The last couple of weeks have had some interesting stories in the news, and I don’t mean articles detailing the machinations of a chainsaw wielding immigrant or an orange skinned man-child. I’m talking about interesting stories, real life stuff.
Although I suppose there was a specific date when the world decided to shut down, the media, social and mainstream, must have gotten together and declared it was early March 2020 and have been busily writing up every 5 year COVID anniversary story they can imagine. How healthcare has changed, how cooking has changed, how exercise has changed, how travel has changed, notable moments in the history of, or the lingering effects on life after COVID. It’s a good thing we had that pandemic or else people would be filling up their column inches (and the pixelated equivalent) with really far-fetched stuff like Presidential executive orders banning skinny jeans or renaming established geographic entities. But I digress.
As much as I enjoyed reading the timeline of recent history almost as much as I enjoyed living through the timeline of recent history, the most interesting articles addressed food. If you were to say that makes sense to you because you know I like food a lot more than I like history, you are right! Even though I did get an A in history throughout my junior high school career or whenever we learn about history because those who do not learn their history are doomed to repeat it.
Apparently, something we aren’t doomed to repeat, or aren’t privileged to repeat, is more home cooking. A U.S. Department of Agriculture survey conducting in 2024 indicated people are spending 55.7% of their food budget on dining out. But…there’s always a but when you start talking statistics…but, according to a national association of restaurants and restaurateurs, more people are ordering take-out and enjoying their dining out dollars at home, including double digit increases in people purchasing complete major holiday meals (think Thanksgiving, Christmas, Easter). All this while inflation supposedly had been escalating more rapidly than Dingy Donald’s golf scores. (To be fair (yes,I can be), according to the National Restaurant Association, restaurant prices increased 27.2% from February 2020 to June 2024.)
As I read some of the articles, I discovered new to me 5 year old information. For example, did you know there was a yeast shortage during the pandemic? Now, I am a bread maker. Bread, pizza, rolls. All things yeasty. (Not beer. I’m not crazy about beer and every “home-brew” I have ever tasted seemed to want to challenge rhubarb as the most bitter stuff you can put in your mouth.) Like the rest of the world, I was baking bread nearly every Saturday during the pandemic. But I also was baking bread nearly every Saturday before and since the pandemic, and because I was/am a constant baker (not to be confused with a constant gardener), I buy yeast in 2 pound blocks. Guess I sailed right through the “shortage” with the couple packs I always have in the freezer. Who knew?
What changes from 2020 are you still living with, or without, or would like to again? Maybe next week we should talk about how exercise has changed. Gotta work off all those bread calories. See you then!
The Real Reality Show Blog 
Whoa…the stat about 56% of
…whoops…of a food budget going to take-out…is staggering but not surprising, I guess. Your love of bread and yeasty stuff and my love of soup…it’s why I like eating at home! 😉🥰😉
Let me clarify. 56% of the food budget is spent at restaurants, and a majority of that on takeout. There are still some people willing to sit in a restaurant and be served. I’m sure if we put my bread and your soup together we coukd open a dandy takeout place ourselves.
Gotcha! And I like your game plan…if nothing else, two people would be having fun…and eating well! 🥰
Lots of fun and very well!
🥰❤️🥰
Where you come up with these mind-blowing facts is beyond me. If the economy is so challenged, how the dickens can people be eating out more? It makes no sense at all. But it makes sense to think of COVID as a defining moment–though not as defining as “Where were you when JFK was assassinated?” or “Do you remember the Y2K debacle?” So many people are still living in the mental isolation of COVID, not going to work and whatnot. I think it’s awesome that you’ve been a baker since before baking was a COVID activity. What’s your favorite recipe?
You know, that figure of how much people are spending by eating out reminded me how last fall when everyone was saying how bad inflation, air travel records were being set every month. Didn’t seem to add up then and doesn’t now.
My favorite thing to bake is a simple white sandwich bread although pizza dough isn’t far behind. At one point or another I’ve even posted my recipes for both of them here, basic as they are.
You need to enjoy what you do. Have you ever made anything that’s gluten-free? I’ve had that malady for the past eleven years, and I MISS BREAD THAT TASTES LIKE BREAD!
I’m sorry. Bread is a joy in life we forget about until we can”t have it. I have never tried any gluten free recipes. There is a gluten free bakery nearby that I’ve used when I’ve needed something for others who are gluten free and they are fantastic when it comes to sweeter things like donuts and cupcakes but a good bread seems to elude even the professionals. If I should ever hear of a good gluten free bread recipe I’ll be sure to share.
I’d be grateful. We’ve got nothing like that down here. Surprising since it is a tourist destination. I do enjoy gluten-free pretzels!
Pretzels. Yum! One of the 4 food groups!
I’d been storing my yeast there for years. Depending on how fast I work through a bag I might need to adjust up as I get close to empty, but that’s not hard to figure when you bloom it at the start of your recipe.
I remember that yeast shortage. I didn’t know you could keep it in the freezer. No wonder you breezed by that – so smart!
so thankful the skinny jeans wasn’t real–not that it could have been, but still! I do baking, but my bread is all in a machine. I cannot get the hang of yeast breads by hand. Every time, I kill it dead. One of the funnier health changes is food groups-especially the fats. And exercise over the years, YIKES!!!! focus (if possible) on the clothing worn while moving to the beat (yeah, that dated me right there!).🤣
Haha – I just had a picture of me as a young man (that was a long time ago), moving to the beat not in exercise clothes, but out on a dance floor. That was more of a workout than any I can put myself through now.
Most yeast-icide happens because the water or milk is too hot when doing that initial bloom. Or not giving it anything to find on. If I find myself with questionable yeast I try some honey with or instead of sugar to get it going..