Oddity 1, Week 1

I hold my breath as I prepare my brother's salad. It's not much of a secret. It's essentially a salad without the lettuce. I go to the fridge and retrieve American sliced cheese, shredded cheddar cheese, and Catalina dressing. From the pantry, I get the croutons and crackers. As I mix the ingredients together in a plastic soup bowl, my six-year-old brother wearing a Spiderman Halloween costume as pajamas watches in anticipation. His lips smacking as the uncontrollable saliva builds in his mouth all for a grueling combination of ketchup, sugar, and Worcestershire sauce with processed cheese. Why do our kids choose to succumb themselves to a "fake," unappetizing dinner when pork chops with sausage stuffing sits on the table? Why do we feel the need to eat food that tastes as bad as it is for us? I understand that a burger and fries from the local fast food restaurant ensures a hot meal in less than five minutes that can be easily consumed on the go, but why do we often opt for it in place of cooking a simple meal? Think about it for one minute with me. Let’s assume that you are ready to walk out the door. You walk out, lock the front door, walk to your car, climb in, start the engine, drive about ten minutes to the local McDonalds or Wendys, sit about fifteen minutes in line ordering and getting your food, drive about another ten minutes back to the house, park, walk up the stairs, unlock the front door, head into the kitchen, dish any portions out to your family, and finally sit down and eat. All in all, this is about a 40 minute process that could have been spent cooking breakfast for dinner or merely baking a chicken in the oven without having to leave the comfort of one’s home. Doesn’t make sense to me.