person delivering McCafe takeaway - an example of convenience culture

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

7 Comments

  1. Brian Wheeler says:

    My comment is strictly about convenience food and drink. When I was a teen and started earning my own money it was a delight to be able to buy candies, snacks, and sodas whenever I wanted. I had no real financial obligations and was able to afford it. Later when I was on my own I went out to eat often and almost never cooked my own meals. Much later I realized my friends and I had been conditioned to squander our money on frivolous things. When I stopped using convenience stores, started making my own lunch for work, and cooking my own meals I had much more money for important things such as healthcare, housing, transportation, retirement planning, etc.; and I felt better living a more structured and healthier life. I believe the absence of the ” convenience culture” is why many recent poor immigrants seem to flourish economically compared to many poor American born people.

  2. When I became an empty nester, I transitioned into becoming a minimalist. When I retired, I lived among retirees who discovered the food we have eaten during our lifetime is the cause of many health concerns.

    As a full-time RV’er, I have discovered that repeated commecialized broadcasts on all forms of media cause the ultimate conveniences of American Culture and its health problems. From overeating to multi-tasking in a fast-paced world to achieving all within a moment.

    I have become vegan, cooking all of my meals and moving towards never entering a franchise restaurant again unless it is strictly vegan.

    There is one element considered as a vegan to consider, and it is the element of nature to reduce stress and learn to enjoy the sounds of silence.
    Several US states allow doctors to issue prescriptions to nature. Here is a link to the recent attempts by the US National parks to encourage people into the parks.
    https://www.nps.gov/subjects/healthandsafety/park-rx.htm

    You have written an excellent article, and I would be surprised if it goes mainstream because you have identified the side effects of rabid commercial capitalism.

    1. What a journey! I especially resonate with the challenges around embracing the sounds of silence. At least for me, managing overstimulation is way harder than not buying things or maintaining a clutter-free physical environment. Thanks for sharing! I trust you’re enjoying life on the road.

  3. Interesting article. I tried to find a vegan meal while out shopping. It had to be remade as the employees got the order wrong, then put a generous amount of Sriracha on it, making it fairly impossible for me to comfortably finish. Packing my own lunch would have been less stressful, more tasty and more convenient in the long run.
    Online dating for vegans over a certain age has not been fruitful for me. There are very few men interested in vegan women over the age of forty. Many people online see dating as entertainment. A vegan specific dating site told me there were no matches, then tried to set me up with a non-vegan man with schizophrenia (stated in his profile) who was young enough to be my son. What in the world? If spending lots of extra money for convenience (my home brewed tea and home filtered water are pennies per serving) is worth working extra hours, extra years, okay, that’s not what I value. I’m still questioning the environmental impact of all the recycled polyester clothing “greenwashed” as earth friendly and how ads berate the water use to grow cotton for one pair of jeans. If I wear my jeans several times between laundering them, stay the same size and wear them at least five years, I believe it is better choice than purchasing a lot of fast fashion. Thank you for the opportunity to rant. 🙂

    1. Ha! I thoroughly enjoyed your rant. You’ve shined a light on how some of these “conveniences” end up being inconvenient — whether it’s your experience or macro-level impact. Great share.

      PS – I don’t have much context on the dating world, but I hope you have some better luck in the future. I would’ve assumed being vegan would make things a little easier. But perhaps not!

  4. Geet Manchanda says:

    Very interesting point of view, and the best way to reduce our carbon footprint on mother Earth. I will try and apply all these in my life, so as to encourage my kids to do the same as well.