I stumbled down a rabbit hole the other day when reading the comments on an post that involved sharing many different recipes for awesome looking salads. One would think I would learn to stop reading comments because nearly all of the time, it's bad. But, here I was, scrolling through comment after comment, reading nearly the same thing from about 75% of the responders. The gist: "Wow, these recipes look great but it's also nice the author has unlimited money and time to make these."
Every time I read those words, it makes my heart sink just a little more. Yes, fruits and vegetables cost more than a cheeseburger at your favorite fast food joint but it's unbelievable to me that we've lost the ability to think about food being vital to our health, to our mere existence. Even when M and I were living on my grad school stipend and schedule, scraping to get by, we would cut corners in other areas just so we could eat well. There needs to be a mental shift to make eating well a priority, both in time and money. I still think back to the chart the Economist shared that shows the percentage of household income spent on food and drink around the world and the United States is at the bottom.
I know, I'm preaching to the choir but I figured this was a safer avenue then digging deeper into the comments (and responding back- I think I'd loose my week if I even tried.) But I think the biggest importance is if you're cooking at home (or trying to start cooking at home), give yourself a pat on the back, because that's awesome. I truly believe that to move to a society that values food (good food), it starts at an individual level, in the kitchen. And that's why I want this site to keep going, if nothing else than to inspire a home cooked meal.
Now pat yourself on the back and go make some dinner.