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Notes -
I think there is certainly an element of "people's domestic skills and reflexes have atrophied to the point that they can't cook for themselves" (and despite whatever the spreadsheets say, the cost of eating out decently seems to have about doubled in real terms in the past 10-15 years) + blue cultural norms raising expectations (eating similar slop every day no longer registers as a fulfilled life, and who has time and money to master making foods from a dozen world cultures?), but you also have to consider complex factors making cooking for yourself less viable: small temporary habitations and frequent moving (-> can't accumulate equipment), jobs with high time demands and irregular hours, and delays in formation+overall decline of stable pair relationships reducing the opportunity for division of labour (one cooking for two).
since I started working, I stopped cooking on the stove. My heater is having issues, so I just, 5min ago, turned on the burners to try and add heat. Should have vacuumed the dust out first. Posting this face-down in the floor on the opposite end of the building.
I'd rather min-max food than obsess over concepts like variety and 3 meals a day of specific categories. So when I'm writing the grocery list, it's peanut butter, tortillas, rice and produce. And nuts, because we can't finish a thing without something overpriced making it in :( .
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