Barbara J. Hamby

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Truth in Advertising

As part of my weight control efforts, I occasionally eat TV “dinners,” especially low calorie, small meals. Today I had one that was labeled “Shrimp with pasta and vegetables.” The package contained about 90-95% elbow macaroni, half a dozen bay shrimp and shreds of broccoli in a sauce of some sort. Is the premise that cutting the broccoli into small pieces makes it more than one vegetable?

I’ve also often noticed that the pictures on the outside of the TV dinner boxes bear very little resemblance to the actual contents. I think I would buy these packaged meals even if they were more accurately labeled and pictured. Do the manufacturers think they have to exaggerate in order to get us to try one of their products the first time? If so, are they correct? I wonder about that.

As I’ve grown older, I’ve lost interest in doing much fancy cooking and prefer to just heat food most of the time. I do put together some fairly good soups and stir fries, but that’s about the extent of my culinary accomplishments these days. Forget about baking; no cookies, cakes or pies have decorated my oven for years. Once in a while, I might whip up a few muffins or biscuits, usually with mixes, but that’s about it.

I have no desire to compete with Martha Stewart or those of my peers who just “love to cook.” I’m happy for them, but I’d rather enter a poetry contest than a bake-off.

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