Yes, this is one of those posts that really has nothing to do with what we normally do here at GraniteGrok – but didn’t think it fit as a “Palate Cleanser” post either. So, here goes.
I was rather struck over what I thought was a bit disjoint-ness of the title of the post (yes, at CNN of all places) because a lot of people believe that “heating it up” is cooking (reformatted, emphasis mine):
Cooking is out. Campbell’s soup is in again
Early in the Covid-19 pandemic, everybody stuck at home tried their hand at cooking. People posted photos of their elaborate dishes on social media with hashtags like #Coronavriuscooking, and baking sales boomed.
Almost two years later, people have given up on their dreams of being a celebrity chef. Consumers across the country increasingly are opting for speedy meals and on-the-go bites as they commute back and forth from their offices, spend more time outside their homes and kids go back to schools, say top food brands like Campbell Soup (CPB), Conagra (CAG), General Mills (GIS), Kellogg (K), Amy’s Kitchen and others.
Before I started to get politically active and started GraniteGrok, I was on the road to becoming a foodie. Frankly it, I NEVER thought I’d rise to be such a chef – nor even rising to the level of being on Reality TV’s “MasterChef” where amateurs compete to get yelled at by Gordon Ramsey. However, it was fun and I was starting to get “kinda” good at it for a home cook that occasionally had friends over for dinner.
…Campbell has noticed a shift in cooking habits based on surveys it conducts with consumers. While many people are still eating more at home than they were before the pandemic, Campbell says consumers are indicating that they want quicker lunches while they work from home or eat at the office. They also want easily prepared dinners after a long day.
Campbell says consumers aim to make dinner in an average of under 18 minutes. In response, Campbell is advertising its Chunky soup brand as a lunchtime meal — “Lunchtime Is Your Halftime” — and Prego sauces as a quick recipe option.
Dunno if I fit into this new “fad” as I’ve been eating Campbell’s Chunky Soups for quite some time – almost every lunch unless I’ve decided to do chili dogs (pan-fried or grilled, top open buttered hot toasted dog bun, yellow mustard, diced Vidalia onions, and DL Jardine’s Texas mix. I generally will heat up either the Gumbo or Jambalaya. Even the Grandson (who doesn’t like the chili dogs) wants to horn in on my lunch when he’s not in school – he likes these spicy soups.
Are they quick? Yes. Are they tasty? I think so. Are they healthy? Don’t care. But I do think they’ve helped me lose 60 pounds and I’m looking to do another 15 or so as well.
So, I thought it was “different” than something I’ve been consuming for years as now being a “new thing”. Who knew I was ahead of everyone else’s time?
(H/T: CNN)
And no, I didn’t get paid for this. I just happen to like the soups.
