So many people these days are grateful to get home late from work. They protect their families from sounds and sights when their ‘at’ time is near. Add into the mix, the late-night cravings for gluten-free, vegan, or vegetarian snacks. And suddenly, they’re out of time, scrambling to feed a growing family, looking for the closest food resource to come to them. And perhaps after a night ofCraze-ing on the fast lane, they got a little stressed and needed a stress-buster. Quickly, they turned to the nearest food court, which turned out to be one of their best options.
Sure, you have options to look for gluten-free, vegan, vegetarian snacks at bars and grocery stores – or you can simply make your own. The craze is on! So, make sure you check with Cafeteria for more options, or if they get big enough to server a few prepared meals a day, you may be able to get in for free. One of these days, just maybe, you’ll get a little more than a quick snack, when you get to enjoy delicious, fresh products like these!
One of the biggest questions people often have is how prepared these meals are. In other words, is it easy to prepare, or is it a time consuming process? Does it require any special skills? The answer to most of these questions is ‘yes’, but the answer to one question is ‘ Sometimes!’. Yes, it can be a time consuming process, but it’s not impossible. Just give it a little bit of thought and you’ll be ready to roll up your sleeves and start munching on something, rather than wait until tomorrow.
Of course, there are third-hand prepared foods available which can be pricey, so you don’t want to eat something in front of a live audience, but you’ll still want to have a say in the production as well. Good examples are snacks like crisp hard pretzels, buttermilk and deviled eggs, and baked goods like breads and pastries. Even if you don’t directly produce the food, you could get your hands on the ingredients and the method of preparation through third-hand sources. The most common source of third-hand foods are supermarkets and grocery stores. If you can’t find the products, ask grocery stores if they get them, or stock them properly.
Of course your ownerkohalfood storecan be a source of great food. The problem is that in many cases, the food has hardly seen the chef’s hands. How do you protect yourself from consuming food that, even though passed down from one generation to the next, is barely fit for human consumption? Or, for that matter, how do you guard your own health from consuming foods that contain MSG, hydrogenated oils, artificial sweeteners, cholesterol, and trans fats?
The good news is that some good third-hand food guidelines are now in effect. The government is trying to protect us from ourselves: senile people are being told that they have Too Old Choices for Healthy Food. In other words, the government is telling us that many of the food we like may not be the best in the world for our health, and we’ve probably been eating and giving ourselves bad food choices for years. Now, because of growing concerns about Third-world health and rising public health concerns, many of our citizens are consciously opting for healthierThird-hand Food Guidelines.
These new guidelines are not rules about eating or serving food. Rather, they are guidelines about preparation. Serving food to one’s self is fine; preparing food with one’s hands is not. Guidelines are simply meant to make consumers feel more comfortable, and make sure that dine-in restaurants, deli shops, and food carts are working with cleanliness.
There are still some concerns, no matter how standards may be. For example, deep-frying of food may not be the best choice for safety reasons. Other than frying in an air-tight container, it is probably not a great idea to put food in such a container. The container itself could possibly contain unhealthy oils, preservatives, and other mystery ingredients.
However, most of the large-scale have decided to go ahead with self-service check-out. This decision was based not only on healthier options, but to open themselves up to new ideas on serving food. One thing to note about self-service is that it is most often a more low-key event, so the restaurant or dining establishment may require less supervision than in a buffet, or less expensive staffing.
The next time you go to a restaurant, go to the dining area, keep an eye on the leftovers, and scan the menu for fresh, healthful options.
About The Author
Helena Eater
How much does the quality of food really matter? If you eat food that tastes good, your life will be better. If you eat food that tastes bad, your life will be worse. The difference between good and evil is partly subjective: what tastes good to me might taste bad to you. The difference is also partly objective: what restaurants I think serve good food might serve lousy food to you. But if we stick to objective measures — measures such as how much weight people gain or lose — we can cut through some of the subjectivity.
