Homemade Cooking vs Fast Food Essay
Homemade cooking is one of the most vital elements of the normal life of any human. It is necessary to admit that people need food not only to receive nutritious elements but also to deal with hunger and to satisfy the moral need of eating something delicious. It is not a secret that homemade cooking, especially for a family of several members, is not a simple task; it requires a lot of preparation and effort in order to cook something delicious and edible. In addition, the pace of life several decades ago was completely different from the modern one. Therefore, the fast food chains and the fast food itself started to spread across the planet rapidly. It was an instant hit because there were not any inconveniences regarding the fast food, it was cheap, people did not have to wait for the food for too long, and people did not need to prepare for the fast food, as the employees of the café did everything. The same aspects are present in the modern world. However, in recent years, many people have become concerned about the quality of fast food and its influence on health, making it one of the most debatable topics in the modern era. At the same time, homemade cooking has not lost its popularity at all, as people continue to eat nowadays at their home and cook for themselves. The homemade cooking is less harmful than fast food and it is better for the state of the individual.
First of all, it is necessary to state the most obvious facts about fast food. It is harmful but tasty. There are a lot of different chains of fast food companies; some of them provide dishes made of ingredients that are beneficial for the processes inside the body. However, it is necessary to be realistic about this, as there are not a lot of these fast food cafes. In fact, the absolute majority of the fast food producers use processed leftovers of meat and vegetables in order to cut the expenses (Iacoviello). Therefore, the fast food is not healthy and positive for the organs and for the entire state of the individual. On the contrary, it could harm the person in case of daily consumption of fast food. In fact, a person who eats fast food on the regular basis has higher risks of having diabetes, obesity, heart or respiratory diseases. It is a fact and it is just necessary to consider this idea.
Furthermore, the fast food contains fatter than the homemade cooking, which is a negative aspect as well. The majority of people do not look for their body until there are certain problems with it and the fast food could damage the body for years without even provoking serious diseases but it could create an agenda and comfortable environment for the diseases to appear and develop inside the individual. What is more important is that fast food could use ingredients that contain nitrates and other chemicals. These chemicals are added in order to save the ingredients for a longer period of time, rather than storing them for several days only. It is not about controversial GMO but also about really dangerous chemicals that are widely used in the fast food industry by the majority of the companies.
Secondly, it is also necessary to acknowledge the fact that homemade cooking also could be harmful and dangerous. For example, heavily fried chicken wings on a daily basis are not healthy at all; they actually could damage the body in the same way as fast food products. In fact, there are a lot of the possibilities to make homemade cooking dangerous and something that would constantly affect the health of the person in a negative way (Iacoviello). Too much sugar or too much fat are not only the elements of the fast food industry only. In fact, the majority of people eat a lot of candies, ice creams, fried meat, tons of dough in order to feed themselves. It is not a healthy homemade cooking at all. The fact is that it depends on the preferences of the individual or the family. At the same time, the homemade cooking could be seen as limiting as it heavily relies on the budget of the person or the family. The poor families would not be able to buy high-quality fish for the entire months in order to feed all of the members; therefore, they prefer to use cheaper ingredients. Some of these ingredients could be as harmful as the fast food and there it is impossible to deny that. The food does not only have to help to get rid of the hunger but it also has to contribute some important elements in the body of the person, so he/she could have normal processes inside the body and improve the state of it by eating healthy food.
The fast food’s price depends on the economy of the country and the financial opportunities of a person and individual; however, all over the world, the fast food is cheaper than the homemade cooking in terms of a single meal. People could not buy a slice of bread, a glass of milk, a bit of meat in order to make the sandwich or to make a hot dog, for instance, as there are not any stores where it is possible to buy a small amount of ingredients and products. There is not any sense for the retailer to sell the goods in such a small amount (Smith). Hence, for the people it is more convenient to buy fast food meals that are cheap and it is enough for a single lunch, breakfast or dinner in order to reduce the hunger and to have enough resources to continue the day. For sure, it is cheaper in terms of the single dish. However, homemade cooking is less expensive than fast food in case of the long-term perspectives (Pritchard). For example, families usually buy food for the entire week and they plan the menu more or less. They could have various meals from the same ingredient. For instance, out of chicken, it is possible to fry the meat, boiling it and make the soup, to bake it, and many other options. For the person or the family, it is much more beneficial and different way to prefer homemade cooking, as it is less expensive, compared to the weekly consumption of the fast food. Three meals per day during the week would not be cheaper as the ingredients too long for the entire week.
Additionally, the fast food is about the time and effort it requires to consume the meal. For example, during the short breaks at work, it is impossible and unreasonable to cook a lunch. Hence, the majority of people prefer eating in the cafes and eating fast food. It is a great way to reduce the essential time and to fill the stomach. Everyone does that it only depends on the cuisine that people choose to eat. For example, it is much faster to buy a hot dog than to go to the restaurant and order some soup. It is a waste of someone’s time. Apart from that the only effort that people have to put in order to obtain the hot dog is to wait in the queue that moves pretty quickly. Compared to the way the homemade foot is made it is too simple. For the homemade food, it is necessary to buy the ingredients to prepare and process them, to cook the meal and after that people could it that (Pritchard). It would require several hours. It is not as complicated as people might think; however, it requires more effort than the wait in the queue for the hot dog. Apart from that, it is also necessary to state that there are a lot of the possibilities to reduce even that time by ordering the fast food, such as pizza or sushi in the workplace. In that case, people do not have to spend any time to buy the meal; they simply have to wait for the delivery.
The problem with the fast food and the consideration of the fast food as the serious alternative to replace the homemade cooking is that people think about the food as the source of the energy. It is true that food is essential for the life of all living organisms. However, it is also possible to say that people might enjoy food and receive mental satisfaction from the new discoveries in the culinary (Iacoviello). The fast food is almost the same across the world. For sure, there are local cuisines in some countries that utilize the fast food as platform to sell it. However, it is also necessary to state that the hot dog in the US would be the same as the hot dog in Japan, for example. While the handmade cooking does not only contain the important elements for the life of people but it also contains the unique taste that could provide satisfaction, certain memories, and other moments that make the dish special (“Cooking Vs. Eating Out”). Everyone has the favorite dish and it is connected to the handmade cooking, for sure. What is more important is the fact that the homemade cooking is about not only the food and the ingredients. It is about the dedication, attention, and time, in some way it could be considered even as a present and something more than just a meal. Some believe that the food is a universal language that represents features of every location. The fast food does not contain such information inside of it.
In addition, the perception of people is that the homemade cooking actually is better and is healthier, in case if people want to eat healthily. The portions in the fast food chains are not usually regulated, the producers provide their own standards of the portion, while the homemade cooking does not have any obligations or requirements when it is done, people could eat in amounts they want and when they want to do it. It is reasonable to state that fast food does not have this freedom and it is to the contrary influences people to buy something additional to the meal, such as drinks or snacks (Smith). At home, people could do whatever they want and eat in a way they enjoy the most. Apart from that, it is also possible to combine different cuisines and to use any ingredient that people like. In the fast food cafes, the clients have to order something from the specific menu that creates limitations in some way.
In conclusion, the fast food is more harmful than the homemade cooking, as it contains dangerous chemicals and a lot of fat that negatively influence health of people. Also, homemade cooking contains more elements that are important for the body and for the entire health. The fast food dishes do not have the same amount of valuable elements that positively influence the nutrition. The fast food is more expensive compared to the homemade cooking. Even though it is more convenient than the homemade cooking, still it is a limited market, where people could not eat what they want. Customers eat what the fast food industry and sells to them. Therefore, the homemade cooking is better for all of the people and it is much healthier.
Works Cited
“Cooking Vs. Eating Out: The Great Health Debate – Foodprint By Nutrino.” FoodPrint by Nutrino. N.p., 2016. Web. 12 Nov. 2017.
Iacoviello, Chiara. “6 Benefits Of Homemade Meals + 7 Recipes | The Whole U.” Washington.edu. N.p., 2015. Web. 11 Nov. 2017.
Pritchard, Joseph. “Homecooked Meals Vs. Fast Food Meals.” LIVESTRONG.COM. N.p., 2017. Web. 12 Nov. 2017.
Smith, Mike. “Study Suggests Home Cooking Is A Main Ingredient In Healthier Diet.” Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. N.p., 2014. Web. 11 Nov. 2017.
