Isn't this great? I especially love the last line.

Wednesday, October 5, 2011

Isn’t this great? I especially love the last line.

New York Times Junk Food vs. Fresh: The Cost Factor

Regarding Mark Bittman’s article Is Junk Food Really Cheaper?

Letter To the Editor:

My husband and I, both retired, spend between $500 and $600 a month on groceries to feed the two of us. This seems to me to be an enormous amount. But we do eat well. I love to cook and can afford to buy local and organic. So we spend about $20 a day for six meals, feeding both of us breakfast, lunch and dinner — just over $3 a meal, per person.

In June, we spent 18 days driving across the country. During that time, we ate out at fine restaurants no more than four times. All other meals were consumed at whatever was available at Interstate exits or near our motels — Taco Bell, Friendly’s, Subway, Chili’s, Pizza Hut, Friday’s — all the usual spots. In those 18 days, it cost us more than $1,000 to feed ourselves — and not well. That works out to about $55 a day, or about $9 a meal, per person.

In short, it cost us roughly three times as much to eat fast food as it does for us to eat at home.

As Mr. Bittman pointed out, people don’t eat fast food because it’s cheap; they eat it because they’re exhausted, and we’ve been indoctrinated to think that cooking is work. It’s not. It’s what we lucky ones can give to those we love.

When we put on the apron, we are nurturing. This is not work; it’s love.

CAROL NICKLAUS
Danbury, Conn., Sept. 25, 2011