A couple of Sundays ago, the Chicago Tribune published an article about the so-called "hourglass economy." The term refers to a situation in which retailers at the top and bottom thrive while the ones in the middle get squeezed out. It's happening not just because of the growing gap between rich and poor but also because middle-class shoppers are skimping on some things (i.e., they buy things like toilet paper and cleaning products at places like Sam's Club and Costco) so they'll have the money to buy high-end cars and other luxury items.
After reading this article in the New York Times (http://www.nytimes.com/2006/02/08/dining/08choc.html?pagewanted=1), I'm starting to think that the same phenomenon is occurring with the American palate. At one extreme are the people who eat almost nothing but fast food and processed junk, and, at the other extreme are people who try to "gourmet-ize" everything, even simple things like chocolate, which doesn't leave much in the middle of the spectrum. I attritubute this phenomenon to the fact that so few people cook at home any more. If you never experience home-cooked, middle-of-the-road fare, then you have no idea that such a thing even exists.
Whatever happened to simple, unpretentious, good food? It seems to me that America could use some plain home cooking right about now. Maybe it would help cure our collective schizophrenia about food and diet. Don't get me wrong--on the rare occasions that I've had the money to go to a high-end restaurant, I've enjoyed the food greatly. I appreciate the work and artistry that go into creating a fine dining experience. And I enjoy pretzels, chips, and other junk food as much as the next person. But you can't live on that stuff unless you're either (a) fabulously wealthy or (b) completely unconcerned about your health. So here I am, squarely, unapologetically in the middle of that hourglass, exercising moderation and relying as much as possible on food that I cook myself at home, as countless generations before me did. If it was good enough for Grandma, then, by golly, it's good enough for me.
After reading this article in the New York Times (http://www.nytimes.com/2006/02/08/dining/08choc.html?pagewanted=1), I'm starting to think that the same phenomenon is occurring with the American palate. At one extreme are the people who eat almost nothing but fast food and processed junk, and, at the other extreme are people who try to "gourmet-ize" everything, even simple things like chocolate, which doesn't leave much in the middle of the spectrum. I attritubute this phenomenon to the fact that so few people cook at home any more. If you never experience home-cooked, middle-of-the-road fare, then you have no idea that such a thing even exists.
Whatever happened to simple, unpretentious, good food? It seems to me that America could use some plain home cooking right about now. Maybe it would help cure our collective schizophrenia about food and diet. Don't get me wrong--on the rare occasions that I've had the money to go to a high-end restaurant, I've enjoyed the food greatly. I appreciate the work and artistry that go into creating a fine dining experience. And I enjoy pretzels, chips, and other junk food as much as the next person. But you can't live on that stuff unless you're either (a) fabulously wealthy or (b) completely unconcerned about your health. So here I am, squarely, unapologetically in the middle of that hourglass, exercising moderation and relying as much as possible on food that I cook myself at home, as countless generations before me did. If it was good enough for Grandma, then, by golly, it's good enough for me.
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