EE #1 Rough Draft

Efficiency.  Everyone tries to do as much as they can in the least amount of time.  One of the effects of this is that meals are changing.  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 it 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.  The cause of this is a combination of advancement in technology and capitalism.

Today you could 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 your same friend in London 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.  

While college doesn’t pit students against each other to get the best grade, there is still competition to get good grades.  A week or so ago I sat in a college cafeteria and made observations about anything that I could find.  The most interesting observation that I found 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.  Even the food was portioned properly to fit into a to go box.  These people would get the food to go presumably because they have prioritized work over food and they don’t have time to eat at that moment.   There are some people who would go so far as to skip a meal so that they get more work done. 

Colleges have begun to adapt to this shift in priorities.  Cafeterias are beginning to have longer hours so that students can 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. The Boston Globe)  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. 

This shift in priorities is also affecting 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 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 outs ide.  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. 

 The quest to be as efficient as possible has caused fast food chains to be increasingly popular.  First 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. 

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.  Then why is it that anyone would ever 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. Drive thru Wait Times Getting Longer)  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 efficiency when eating.  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.”  Campbell has designed a new product that is soup in a microwaveable container that 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.  Thinking about efficiency, while driving it is not too difficult to eat, but it is very difficult to do work.  This means that it is prime time to eat a meal.  Campbell understands this 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 they were originally called this to make them seem advanced and cool, 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 are planning on watching your favorite television show at the same time that you are going to eat then you are killing two birds with one stone.  You can work up until your show is about to start, eat while you watch your show, then go right back to work.  Because you were planning on doing no work while watching television anyway you are not losing any work time, and because you can fit a meal into the time that you are watching television you are maximizing the time you can work. 

In a society where the hardest worker will achieve the most and with technology that makes the difference of minutes matter eating meals has taken a subservient position to working.  Students and people with jobs alike are 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 and consistency 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.