Back to normal

I don't think it is coincidence that a lot of the 'Grumpy Old...' series are broadcast during the Christmas break. Although it is rather nice to meet some people and to have the one or the other party, I think it's the word 'break' or 'holiday' that is deceiving. Those days never feel like holidays for me because the weather is bad and I feel trapped inside the house, hence all the plans to get stuff done within the house, which usually doesn't work out either.

This time it was a migraine stealing the last few precious days away. You know how grumpy I get when I can't write, but looking at a computer screen was not an option, and house work wasn't either. All that moving about and bending head over to sort things into cupboards and shelves... not good!

So I was hanging in front of the telly listening to a range of Agatha Christie crimes which I already knew. Thank God for bad TV programs on that occasion, as this gave me the opportunity to keep my eyes closed and still being able to follow. It however gave me the opportunity to listen to all the adverts as well, and I remembered that I had come across a certain phenomenon before: Weight loss adverts! They always crop up after new year tapping into the 'New Year resolution' mood of people trying to make a quick buck.

Despite my mushy brain I couldn't help but notice a change though, the trend goes towards even less responsibility needed from the buyer, plus a more long term dependency on the product. Whereas three years ago the adverts focused on devices which supposedly help you measure and control your body weight, like body fat scales, they now are entirely replaced by organisations telling you exactly what to eat. Weight Watchers & Co are BIG, I'm telling you. I admit their stuff is practical as there are tons of lists and rules readily available, and with help of computers it is easy to find the information needed. I am just wondering if the amount of money is worth it, given that one could have it for free. I talked to my niece who at age 20 entered WW and who liked it... the lazy girl. She told me that all you have to do is to stick to the number of points you are allowed to eat per day and follow the rules on how to combine foods the right way. Interestingly enough the number of points is 20, while the number of calories an average woman can eat is 2000. Did the WW people just divide those by 100 and expensively sell that as a new scheme, I wonder?

Well, I have to go into my kitchen, weigh the recipes I cook and divide by the number of portions I just created, in order to know how much each dish will set me back. That is a one off process which I do for my favourite recipes and which probably cost me an additional 20 minutes. WW already did that for their customers, which is handy but takes the learning out of their brains and hence the responsibility off their shoulders. A business concept only works if customers are kept dependant on the product, right?

And now the next level is reached: Get your diet food delivered to the house. There is one company pushing this idea into every UK household via telly ads, but when I googled 'diet food delivery service' Google almost exploded. Wow! I am in the wrong business. I was still stuck in the times of 'Meals on Wheels' for elderly people who had enough money to afford those soggy potatoes with instant sauce drenched mince meat.

Actually, the dishes in the adverts don't look any better, although the one or the other slice of alibi carrot is sprinkled in. Who in their right mind would actually believe that something cooked in an industrial kitchen, driven around from house to house until eventually your portion gets to your door step, and that then is to be re-heated could be of the same quality that you would cook fresh at home?

Oh my, nothing has changed, has it? So things are truly back to normal then. Happy New Year!