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Famous Jeff Swystun Quotes

“Culinary history is rife with controversy and debate. Ketchup on steak and pineapple on pizza are quaint discussions compared to outright fights over adding salt to the water when boiling pasta or the balance of peanut butter and jam in a sandwich. Foodies now wonder whether a Pop-Tart can be considered a ravioli.”

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Book:TV DINNERS UNBOXED: The Hot History of Frozen Meals
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“At some point during this decade, people stopped being people and became consumers. The word conjures up an image of a parasite or leech, a ravenous entity existing only to devour. No longer were people simply satisfying needs, they were actively pursuing wants and becoming professional at consuming in the process. Whether it was a big bandwagon or locust mentality, ever increasing numbers of people sought the perfect home with a swimming pool, a piano in the living room, vacations, and second cars.”

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Book:TV DINNERS UNBOXED: The Hot History of Frozen Meals
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“The traditional TV dinner has been portrayed as a dirty secret consumed in isolation. This drove perceptions and created the pathetic stereotype that changed during the pandemic. Forced to eat at home, people tried different options and experienced the changes in quality and variety of frozen meals. The products are now viable options for the one, the few, and the many.”

HistoryFoodPop CultureFood CultureTv Dinners
Book:TV DINNERS UNBOXED: The Hot History of Frozen Meals
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“Picture a countryside with one hundred million chickens roaming the land. It is challenging to imagine anything of that magnitude. It happens to be the number of cooked rotisserie chickens Costco sells annually. The Chief Financial Officer shared that the retailer loses upwards of US$40 million a year selling the chicken. This is not altruism. People are lured by the five-dollar item but leave with a cart overflowing with bulk underwear, photocopier paper, and lawn ornaments. This practice of selling rotisserie chicken has spread to most grocery chains in North America.”

BusinessHistoryFoodMarketingPop Culture
Book:TV DINNERS UNBOXED: The Hot History of Frozen Meals
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“The pandemic exposed key challenges in food delivery. Not all foods travel well even in short distances. Chefs toil to perfect recipes and customers expect the food as it appears on the restaurant website but time in transit distorts. A meatball sub barely survives a few feet let alone a car ride. Tomato sauce spills over the sandwich collecting at the bottom to soak the bread. Barbecue dishes suffer from congealing while nachos arrive both moist and brittle. Calamari grows chewy, mozzarella sticks turn into heavy weapons, and fries arrive limp. The enemy to food delivery, beyond stop lights, is moisture.”

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Book:TV DINNERS UNBOXED: The Hot History of Frozen Meals
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“When the TV dinner debuted, no one was demanding an easy, speedy, and convenient mealtime product but they were quickly embraced. An industry was born overnight, and its story is one of entrepreneurs and innovators who were passionate, driven and as original and eccentric as the product itself. Clarence Birdseye, W.L. Maxson, Betty Cronin, Percy L. Spencer, Jeno Paulucci, and others made it possible.”

HistoryFoodPop CultureCookbooksTv Dinners
Book:TV DINNERS UNBOXED: The Hot History of Frozen Meals
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“Simply put, if our relationship with food was rational, there would be no obesity. We pursue what feels good and eating certain foods is a biochemical way to reduce stress. Comfort food, such as TV dinners, “are tied to times and places that remind people of safety, joy, warmth and the flavors of childhood.” This is why Swanson dinners were re-marketed in 2007 as Swanson Classics proudly proclaiming them as the “Original TV Dinner” with the slogan “Swanson Classics, Comfort Food Then, Comfort Food Now.”

HistoryPop CultureFood HistoryTv Dinners
Book:TV DINNERS UNBOXED: The Hot History of Frozen Meals
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