I was chatting with a friend about the wave of prepared food delivery services. I'm sure they are a godsend to some, but I just don't get the appeal. The cost, the packaging, the disconnect with the food itself- it all has zero appeal for me. Why not cook a big pot of beans on the weekend? If you don't love to cook, which I seriously doubt is you if you're reading this, why not use a slow cooker or pressure cooker. Even if you love to cook, they can be valuable tools. So now you have six cups of beans and their broth. The future is yours! It's Tuesday night. You have sausages from the store, more than likely pre-cooked. You have beans. You have a salad. What could be easier? I would probably use great sausages, wash my lettuce lovingly and toss it with a vinaigrette. But even if you bought pre-cooked sausages, bagged salad greens and bottled dressing, I still think you're ahead of the game. You can even make a little more so you have leftovers for work the next day. I'm not suggesting these services go away, especially if you like them, but they're hardly essential for most people and their inane advertising that suggests they're cheaper than home cooking insults my intelligence.