Ads, time (or lack of), cooking, eating, and other consumer stuff

This rant is about useless products or ones that are too expensive.  

So how difficult is it, really, to make mashed potatoes? Peel some potatoes, drop into water to rinse, cut up, put in pot, cover with water, let come to a boil, decrease heat, let cook till tender, drain, mash, add milk/cream/whatever, butter, salt, pepper, mash some more. Serve. Whew, that exhausted me!

No, not really. But you would think that this is an onerous task, if you watch the ad for frozen peeled and cut potatoes. All you have to do is put them in the microwave, take out, mash, and add.... (repeat the above). And how much do those peeled and cut up potatoes cost in relation to those in a 10 or 20 pound bag of potatoes from the store?  Actually fresh potatoes.

Then there's grated cheese -- how much more (double or even triple) does it cost to buy a bag of ready-grated cheese!?   Most homes have a grater.  Buy the damn chunk of cheese and grate it yourself!  Save money for another chunk of different cheese.  Cheese is expensive, even in blocks or chunks.  Price the grated stuff (and who knows when it was processed!).



Another example of more money than brains. Same with so many other food items ready-made for us because we are so "busy"! 

With the many problems of e-coli and pink slime in ground meat, who would still consider buying it from a supermarket?!  I'm happy to go to my favourite butcher, who grinds the beef right in front of you.  The other products are also fresh and good.

Now about those "fragrant homes" - do our houses really stink? Have our homes always stunk?  All those smelly, oops - sorry, "fragrant" things to spray into the air -- what are we breathing in?  Not enough asthma and other respiratory ailments out there without taking in who-knows-what into our lungs?  What about the babies and children in the house?   Another creation of a perceived problem where there isn't one.  Hey, home cooking and baking smells are great.  A bowl of potpourri is fine.  Or one of those infusers for the bathroom -- through a stem or wood -- no need to plug in (a fire hazard) or spray.  Imagine, the house stinks so much you need to have it automatically sprayed every time someone walks by!  How about nothing? Just a normal house smell. 

Enough for now.  Will rant about other consumer issues later.  There, now I feel better.   ;-}