Why don’t Americans give a f*** about what they eat?

[Anonymous]

So in order to eat and feed my family healthily in the U.S. I have to wake up at 3 am to bake bread, then roast the chicken, then milk the cow and proceed in this manner all day long?!
Or spend 6 dollars on some frozen bread?
Bravo America and Americans!
In my European county, I just buy bread in the morning or breakfast from the bakery!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:So in order to eat and feed my family healthily in the U.S. I have to wake up at 3 am to bake bread, then roast the chicken, then milk the cow and proceed in this manner all day long?!
Or spend 6 dollars on some frozen bread?
Bravo America and Americans!
In my European county, I just buy bread in the morning or breakfast from the bakery!

I don’t have to wake up at 3 am to bake bread. You can make no knead bread without fancy equipment and with minimal prep time. A lot of the work is done by the yeast while you’re sleeping or eating. Roasting chicken is another thing where it takes a few minutes to marinate and then throw it in the oven for 45 minutes. Put some veggies in there to roast too. Quick and easy.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Even at the grocery store,why is there sugar in deli meat? Why is it so hard to find an unsweetened cereal? Even Cheerios have sugar in them. The idea that the best way to have healthy bread is to make it yourself or buy Ezekiel bread for six bucks a loaf. It is not that hard in other countries.

Don’t buy deli meat then. I roast my own chicken, turkey, beef, lamb, pork or whatever for a meal. Then slice meat leftovers for sandwiches or wraps for lunch. I bake my own bread and pitas and pizza doughs. I don’t spend a lot of time doing this either. From experience, I’m pretty efficient at cooking around my work schedule.

FFS people!! I can only assume you all are being wilfully obtuse. I'm not PP, but I'm 90% certain she wasn't looking for recommendations on deli meat alternatives but rather pointing out the ubiquity of bad food options. It shouldn't be as hard as it is. But I guess some of you are so bent on demonstrating your superiority you can't entertain the notion that there could be a better way...and that most people in other countries have access to it.

I’m not disputing that there are a lot of bad food options. I’m just saying that are plenty of inexpensive healthy options too if you learn how to cook.

And why aren't those inexpensive healthy food options at school? Why can't school cooks learn to cook? If parents let their kids down, why does the government?
In the old country school cooks arrive 6 am to have freshly cooked food ready by 11:30 am - 12:30 pm. Nothing is frozen or reheated. US cannot even do it at schools. How do you expect people who work several jobs to do it at home. Get off your high horse. I hate junk food. I got fat just by looking at the food, so did my super skinny friend. She lost the weight when she returned home though. It's the food here unless you eat like a rabbit.

You're hilarious. You accuse others of being on a "high horse" (LOL), all the while asserting that the actual responsibility for kids' eating habits fall on SCHOOL LUNCH LADIES, who should get up at 4:00AM to get to work at 6:00AM to cook for five hours, instead of the responsibility for kids' eating habits being where it actually is -- on their damn parents.

P.S. Nobody on DCUM who has time to waste writing and respond to endless paragraphs of foolishness is "working 3 jobs," so you can shelve that excuse in this discussion. Thanks.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Even at the grocery store,why is there sugar in deli meat? Why is it so hard to find an unsweetened cereal? Even Cheerios have sugar in them. The idea that the best way to have healthy bread is to make it yourself or buy Ezekiel bread for six bucks a loaf. It is not that hard in other countries.

Don’t buy deli meat then. I roast my own chicken, turkey, beef, lamb, pork or whatever for a meal. Then slice meat leftovers for sandwiches or wraps for lunch. I bake my own bread and pitas and pizza doughs. I don’t spend a lot of time doing this either. From experience, I’m pretty efficient at cooking around my work schedule.

FFS people!! I can only assume you all are being wilfully obtuse. I'm not PP, but I'm 90% certain she wasn't looking for recommendations on deli meat alternatives but rather pointing out the ubiquity of bad food options. It shouldn't be as hard as it is. But I guess some of you are so bent on demonstrating your superiority you can't entertain the notion that there could be a better way...and that most people in other countries have access to it.

I’m not disputing that there are a lot of bad food options. I’m just saying that are plenty of inexpensive healthy options too if you learn how to cook.

And why aren't those inexpensive healthy food options at school? Why can't school cooks learn to cook? If parents let their kids down, why does the government?
In the old country school cooks arrive 6 am to have freshly cooked food ready by 11:30 am - 12:30 pm. Nothing is frozen or reheated. US cannot even do it at schools. How do you expect people who work several jobs to do it at home. Get off your high horse. I hate junk food. I got fat just by looking at the food, so did my super skinny friend. She lost the weight when she returned home though. It's the food here unless you eat like a rabbit.

You're hilarious. You accuse others of being on a "high horse" (LOL), all the while asserting that the actual responsibility for kids' eating habits fall on SCHOOL LUNCH LADIES, who should get up at 4:00AM to get to work at 6:00AM to cook for five hours, instead of the responsibility for kids' eating habits being where it actually is -- on their damn parents.

P.S. Nobody on DCUM who has time to waste writing and respond to endless paragraphs of foolishness is "working 3 jobs," so you can shelve that excuse in this discussion. Thanks.

Oh, and if you are so horrified by the evil, evil American school lunch, please feel free to spend 5 hours in your own kitchen making food for scratch from your kids and packing it, because no one is forcing you to allow your kids to eat school lunch. Problem solved!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:And we work much longer hours than most European countries. And in most South American countries, household help is the norm for even middle class families. So they do rely less on convenience foods. Convenience foods are ubiquitous here because they are cheap and fast and our work/life balance is out of alignment.

Is this true?

I would say that for most people I know, time is the impediment to eating healthy. With two full-time working parents, it is difficult to prepare all of your meals from scratch. Most places, 40 hours per week worked does not include lunch, meaning that most workers are outside of the home at 8 1/2 to 9 hours without a commute. We've improved our eating habits so much during the pandemic. I worry that it's not sustainable one we have to return to the office and have to deal with commutes and planning ahead for office lunches.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So in order to eat and feed my family healthily in the U.S. I have to wake up at 3 am to bake bread, then roast the chicken, then milk the cow and proceed in this manner all day long?!
Or spend 6 dollars on some frozen bread?
Bravo America and Americans!
In my European county, I just buy bread in the morning or breakfast from the bakery!

I don’t have to wake up at 3 am to bake bread. You can make no knead bread without fancy equipment and with minimal prep time. A lot of the work is done by the yeast while you’re sleeping or eating. Roasting chicken is another thing where it takes a few minutes to marinate and then throw it in the oven for 45 minutes. Put some veggies in there to roast too. Quick and easy.

OMG, how tone deaf can your responses be?! No one is saying that it's impossible to do these things, but it's close to impossible if you don't have a proper kitchen (like many low income Americans) or an unpredictable schedule (also like many low income Americans). And the larger point is that it doesn't have to be this way. There are countries where you can buy sliced bread at the market that isn't full of sugar (or doesn't cost 3x a regular loaf). This isn't a recipe thread, it's a discussion about what's wrong with the food system in the US.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:And we work much longer hours than most European countries. And in most South American countries, household help is the norm for even middle class families. So they do rely less on convenience foods. Convenience foods are ubiquitous here because they are cheap and fast and our work/life balance is out of alignment.

As someone from Latin America I would just caution you against romanticizing a system based on extreme income inequality. There is a reason the tiny middle class can afford household help. It's not something you want to replicate here.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So in order to eat and feed my family healthily in the U.S. I have to wake up at 3 am to bake bread, then roast the chicken, then milk the cow and proceed in this manner all day long?!
Or spend 6 dollars on some frozen bread?
Bravo America and Americans!
In my European county, I just buy bread in the morning or breakfast from the bakery!

I don’t have to wake up at 3 am to bake bread. You can make no knead bread without fancy equipment and with minimal prep time. A lot of the work is done by the yeast while you’re sleeping or eating. Roasting chicken is another thing where it takes a few minutes to marinate and then throw it in the oven for 45 minutes. Put some veggies in there to roast too. Quick and easy.

Oh, don't be facetious! There is no reason why we ought to be scared of buying a rotisserie chicken from a grocery store....the fact that we do have to worry about what on earth are we eating when we are buying what is supposed to be plain roasted meat and plain baked bread is criminal!

[Anonymous]

What is pathetic is that we have people here making excuses as to why the school is feeding our kids trash! Saying that this is ok!
Talk about the richest country in the world where citizens are so beat down that they think offering nasty fake food at school is ok!
Poor kids in Kenya are eating better than what the school offers our kids!
Yes, freedom, liberty, and rights for all!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So in order to eat and feed my family healthily in the U.S. I have to wake up at 3 am to bake bread, then roast the chicken, then milk the cow and proceed in this manner all day long?!
Or spend 6 dollars on some frozen bread?
Bravo America and Americans!
In my European county, I just buy bread in the morning or breakfast from the bakery!

I don’t have to wake up at 3 am to bake bread. You can make no knead bread without fancy equipment and with minimal prep time. A lot of the work is done by the yeast while you’re sleeping or eating. Roasting chicken is another thing where it takes a few minutes to marinate and then throw it in the oven for 45 minutes. Put some veggies in there to roast too. Quick and easy.

OMG, how tone deaf can your responses be?! No one is saying that it's impossible to do these things, but it's close to impossible if you don't have a proper kitchen (like many low income Americans) or an unpredictable schedule (also like many low income Americans). And the larger point is that it doesn't have to be this way. There are countries where you can buy sliced bread at the market that isn't full of sugar (or doesn't cost 3x a regular loaf). This isn't a recipe thread, it's a discussion about what's wrong with the food system in the US.

Right? How crazy is that this pp thinks it is ok that you can't buy a normal loaf of bread that is just salt, flour, and yeast at your local store? I can cook and I do cook, probably more than the above pp, because I grew up with it and have the privilege of having a nice kitchen and the money for pretty healthy ingredients!

[Anonymous]

There is healthy, cheap food in the U.S. No one wants to buy it or spend the trouble preparing it. We all expect this endless variety of palate-tickling delicacies. Does anyone remember growing up like we did when you had a PBJ and an apple for lunch most days and chicken and rice or spaghetti or greens and cornbread with peas every week at dinner and dessert was Nilla wafers?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:And we work much longer hours than most European countries. And in most South American countries, household help is the norm for even middle class families. So they do rely less on convenience foods. Convenience foods are ubiquitous here because they are cheap and fast and our work/life balance is out of alignment.

As someone from Latin America I would just caution you against romanticizing a system based on extreme income inequality. There is a reason the tiny middle class can afford household help. It's not something you want to replicate here.

This is a good point and many countries can afford these lunch ladies who cook fresh lunches because the wage rates are so depressed for service workers. In other countries, it’s because people pay very high tax rates. Either would require a major shift in American culture and policy. It would also require major physical plant renovations in most schools which is unrealistic considering taxpayers won’t even pay for functioning a/c in public schools.
If it’s still available, the Jamie Oliver show where he tried to reform school lunches in a West Virginia community was really interesting. That was maybe 15 years ago. He did something similar in Britain with some success but was not very successful here. There are articles about it, but the cost was one major problem.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:There is healthy, cheap food in the U.S. No one wants to buy it or spend the trouble preparing it. We all expect this endless variety of palate-tickling delicacies. Does anyone remember growing up like we did when you had a PBJ and an apple for lunch most days and chicken and rice or spaghetti or greens and cornbread with peas every week at dinner and dessert was Nilla wafers?

Thanks for discounting the experience of the huge number of immigrants and ethnic minorities in the US. Many of us didn't grow up eating these things, even if we grew up in the US.

Along these lines, it's not that, "No one wants to buy it or spend the trouble preparing it." Many people don't have the time to do this, because they need to work two jobs to keep a roof over their head. And they may not even have the facilities to prepare it, even if they have the time.

Sure, some Americans are lazy and have bad habits. But the same can be said for Asians, Europeans, Africans, etc. A big difference here is that our government's efforts to "regulate" the food industry don't stop them from selling us chemical and fat-laden food that is terrible for our health. Do you know that it's nearly impossible to buy a Whole 30 compliant rotisserie chicken at the grocery store, because they almost all have added fillers and sugar? I think there's literally one brand and flavor at Whole Foods that matches, none at your standard grocery stores. This is absurd, and it doesn't need to be that way. Most Americans also don't receive great education on nutrition, instead being taught food-industry approved messaging starting in elementary school (where they also have access to sugar-infused milk and juices, which are served as health options). We can and should do better. What we're doing now is literally killing us, and yet Americans who know better would rather criticize those who don't than advocate for real change. It's a really sad commentary on America.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There is healthy, cheap food in the U.S. No one wants to buy it or spend the trouble preparing it. We all expect this endless variety of palate-tickling delicacies. Does anyone remember growing up like we did when you had a PBJ and an apple for lunch most days and chicken and rice or spaghetti or greens and cornbread with peas every week at dinner and dessert was Nilla wafers?

Thanks for discounting the experience of the huge number of immigrants and ethnic minorities in the US. Many of us didn't grow up eating these things, even if we grew up in the US.

Along these lines, it's not that, "No one wants to buy it or spend the trouble preparing it." Many people don't have the time to do this, because they need to work two jobs to keep a roof over their head. And they may not even have the facilities to prepare it, even if they have the time.

Sure, some Americans are lazy and have bad habits. But the same can be said for Asians, Europeans, Africans, etc. A big difference here is that our government's efforts to "regulate" the food industry don't stop them from selling us chemical and fat-laden food that is terrible for our health. Do you know that it's nearly impossible to buy a Whole 30 compliant rotisserie chicken at the grocery store, because they almost all have added fillers and sugar? I think there's literally one brand and flavor at Whole Foods that matches, none at your standard grocery stores. This is absurd, and it doesn't need to be that way. Most Americans also don't receive great education on nutrition, instead being taught food-industry approved messaging starting in elementary school (where they also have access to sugar-infused milk and juices, which are served as health options). We can and should do better. What we're doing now is literally killing us, and yet Americans who know better would rather criticize those who don't than advocate for real change. It's a really sad commentary on America.

+1

Obviously correct but the weird reactionaries on this thread will have a tantrum about it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:And we work much longer hours than most European countries. And in most South American countries, household help is the norm for even middle class families. So they do rely less on convenience foods. Convenience foods are ubiquitous here because they are cheap and fast and our work/life balance is out of alignment.

As someone from Latin America I would just caution you against romanticizing a system based on extreme income inequality. There is a reason the tiny middle class can afford household help. It's not something you want to replicate here.

This is a good point and many countries can afford these lunch ladies who cook fresh lunches because the wage rates are so depressed for service workers. In other countries, it’s because people pay very high tax rates. Either would require a major shift in American culture and policy. It would also require major physical plant renovations in most schools which is unrealistic considering taxpayers won’t even pay for functioning a/c in public schools.
If it’s still available, the Jamie Oliver show where he tried to reform school lunches in a West Virginia community was really interesting. That was maybe 15 years ago. He did something similar in Britain with some success but was not very successful here. There are articles about it, but the cost was one major problem.

These are great points, especially the bolded. I think that's why I thought Michelle Obama's initial focus on reforming school lunch was so quietly radical. Not surprising that it morphed into "Let's Move" (essentially going from systemic change to personal responsibility) when Barack was up for re-election.

As hard as it would be to reform our food system, I think it's what's desperately needed in this country. Aside from public health, there are so many negative impacts of our current system. The high degree of centralization makes it efficient but extremely brittle and vulnerable to disruptions (see how hard it was to shift supply chains last year). Many of the agricultural practices we use are absolutely terrible for the environment and unlikely to be sustainable in the face of climate change. The food system's labor practices are abhorrent, and at least some people think that the undocumented immigration associated with it is a national security risk (I think it's more complicated than that).

This issue is often presented as one of health/well-being and personal priorities, but it's not. It's an indication of a deep sickness in our culture and policy.