Packaged "serving size" items

Pandorian

I was shopping yesterday, and was really grabbed by the difference in cheese prices.

Are people really so pressed for time that they purchase the 186g pack of cheese blocks that aren't an ounce each? For the same price as a 700g block that you then just have to slice with your scale nearby to end up with the same thing? Or the pre-shredded packs of cheese? 300g of cheese shredded for your convenience for the same price as a 700g block that you just have to shred or toss in your blender / bullet to shred it at home?

I saw in another thread about steaming in the bag items, assuming that meant the microwavable packages... I don't use a microwave for any of my own cooking / reheating so I can't comment much on that but I've seen them... buy a single serving of your veggies (for one person) for $1 or buy a 1kg bag of frozen veggies for $2 that will be many servings for multiple people.

Some good has come from it though, McCain's commercial for their packaged steamed potatoes led me to try all that cutting and peeling and cutting and chopping myself and they steam up so fast, and its much more convenient than picking up a great big pot of potatoes to drain, they're ready and already drained, only end up using an inch or 2 of water too instead of pot full to a couple inches from the top...

The convenience really irks me as does the constantly changing package sizes, for the smaller of course, with prices going up.

Maybe it's just me, but it does seem that people do buy them or they'd not have so many products out... Ah well, excuse me while I go crack open a jar of peaches that I canned myself this summer when they were in season.