ingredients only
I was in Whole Foods yesterday to buy snow peas, and the woman behind me in line was there with her three kids and her babysitter. She sent the kids to wait outside with the sitter while she unloaded her cart; she was getting two kinds of premade pizza and some packaged mashed potatoes. Something else too, but I forget what. You'd think what with the full time professional help somebody in that operation could find the time to cook some real food, but I guess not.
And it's not just rich and/or alternative types who have given up cooking for reheating. Go to the regular old grocery store, and fully nine-tenths of the food there is premade stuff; even the produce section is stocked with pre-mixed salads and pre-cut fruit. Besides the fact that it's what most people are looking for, the supermarkets have good reason to fill up with prepared food: how else would they fill all those cavernous shelves?! In any case, I do my part to buck the trend. All that prepared food can't be healthy; also, since I have neither kids nor a job these days I have less excuse than anyone else for not making my own meals. Good thing cooking is so much fun!