The increasing availability of convenience foods has been a significant feature of modern life in many developed countries. Some people have predicted that with advances in food technology, traditional food and traditional methods of food preparation will disappear. In this essay, I will argue that this is unlikely to happen.
It is true that nowadays people do not have enough time to cook and that convenience foods present an attractive option. These foods have improved significantly in terms of quality and availability, and the range for sale in the average supermarket is quite impressive. It is possible to find even very sophisticated ready-prepared microwavable meals.
However, the growing popularity of television cookery programs, celebrity chefs, and cookbooks suggest that people continue to value traditional ways of preparing food. Farmers’ markets selling fresh, locally-produced food continue to be the norm in many parts of the world. In fact, they are growing in popularity in countries such as the UK, where they had virtually disappeared from many cities. This may be partly because cooking with basic, natural ingredients is cheaper than buying processed food.
Moreover, traditional food is an important aspect of culture and social life. In many countries, traditional meals continue to be shared in regular family gatherings. Important celebrations such as weddings, Christmas, and Chinese New Year are marked by traditionally prepared feasts.
In spite of the utility of convenience foods, people are unlikely to abandon practices that are economically sound and give them great pleasure. It is hard to imagine a world in which people do not continue to enjoy traditional, home-cooked meals at least some of the time.