How fast food deliveries have changed Britain

A quiet, almost un-noticed change has swept Britain. We no longer inevitably cook our own food; more and more it is being done for us.

More to the point we don't even go out to get it. It is brought straight to our doors, delivered by smartly dressed food couriers, all of whom have (or at least should have) paid a lot of money for their insurance to deliver hot food!

This trend started years ago. Traditionally families contained a husband who went out to work, a few children, and a wife who either worked part time or stayed at home a a housewife and looked after the children. The husband usually expected to come home in the evening to a cooked meal, ready on the table. Times have changed since then.

There has been a long overdue sexual revolution. Since the two world wars women have got more and more used to the idea of becoming the family breadwinner themselves - labour shortages caused by conscription of the men saw to that. This was accompanied by a change in attitude towards women in the workplace. No longer were they expected, or even willing, to accept menial jobs - they found the glass ceilings that had limited their promotions in the past removed, either by more forward looking employers, or by legislation. Women were no longer tied to the kitchen!

The changing roles of men and women

We now find more and more families in which the partners - sometimes of the same sex - no longer feel the need to marry. Even if they do in many families the woman earns more than the man. The traditional male hunter-gatherer role is becoming obsolete; increasingly men are expected to at least do their fair share of housework, including food preparation. Since many of these men still hold down full time jobs nipping to a takeaway, or even having meals delivered, in the evening, is a natural step for many.

Are we creating a health timebomb?

Whether this is a good or bad thing is debateable. Responsible food preparation companies may well ensure that the meals they produce are nutritious and well balanced with the correct ratios of minerals, vitamins, protein and fresh vegetables. Many others however will churn out the cheapest ingredients, designed to satisfy hunger but little more.
It is said that the current UK generation is going to be the first in history to have a lower life expectancy than previous ones, because of an obesity epidemic. Perhaps we are, yet, seing the tip of the iceberg.