someone's grocery bag, read their receipt, and cast judgement on what they are buying or why they are plump. Maybe they're buying it for a invalid friend. Maybe their stove is on the blink...or maybe their kitchen is being renovated. When I go to a grocery store I'm on a mission and I'm all about me, my family, and friends. I don't pay any attention to strangers there...why would I? Am I the only one?

...

I don't intentionally check out other people's grocery baskets, but there isn't a lot else to do while waiting in a long line up. And, I am always interested in other human beings. I start conversations with willing people. "Oh, I love that cheese." "That bread is so yummy." "I've been curious about that ________. What's it like?"
 
I agree with most of what's been said here. BUT...

We all need to get over this.

The very people we are calling lazy or stupid, etc. are sitting at home wondering why idiots like us take the time to cook everything from scratch when there are perfectly good alternatives available. They're saying that they could cook from scratch too if they had all the time in the world but THEY have to work for a living...

Good points.

I was a bit baffled by someone calling them lazy and writing that they don't have time to cook because they work too much ;)
 
A lot of people today just don't know how to cook and aren't interested in learning. My sister- in -law is like that. Now she is not a lazy person. Her house is immaculate but therein lies the problem. Cooking means added cleaning. A frozen lasagna comes in a disposable pan, and doesn't require much more than a paper plate. No muss no fuss. I guess she just feels that she has better things to do. Oh, and by the way though she is 50ish until recently she never worked outside the home. Still couldn't learn to cook. go figure.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top Bottom