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Don't underestimate the mental overhead having to cook a meal can cost. Especially if you're already stressed out (and if you're poor you're likely stressed out

Don't underestimate the mental overhead having to cook a meal can cost. Especially if you're already stressed out (and if you're poor you're likely stressed out) and strapped for time. Nobody is a perfectly rational economical agent, like most comments in this subthread seem to suggest. Stuff sucks, work was hard today, you're tired, and you haven't even started thinking about dinner yet. Fuck. Let's just do hamburgers today. Can't afford them but let's worry about that tomorrow.

tomcooks 5y ago
It's a basic need for survival and it's beyond my comprehension how it can be considered a chore. I say this as a person that lived homeless and that comes from a line of people that had to make do with scraps. I guess it could also be cultural, who knows.
- FeepingCreature 5y ago
  It's not cultural, people are just different. I'm not poor, which is thankful because it means I can live off food bars instead of having to prepare meals daily, which would annoy me a lot.
- viraptor 5y ago
  Depends on a person. I don't know of a worse chore than doing shopping and I do it only once a week. Cooking every other day is meh at best too. (apart from an occasional "I want to make something really nice") Look at the old HN comments on Soylent articles with a lot of people like me. I'd be happy eating a balanced nutrients paste most days if I lived alone.
- mayniac 5y ago
  >that comes from a line of people that had to make do with scraps. That line is long. It only takes one generation feeding their children a diet of pre-made meals and snacks to break it.
- watwut 5y ago
  I am fairly middle class and I find cooking chore that takes a lot of time I would rather be doing something else.
tiborsaas 5y ago
Cooking can be relaxing and recreational activity too where you can escape into. I don't see it nowhere near being an overhead.
- bserge 5y ago
  Not when you're goddamn hungry after a long day at a shit job. Source: experience.

tomcooks 5y ago

It's a basic need for survival and it's beyond my comprehension how it can be considered a chore. I say this as a person that lived homeless and that comes from a line of people that had to make do with scraps. I guess it could also be cultural, who knows.

FeepingCreature 5y ago
It's not cultural, people are just different. I'm not poor, which is thankful because it means I can live off food bars instead of having to prepare meals daily, which would annoy me a lot.
viraptor 5y ago
Depends on a person. I don't know of a worse chore than doing shopping and I do it only once a week. Cooking every other day is meh at best too. (apart from an occasional "I want to make something really nice") Look at the old HN comments on Soylent articles with a lot of people like me. I'd be happy eating a balanced nutrients paste most days if I lived alone.
mayniac 5y ago
>that comes from a line of people that had to make do with scraps. That line is long. It only takes one generation feeding their children a diet of pre-made meals and snacks to break it.
watwut 5y ago
I am fairly middle class and I find cooking chore that takes a lot of time I would rather be doing something else.

tiborsaas 5y ago

Cooking can be relaxing and recreational activity too where you can escape into. I don't see it nowhere near being an overhead.

bserge 5y ago
Not when you're goddamn hungry after a long day at a shit job. Source: experience.