Conventional wisdom states that low-income families buy more fast food because they simply have to. This straightforward assumption is is based on the idea that fast food provides the most calories per dollar, making it an essential survival tool for a tight household budget. This perception is so deeply ingrained in our culture that it … Read more
If you read recent headlines from pop-food media, you might think the golden arches are collapsing. Articles with titles like “The Biggest Burger Chain In The US Isn’t Worth The Price, According To Customers“ and “Many Loyal McDonald’s Customers Are Done“ paint a picture of a mass exodus. They claim that lower-income customers are abandoning … Read more
For decades, comedians, pop-science channels, and casual food bloggers have treated the mismatched packaging of hot dogs (traditionally sold in tens) and hot dog buns (traditionally sold in eights) as one of the great whimsical mysteries of modern consumer life. The standard explanations offered by the respective industries are well-established, if vague: meat packers are … Read more
In a breathless video essay titled Why Seedless Fruit Is a Disaster Waiting To Happen, viewers are treated to an alarming, sci-fi style warning about the fragile, artificial nature of modern agriculture. The narrator solemnly walks the audience through a ticking doomsday clock, warning that our reliance on seedless grocery staples is an ecological catastrophe … Read more
The Grated Gatekeepers: Performative Foodies vs. Kitchen Economics A dominant narrative in modern digital food media involves standing in front of a specialty cheese counter, pointing at a wheel of imported Italian Parmigiano-Reggiano, and declaring that any domestic American version is unpalatable ‘trash.’ This perspective is frequently accompanied by dramatic claims that the plasticky dried … Read more
In the modern restaurant landscape, “barbecue” has become a fluid marketing umbrella. It is a word designed to evoke images of rustic tradition, hand-split hardwood, and 16-hour labor cycles. Because of this romantic association, consumers have been conditioned to accept “market price” tags and $30-per-pound brisket as a justified cost of entry. But when you … Read more