I was astonished when I learnt that in the US there was a new product being marketed, something that sounds like having come out of Dr. Frankenstein's kitchen: The Lipton Instant Mashed Potatoes with Knorr Beef Gravy Mix Kit®.

Oh my God! We have gone from fast food to instant meal. What's next? Pre-chewed food? Those little food pills that 70s futuristic movies told us will come about the year 2000?

Do not mistake me, I have nothing against convenience and I like working hard as little as the next one, but I think we will have to draw the line somewhere.

In this time and age we are facing a dilemma never seen before. On one hand, we do not have to make a lot of effort to get our food anymore. We do not have to hunt our food, decapitate chickens or grow our produce; furthermore, cooking has been made easier and faster by a myriad of gadgets and products. On the other hand the western society is fighting a battle against obesity and weight-related illnesses. I am not a MD, I am not a mental-health professional nor am I an anthropologist, but it seems to me that these phenomena are two sides of the same coin.

I am very glad that the majority of the population in our country still doesn't have access to most of these so called "convenience products". We still cook the old-fashioned way, that is in a way that involves more than opening cans or re-heating fake food in the microwave. We still utilize fresh herbs, and vegetables to cook our food. In most Dominican households people still boil beans, as opposed to buying them canned (as Aunt Clara regrettably does). As a result of this I would venture that in average our arteries are in better condition than that of the inhabitants of the so-called "developed countries". I knew there must have been some advantage in living in a third- world country.

It will not be long, unfortunately, until we "catch civilization". I dread that moment. Sadly the better sides of development, you know, things like reliable electric service, seems to be slower in finding their way into our country. But make no mistake about it, I will rant incessantly when that happens, some things are better the "old way". Call me old-fashioned if you must, I just like being able to spell and pronounce the ingredients in my food without needing a degree in chemistry.


By Aunt Clara