Today you
can pick up a phone in Denver, dial a number, and in a few seconds be talking
to your friend in London. You can hop on
a plane in Denver and be talking face to face with that same friend in a little
over nine hours. The internet allows
instant access to the largest database ever created by mankind. Capitalism is set up where the best and
hardest workers will achieve the most.
How does this relate to meals?
The combination of the speed that everything gets done and the need to
outdo competitors means that taking a break to eat a meal could mean that you
will miss that promotion you’re looking for.
This causes everyone to be as efficient with their time as possible so
that they aren’t left in the dust.
What does
it mean to be efficient? To be efficient
you need to get the most amount of work done with the least amount of time
wasted. The manner that meals are eaten
is changing because of the quest to be efficient. People are choosing to multitask while
enjoying a meal instead of enjoying that meal with no distractions. More and more people are choosing to take
food to go to be able to eat when the timing is more appropriate. Even the food industries themselves are being
affected by this change. Fast food is
increasingly popular as well as food products that cater to people who are in a
rush. An area where this is clearly
apparent is on college campuses around the country.
While
college doesn’t pit students against each other, there is still competition to
get good grades. After all, the person
with the highest grades when they graduate has a better chance of getting the
dream job. A week or so ago I sat in a
college cafeteria and made observations about anything that I could find. The most apparent observation that I made
directly supports this thesis. This
observation was that every table had people doing work while eating. Most tables had a laptop or two open and
others had open notes or books. It used
to be that lunch was a time to get away from work and obligations but now lunch
has become a time for people to get some extra work out of the way.
Another
interesting observation was that there were a large number of people who would
get food to go. This new sensation of food
to go allows for people to go to their best location to get work done instead
of eating only in the cafeteria. The increase in popularity of food to go has
drawn the attention of the cafeteria workers as well. Proof of this is in the size of the portions. The food is perfectly portioned to fit into a
to go box. The size of the portions
helps the workers serve more people. So
in a sense, the cafeterias have become as efficient as possible to cater to the
students who are trying to be just as efficient. The quest for efficiency is changing how
people choose to eat their meals as well as how the suppliers of the food
choose to serve it.
Colleges
are changing more than just the abundance of food to go. College cafeterias are beginning to have
longer hours so that students can choose to eat when they don’t have as much
work to do. For example , “at the University of Massachusetts at
Lowell, residential restaurants at Fox Hall and South Campus have changed to
continuous dining, from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Friday.” (Rosenberg,
Janice) This change is allowing students
to be as efficient as possible and still not skip meals. Because food is available all day students no
longer need to combine meals and work.
It is as simple as getting the work out of the way whenever you have
time and then as long as it is between the hours of 7am and 8pm food is
available.
While this shift in food culture is apparent on college
campuses everywhere, it is also apparent in different industries. For example, why would anyone ever choose to eat a
Twinkie? Is it because they taste good?
Probably not. If flavor was the only
deciding factor than a slice of cake from even a mediocre bakery would best a
Twinkie. The reason is the
convenience. For those who are trying to
grab a quick treat the Twinkie would probably win them over simply because it
is much easier to eat. Hostess plays at
the idea that the frosting for the cake is on the inside instead of the
outside. (see image 1) This makes it
easy to eat with your hands and not get frosting everywhere. People are more concerned with wasting time
than eating better food. Being efficient
by not spending too much time eating allows you to get more work done. Like I said earlier, the one who does the
most work will probably get the promotion.
Most people will choose to sacrifice the better food to eat something
quicker that will allow them to get work done while eating.
Another
industry that is being affected by this shift in priorities is the fast food
industry. The need to be as efficient as
possible has caused fast food chains to be increasingly popular. First just take a look at the name, “fast
food.” The companies are advertising to
people who want to be able to get something to eat quickly so that they can get
onto their other obligations. When the
average wait time is 193.2 seconds it makes sense that people would choose this
option to save time. (Garber, Amy)
Next take
a look at the food offered at fast food restaurants and compare it to food
offered at sit down restaurants. While
food from fast food restaurants is edible, the food pales in comparison to
restaurants where you sit down and order.
That begs the question, why would anyone choose to eat at a fast food
restaurant? It is because it doesn’t take
that much time, “one of the primary advantages of eating at a fast-food
restaurant is getting fast service.” (Koeppel, David) The fast pace of service at these food
establishments allow people to spend the least amount of time eating. This allows for more time to be spent getting
work done.
The
restaurant business is not the only business to see that people prefer
efficient meals. There are many things
that average consumers can find at stores that cater directly to limiting the
amount of time wasted by eating. For
example, “none leave behind the pot, stove, bowl, spoon, or table more fully
than Campbell’s Soup at Hand.” (Horwitz, Jamie)
Campbell has designed a new product that is soup in a microwaveable
container. To make it even better for
those in a hurry, the container fits into most car cup holders. Preparation is as simple as putting the cup
in the microwave and turning it on for the correct time. With this it’s very easy to quickly prepare a
meal and maximize the amount of time working.
Thinking about efficiency for people who need
to drive, this soup cup is perfect. All
you need to do is drive and drink the soup.
You don’t need to spend time eating before or after the commute and
there is no cleanup time at all.
Campbell understands the need for efficiency and designed their cup to
fit into cup holders in cars. This plays
directly into everyone’s need to optimize their time by doing as much as
possible.
Another
example of this is TV dinners. While the
name was originally designed to make them seem advanced and cool,(Horwitz,
Jamie) they also are able to be advertised as an efficient way to eat a
meal. When all it takes is to open it,
put it in the oven or microwave, and enjoy, it’s a very efficient meal. If you usually watch television then this is
an opportunity to get two things done at once.
Eat a meal and watch some television.
The low preparation time lets you work until very close to when you want
to watch television. The easiness and
convenience of the tray lets you eat and watch the show at the same time. And there is practically no cleanup. This product is found in almost every decent
sized grocery store because people like the convenience that it offers.
The
American society is a society where the hardest worker will achieve the most
and speedy technology makes time extremely valuable. This
has caused people to change their usual meal routines. Almost everyone is spending less time eating
and more time getting things done. This
shift has caused a major change in how food is presented to us. Fast food is increasingly popular across all ages. Commonly bought products in grocery stores
have had their taste perfected leaving the presentation the main focus. This presentation is playing into eating
quickly and spending the least amount of time actually preparing the meal. Today meals are viewed as either something
that must be done quickly to not waste any time or as a time when work can be
done along with eating. It is all about
efficiency.
Images
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Works Cited
Rosenberg, Janice. "A Revolution in College
Dining." The Boston Globe.
6 Nov. 2005. Web. <http://www.boston.com/news/education/higher/articles/2005/11/06/a_revolution_in_college_dining/?page=full>.
Koeppel, David. "Drive-Thru Wait Times Getting
Longer." Slashfood.
27 Nov. 2009. Web.
<http://www.slashfood.com/2009/11/27/drive-thru-wait-times-getting-longer/>.
Horwitz, Jamie. "Eating at the Edge." Gastronomica: The Journal of Food
and Culture, Vol. 9, No. 3 (Summer 2009). June-July 2009. Web.
<http://blackboard.du.edu/bbcswebdav/courses/2009.201230/Eating%20at%20the%20Edge%20-%20Horwitz.pdf>.
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