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Comment by beachstartup | Hacker News Reader

i don't agree with this, at least for people who can afford it or live in non-food desert areas (you didn't make the distinction in your assertion)

if you walk into a any grocery store, there's fresh/unprocessed meat, poultry, eggs, fish, vegetables, fruit everywhere. you don't need to buy anything that comes in a box or wrapped in plastic or has added sugar or salt or anything.

you don't need to eat anything beyond that selection to be healthy. whether or not you want to go through the trouble of preparing it is another matter.

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What you say is true, but don't forget that most people have rudimentary at best cooking skills and haven't learnt how to use a shopping list.

Combine that with misleading labels and massive advertising budgets of ready meals and it's easy to understand how people fall into the trap.

Most people haven't learned how to use a shopping list? What people are you talking about exactly (emphasis, as I'd like to know who you're describing here)?

I grew up in poor Appalachia. Every single person I knew, understood perfectly well how to use a shopping list, and how to cook. I simply can't imagine who these people are that don't know such things, given my comparison group is in theory low on the education chart.

Anecdotal: I grew up knowing how to cook and prepare meals since I was 10-11 years old or so. It was a complete shock after college to find out that my roommate (that I had gone to school with) could barely boil water.

I just assumed everyone knew how to cook at least basic things because that was how I was raised. He was raised with his mom doing everything for him, so after graduating (meal plans in college meant no need to cook), he literally could barely make toast. For the first 6 months after living together, his dinner usually came from Burger King.

Now I find that people my age (late 40's) and older are often the same way. Somehow they've managed to spend their entire lives eating takeout or microwaved meals.

In my single days, I managed to impress any number of women simply because I made them home-cooked meals. Insane, but true.

I rented a room from a woman who had her mother cook or she ate out. I had to show her how to turn on her own oven. She owned the house, had a beautiful kitchen (open, good appliances, lots of cupboard/prep space) but never used it. Her brother, also living in the house, was AMAZED when I would cook and make my own meals.

I recently noticed a third Subway in a town of less than 15,000 people. How many people do they have to serve to be breaking even? Times three.

It wasn't so long ago that the second one went in (and that was at least partly to capture foot traffic from the high school).

This playlist might help people with poor cooking skills.

http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL4sylQahxyepBiKD1V7VPk...

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