Is Cooking Really Cheaper Than Fast Food?
| Tue Oct. 4, 2011 3:00 AM PDT
You can walk into any McDonald's in America and buy a bounty of ready-to-eat calories for just a few bucks.
But can you cook much better food for yourself for even cheaper? That's the message of Slow Food USA's ongoing $5 Challenge, and of a recent column by New York Times recipe wizard/food politics columnist Mark Bittman. Bittman's piece links to a handy infographic showing that the typical burgers-and-fries dinner for a family of four at McDonald's costs about $28, while a home-cooked chicken-and-potatoes meal for four would run you just $14.
I agree with the message that Slow Food and Bittman are sending here: that from-scratch cooking is absolutely the most powerful tool we have for improving our diets and resisting the food industry's most awful offerings. But I sense a significant accounting error: They omit the cost of labor for the home-cooked meal and include it in the fast-food alternative, which comes begging to be inhaled immediately, no postprandial dish-doing necessary.
The Times calculated the cost of its $14 chicken dinner by summing the price of the individual ingredients: a $6 raw whole chicken, $3 worth of potatoes, a nickel for salt and pepper, etc. But what about the time it takes to plan the dinner, shop for the ingredients, transform them into a meal, and then clean up the resulting mess?
But can you cook much better food for yourself for even cheaper? That's the message of Slow Food USA's ongoing $5 Challenge, and of a recent column by New York Times recipe wizard/food politics columnist Mark Bittman. Bittman's piece links to a handy infographic showing that the typical burgers-and-fries dinner for a family of four at McDonald's costs about $28, while a home-cooked chicken-and-potatoes meal for four would run you just $14.
I agree with the message that Slow Food and Bittman are sending here: that from-scratch cooking is absolutely the most powerful tool we have for improving our diets and resisting the food industry's most awful offerings. But I sense a significant accounting error: They omit the cost of labor for the home-cooked meal and include it in the fast-food alternative, which comes begging to be inhaled immediately, no postprandial dish-doing necessary.
The Times calculated the cost of its $14 chicken dinner by summing the price of the individual ingredients: a $6 raw whole chicken, $3 worth of potatoes, a nickel for salt and pepper, etc. But what about the time it takes to plan the dinner, shop for the ingredients, transform them into a meal, and then clean up the resulting mess?
Yet that bargain seems deeply problematic. McDonald's adds to its customers' leisure time in part by exploiting its own workers. The labor-adjusted price advantage McDonald's offers over a home-cooked meal largely reflects the fast-food industry's success at de-skilling and low-balling its own workforce. A "cook" at McDonald's doesn't so much cook as oversee the operation of simple-to-use cooking machines. As the BLS puts it: "Duties of these cooks are limited to preparation of a few basic items and normally involve operating large-volume single-purpose cooking equipment." It's no surprise, then, that the median wage listed by the BLS for "Cooks, Fast Food" is $8.70 per hour—just over half of the median wage for all professions.
But I can see why American families, facing recessionary pressures and ever greater professional demands, so often leverage the fast-food industry's cheap labor pool for a fuss-free meal.
Bittman's accounting error is significant, because it allows us to underestimate the depth of the problem: McDonald's really is making an offer that's hard for millions of families to refuse. It's neither all in their heads nor solely the function of (admittedly) powerful marketing.
The trick, for those of us who would like to see Americans doing more of their own cooking, is to convince people to value time in the kitchen more than they do leisure activities like TV watching or video gaming. On this point, I converge with Bittman and the Slow Food people. Bittman sees two obstacles, one political and the other cultural, to the goal of a broad-based cooking revival:
The cultural lies in celebrating real food; raising our children in homes that don't program them for fast-produced, eaten-on-the-run, high-calorie, low-nutrition junk; giving them the gift of appreciating the pleasures of nourishing one another and enjoying that nourishment together.I would add another suggestion that combines the cultural and the political: reintroduce cooking classes—home ec, aimed at teaching basic kitchen skills—to the public school curriculum alongside reading and math. Cooking is a habit, one that Americans have largely lost. Interest in it is growing, but probably not fast enough. If you don't know how to handle a knife or stock a working home pantry, it's doubtful you'll ever learn to enjoy cooking. Fewer people are now learning those skills at home, and people who can't cook are in no position to teach their kids to do it. If the public schools don't fill the void, who will—the fast-food industry?
Political action would mean agitating to limit the marketing of junk; forcing its makers to pay the true costs of production; recognizing that advertising for fast food is not the exercise of free speech but behavior manipulation of addictive substances; and making certain that real food is affordable and available to everyone. The political challenge is the more difficult one, but it cannot be ignored.
http://motherjones.com/tom-philpott/2011/10/cooking-really-cheaper-junk-food-mark-bittman
Discussion Questions
1) Bittman sees two obstacles, one political and the other cultural, to the goal of a broad-based cooking revival. Do you think either of these obstacles can be overcome? If so, how? How long do you think it would take to overcome them?
2) Do you agree with the author, that cooking classes should be reintroduced in schools? How would you argue their reintroduction to a school superintendent? Or do you believe that cooking classes would be hard to promote because of current political and cultural obstacles?
1. I think the cultural obstacles of the easy convenience of fast food, and that most social gathering revolves around eating, will slowly shift over time. For example, look at smoking. In the not so distant American past most of society heavily smoked, even if just as a form of socializing. However, once the reality finally set in that smoking is strongly tied to lung cancer and other health concerns, the number of smokers decreased drastically. Of course cigarettes are still an issue in society today, but far less then they once were. America's obesity problem and broken view of food will have to eventually reach a breaking point where people are forced to change.
ReplyDelete2. I think it is a great idea for cooking classes to be incorporated into schools. I think if some one was to make a case for this program, it would be the most beneficial and of the most impact to trace the life a typical child from that school and their daily diet. I do think that cooking classes is a great thought, at least to be offered in high schools, however in the economy of our country today, I'm not convinced this would be the best use of tax payers dollars in education. In many situations I think that even using money to increase knowledge about health and the effect food has the body could arguably accomplish similar goals.
1. I also believe that these cultural obstacles can be overcome, but very slowly. The fact the America (unlike other countries like Italy, Mexico, Korea) has no food culture is a serious structural problem. I don't think there will ever be an "American cuisine." What needs to change is that instead of using food to only promote energy, we need to see food in a cultural/environmental context. The political obstacles, I think, can also be overcome but it will also be very difficult. With these constant changes in the food pyramid, the government never tells us to eat less, but instead we should eat differently (more whole grains, more veggies, etc). If Americans can start to see food as food and not as a way to only fuel themselves then I think we can begin to change our eating habits. This will then lead the constituents to place pressures for change.
ReplyDelete2. I think the reintroduction of cooking classes is great. I would argue that cooking classes can not only change the way we think about food, but there is also other types of "hidden learning" when you cook. By using different measurements kids will also be practicing math without even realizing it (ie: 1/2 + 1/3 or how many pints are in a quart). I think the politics would be the hardest obstacle to overcome. Trying to pass legislation is such a long and complex process that it could take a while before these classes were even introduced to students.
1. Both the cultural and political obstacles can be overcome, but not at a fast pace. Culturally, it has become popular to say "I can't cook" and funny to joke about eating at McDonalds regularly. Forcing a shift in this kind of behavior to make people interested in cooking who have never had a reason to be interested will take a structural shift, like mandatory home ec. in school. As for the political problems, it's all about whether the public sees the issue as big enough. Politicians don't mandate things for fun, rather it takes public pressure to force change. If people don't demand a change, legislation requiring appropriate advertising won't happen.
ReplyDelete2. Children should be able to cook, and schools should have some role in teaching the basics! Most people aren't cut out to be Chefs, but it's ridiculous that there are people who do not know how to measure out enough water to cook a cup of rice! I think mandating home ec. to be as important as math would be inappropriate because food is so personal, but the subject does need to be reintroduced at some level.
I think that the main problem to overcome in order to get more people to cook their own food instead of going to fast food restaurants is the ease and convienence of fast food. I think everyone can agree that it takes a lot of time to cook your own meal every night. It seems like the biggest problem in 'taking down' fast food restaurants is trying to compete with how fast the food can be made. I think people need to become more informed about the problems of eating fast food all the time (this is definitely starting to happen in news media) so that they can see the imense benefits of home cooking. People need to be able to realize that the extra time spent cooking a meal at home is worth the health benefits that you can get from it.
ReplyDelete2. I can definitely say that I have used the "I can't cook" excuse before and that is because I have never really enjoyed cooking or tried very hard to learn how to cook well. I think that cooking classes in school would definitely have helped me to overcome my fears about cooking. These classes could teach kids to feel more comfortable in the kitchen and more excited to create new things (and to try new foods). I'm not sure how these classes could actually be introduced into schools with all the budget cuts that have been going on lately, but it is definitely an inspired idea.
1. I think the cultural and political obstacles can be overcome, but it will take much time and money to do so. To overcome the cultural obstacle and start promoting real food and cooking, families need to be educated and children need to learn healthy eating habits at a young age. Families aren't going to automatically make the change to real food because many don't know how to cook or the prices for meals at the grocery store. Education is the first step to achieving the cultural goals. As for the political goals, government officials are already hesitant to put money into any sort of healthy food promotion, as seen by the recent "pizza is a vegetable" scandal with congress. It is hard to convince people that this issue needs more attention when there are so many other problems to deal with. Making corporations pay the true costs of production, limiting their production of junk food, and changing the advertising industry are all very formidable tasks. Corporations have so much power these days that it is hard to get them to implement changes that aren't in the name of profit, so the political obstacles may take much longer to overcome.
ReplyDelete2. I think cooking classes would be a fun way to educate kids about healthy eating. For younger students, it's very important to start early with healthy habits and by teaching them simple but effective cooking techniques, the kids could have fun demonstrating them to their parents. With older kids, cooking could be implemented into home economics classes or as a class by itself. While funding may be hard to procure because of the cultural and political obstacles, I think cooking classes are a worthy cause to fight for because obesity is a serious issue and healthy home cooking could be a solution.
While there are some cultural and political barriers to encouraging cooking at home as a viable alternative to fast food meals, it is important to remember that many of the families relying on fast food restaurants because of financial restrains may not have the physical means to cook at home. If a family is living in extreme poverty, they may be living in an efficiency apartment with only a microwave and sink, maybe just a hot-plate. If this is your situation, it is extremely difficult to cook a meal for a family of four. In addition to this, the family may not have the means necessary to get to a grocery store to purchase food. Taking these factors into consideration, I think it is imperative that young school aged children are taught to cook on a budget. This change in education, however, should be met with a community-wide effort to change the way that food is consumed, starting with offering a physical space available to the community. A community kitchen as a place for the community to cook together rather than a place for the community to receive pre-made meals. While there are cultural obstacles to promoting healthy eating habits, it is important to consider the underlying structural elements that make it much more difficult for some families to provide meals than others.
ReplyDelete1. Obviously , the biggest obstacle to overcome is the easy access to fast food in the US. I think that people should cook more, but also I understand that situations in life ( college life, work ,etc..) can diminish the time available for cooking. However, people have to understand the amount of inconvenients caused by fast food and that is something that I don’t know if it has been completely educated. Also, corporations are powerful and it would take a long time to change the actual situation. Limiting their production could be a task to follow, but that is not easy to make it happen.
ReplyDelete2.I don’t think there should be cooking classes in the school regularly. But once in a while, it would be useful to teach students basic tips about cooking, to the point that at least they know how to make some pasta, rice or eggs ( simple things to cook). I think the best cooking school is “home”. Your family can teach you certain behaviours towards food or several of these tips that can be used in the future. Since maybe people are busy, and parents can’t spend that much time with their children, things get complicated but I personally think that there is a balance, and children must be taught in a certain way regarding cooking or other habits related to food.
1.) I think both cultural and political obstacles would be highly difficult to overcome in the case of a broad-based cooking revival. I think that the political obstacles will be a high hurdle to clear before any real change is enforced. The changes Bittman cites would require high levels of political capital and I don't think that these changes are of critical priority in the eyes of most policy makers. I think cultural obstacles can be just as difficult to overcome and would likely take years before any noticeable change occurred.
ReplyDelete2.) I don't really think that cooking classes should be reintroduced in public schools. When schools are having a hard time with budgetary concerns as they are now, it is tough to sell a program like a cooking class that would be expensive to conduct.
1. Both can be overcome with time, but it will be very difficult. I think that while a lot of people recognize the difficulty of defeating the political obstacle, many underestimate the power of culture and habits. I think that our fascination with consumption and profit has manifested in multiple forms - eating patterns being one of them. We go for the more convenient in order to maximize our time in other things. This has become ingrained in our society. But that is not to say that it cannot be altered; Like so many of our class discussions have pointed out, I think it starts out on the community level - getting the word out, forming groups that promote slow food, etc. As some of the other students noted, once the culture of convenience begins to transform, the political realm will soon follow.
ReplyDelete2. While I agree that it will be tough to sell a cooking class, I think this is one of the key steps in changing the culture of convenience. It's simple: Parents that have not grown up cooking will not teach their own kids to cook. This needs to come from somewhere else, and I think the most feasible thing to do is introduce it to school curriculum.
1) Political problems will be difficult to overcome, although there is a great amount of potential good that could be done, not only for workers, but for food consumers as well, who deserve reasonably-priced and healthy alternatives. Cultural issues will be far easier to overcome, and in the great recession, I feel we may be making progress, as people would rather take the time and save the cash they already have on hand.
ReplyDelete2) In concept the idea sounds good, but in practice I foresee problems. First, it will be expensive. Second, what foods will we teach children to cook? Everyone has individual if not also cultural preferences. This is a great place for parents to bring their kids into the kitchen with them at dinner time, so that they can learn by example. With a bit of trial and error, I bet many of these kids (someday young adults like us) will realize they know more than they think they do.