As I’ve mentioned quite a few times, PITA and I have been binge-watching seasons of the Great British Bake Off, awed by even the least of these bakers.  When you consider over 10,000 people try out for 12 slots – – that’s a lot of baking skills for zero cash.  And now on to the other swing of the pendulum – – Nailed It, which kept coming up on Netflix, so we watched a trailer on YouTube and thought it was hysterical…it’s not. Two episodes in and frankly, these bakers couldn’t tell parchment paper from papyrus, imho.  Yes, I know they’re supposed to be “bad,” but these bakers consider themselves good bakers (and probably cooks as well) and that’s scary.

Which leads me to an article I read today about quarantine in the modern age with people who just don’t have the cooking and baking skills of prior generations.  I’m just as guilty of buying the rotisserie chicken, making a side dish and thinking I’m the big kahuna ’cause I use the leftovers for tacos, but when you have to cook entire meals – with planning – day after day, well, that explains the explosion of YouTube videos and the hours spent watching ’cause we’re lost, for the most part.  We have a few favorites from the slow cooker or air fryer or a family dish we make occasionally, but that’s it.  Our moms (or dads) did an entire meal from scratch every friggin’ day.  I bow my head in shame and salute them.  Of course, my mother never made bread, so that’s my singular baking skill, although honesty compels me to say my loaves, tasty and gorgeous as they are, would never bump me up to a television show.

Even in a best-case scenario, if the coronavirus crisis eases in the coming weeks and months, the economic effects could linger for much longer. That means many things – including our grocery shopping habits – aren’t likely to return to what we once considered normal, any time soon.  Interesting article in Coupons in the News; I particularly was interested in the number of shoppers turning to convenience stores since I have to confess that would never have occurred to me!

Play the Earth Day Google Bee Doodle, but be warned it’s addicting – – what time is it????