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A Slow-Motion Trainwreck Facing the Meal-Kit Industry

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Re: A Slow-Motion Trainwreck Facing the Meal-Kit Industry

#301

Post by btilly »

Chris2048 wrote: post #299
btilly wrote: post #295

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Which diet is more healthy? Low carb and high fat? Or high carb and low fat? And when you add salt yourself without sugar, you generally don't get to the salt content of most of what you see from packaged foods or a restaurant.

I'm actually on a keto diet now, as it happens. I guess, if you're fat, low-carb is healthier? If you work out a lot, high-protein/high energy etc. It depends on aim/requirements, but I mean matched to personal metabolic health. There's another thing too: digestive health - requiring plenty fiber, not too much sugar, and not too much fat either..

There is so much BS out there that I wouldn't take anyone's pronouncements as definitive. However the recipes that I offered are not a priori unhealthy.

But as a person whose family is prone to diabetes, I'm going to go light on sugar.

Re: A Slow-Motion Trainwreck Facing the Meal-Kit Industry

#302

Post by Mz »

pnathan wrote: post #259
Mz wrote: post #194

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I am not familiar with that book, but I am well aware that our mental models about the nuclear family are basically rooted in a very brief window of time when "The Boys" came home from WW2 and women went home en masse to be homemakers etc. I actually blog some about the truly terrible effect this has had on our housing situation because we are still basically being haunted by the ghost of this brief anomalous time th…

I'd be interested in links to your blog. I have been persuaded for a number of years now that the 35-year World War broke Western civilization thoroughly and deeply, with an interregnum to ensure a whole generation and its children got the hit, and only in the past, say, 20 years have scholars been able to get enough distance from it to look critically enough to remark with equanimity on the matter. To me, it is suff…

I don't have a blog specifically dedicated to that subject, but I touch on it some here:

http://micheleincalifornia.blogspot.com/p/ir2.html

And here: http://projectsro.blogspot.com/p/about.html

Re: A Slow-Motion Trainwreck Facing the Meal-Kit Industry

#303

Post by kschmit90 »

No where else can I find a group of people cost benefit analyzing to death one of the purest, simplest, and most fulfilling aspects of life.

The general consensus here seems to be that, "My time is not well spent preparing and consuming, by my own hand, the life giving meals I will eat."

But, of course, I've misspoken. And, now prepare for the assault of many pedantic, infuriated, hacker news commentators.

Re: A Slow-Motion Trainwreck Facing the Meal-Kit Industry

#304

Post by tjl »

harryh wrote: post #146
mothers wrote: post #77

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I highly doubt any of these claims are true on the low end. Maybe if you only go to expensive restaurants.

There are certainly restaurants where you can spend less than $10/person but not for the quality of food in a Blue Apron box.

Well, I'm in Canada and every restaurant near the university is less than $10/person. While a number of them are the normal fast food, both the Indian, Chinese, and Thai/Vietnamese places have excellent food. Last I checked, the Korean and Arabic places were good too, but since my dietary restrictions changed, I haven't been there.

I'd likely never buy a Blue Apron box for the simple fact that I have pretty tight dietary restrictions that I loosen a bit when I eat out (but not a lot). If I cook at home, I'm going to follow those restrictions pretty closely so most regular recipes won't work.

Re: A Slow-Motion Trainwreck Facing the Meal-Kit Industry

#305

Post by tjl »

greglindahl wrote: post #243
mothers wrote: post #166

Earlier quoted context omitted.

sure. however meal kits are inferior to just going to the grocery store in most ways.

I use the time I used to spend grocery shopping posting on HN. So I like the meal kits. Obviously ymmv.

I just do my grocery shopping online. The company I use charges $9.99 for delivery and you have to order more than $45, but otherwise it's basically just a regular grocery store (they're owned by one). You have to do some planning since you won't get it until at least the following day, though. I order once a month.

Re: A Slow-Motion Trainwreck Facing the Meal-Kit Industry

#306

Post by tjl »

xhedley wrote: post #200
ashark wrote: post #158

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Food shopping definitely sucks, and on top of the time commitment, having to keep a catalogue of typical prices per quantity and freshness/ripeness-determining markers in one's head is fairly burdensome. One of those great things the truly rich don't have any reason to do/learn unless they just feel like it. I'm skeptical of the value of these services overall but the more I think about time savings and not having to…

We get this in the UK - I can order from Tesco or Asda and get it delivered to my door. "Price promise" price matches lowest price in area for branded goods like Heinz baked beans. It's cheaper in UK to pick supermarket own brand, in which case there is the issue that I like Tesco baked beans but not Asda baked beans. And Tesco offer a "as you would pick it yourself" on fresh food where they pick the longest shelf li…

I'm in Canada and I buy from an online grocery store, Grocery Gateway. They're run by one of the local grocery chains and other than a $9.99 delivery fee, it's basically just a regular grocery store as they carry what's in that grocery chain, including the supermarket brand stuff.

Re: A Slow-Motion Trainwreck Facing the Meal-Kit Industry

#307

Post by illumin8 »

shostack wrote: post #246
pbreit wrote: post #226

Earlier quoted context omitted.

People looking for quicker cook time: GoodEggs new kit offering cuts down on time. Ingredients are extremely fresh and you get 3x3 portions for $70. Might be SF-only now.

I wish there was one for slow/pressure cookers that I could make stuff in bulk with that froze nicely.

+1 I would buy this!

Re: A Slow-Motion Trainwreck Facing the Meal-Kit Industry

#308

Post by illumin8 »

kinkrtyavimoodh wrote: post #196
pm90 wrote: post #185

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> I wouldn't automatically grant that. While this deserves qualifications, most of the time restaurant food is simply not as hygienic as meals prepared at home. And its not some deliberate plan to make it so. Despite their best efforts, a somewhat large scale food establishment just allows a lot more opportunities for food contamination. And I say this as a person who eats out everyday (Lunch out, dinner and supper a…

I think your key concern with restaurant food should be nutrition, not hygiene. Hygiene in restaurants is typically good enough to not be much of a problem (and the human body is resilient enough to take a bit of occasional rough treatment). But you don't know how much sugar, fat, or just empty calories are being put in your food to make it just a little more presentable or appetizing. That is what you have better co…

Bingo... I can't count how many restaurant meals I've eaten that could have been 500 calories, but have been unnecessarily inflated to 1500-2000 calories by adding butter/sugar/fat to improve the taste. I'm not saying fat is bad for you - far from it - good fats like avocado and olive oil are essential, but you can definitely tell that some restaurants (especially chains) have perfected the unhealthy sugar/fat/salt triad in order to maximize taste - this can't be good for you to eat every meal... (occasionally, go for it)

Re: A Slow-Motion Trainwreck Facing the Meal-Kit Industry

#309

Post by stevenwoo »

rconti wrote: post #224
inZGBl wrote: post #145

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This doesn't hold true for the rest of America. Go build a chipotle meal at some other zip code. South East: 1 chipotle burrito bowl, chicken, black beans, brown rice, guac, hot salsa, cheese 1 22oz drink Total - $10.20

I thought Chipotle was straight-up fast food, and that's already more expensive than Blue Apron. To me, fast-casual means Chili's, Applebee's, etc. You're talking easily $15/pp without alcohol or tax or tip. Plus at least 90 minutes out of your day to get there, wait for your waiter, get the menu, order, wait, ask for the check, wait, get the check, pay the check, wait for the check to come back, leave, go home.

Anecdotally from what I've read on reddit AMAs from restaurant kitchen workers, most fast casual places cook only a few items from scratch, a majority at a place like Chili's or Applebees is prepared from a pre made portion supplied by Sysco. One pretty much has to have a source in the kitchen to know if someone is cooking a dish from scratch for you or if you are paying to essentially have someone else heat up your food like going out for a Blue Apron meal. Even somewhat fancier restaurants serve a lot of Sysco dishes. http://www.tampabay.com/projects/2016/food/farm-to-fable/res...

Re: A Slow-Motion Trainwreck Facing the Meal-Kit Industry

#310

Post by rhizome »

r00fus wrote: post #212
rhizome wrote: post #205

Earlier quoted context omitted.

With a personal chef you don't get the 'zazz and dopamine hit from the process of shopping. Skinner boxes take many forms.

Wow I never would've thought someone could get a dopamine hit from shopping. Shopping either bores or irritates.

Let's go to the science: https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/brain-wise/201510/shopp...
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