imafan26
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Lamenting the shrinking sizes of food packaging

I opened a can of beans for dinner tonight. It used to be that the beans would be all the way to the top of the can with a thick dark sauce. Now all you see when you open the can is about a half an inch of a thin sweet sauce. What happened to the beans. It also costs more now.

I know other things have changed. Some of them are good changes. The rising price of chocolate made the manufacturers change the size of the bar. First they made it a little bigger and raised the price. But since most kids don't get COLA, most manufacturers lowered the price again but made the candy bars smaller instead.

McDonald's used to have a double hamburger with with two hamburger patties, an extra bottom bun in the middle and 2 slices of cheese. As costs rose, it was rebranded as a McDouble, but it only has one slice of cheese. The dollar menu is practically history now. The Mcdouble used to be close to a dollar but it is now over $2. I think only the soda is a $1 now. Considering it costs only a few cents for the syrup and water, they are still making a hefty profit from drinks.

Soda used to come in Jumbo sizes. I could get a 64 oz drink and put it in my thermo cup ( I have a big one) and it would be good for the day. I can still refill my thermo cup at some places, but its not a $1 anymore. McDonald's got rid of their largest size drink, so I think the largest size is about 30 oz. It is a good thing since soda isn't really healthy for anyone, so less is best. Unfortunately, I am addicted to the caffeine and I will have caffeine withdrawal really bad if I don't get my fix. I only drink diet cola. It does have about 15 empty calories in the large size but better than the sugar laden drinks that could be over 300 calories of refined sugar. I don't like to drink water from the tap, but I would not pay for water that came from the tap. Tap water filtered and put in a bottle with the weird taste that I can't even describe at a huge markup. To be fair our water is good, even if they do put chlorine in it, it is not that much and water from my area is also charcoal filtered by the water company. It really does not have any taste of bleach, it is not yellow or brown, and it cannot bleach the sink. Our water mainly comes from dikes and the lens under the city so it is not from an open source. The rain from 25 years ago is the water I am drinking today.

Gumball machines have become a rare sight but there are a few stores that still have them. Even the size of the gumball has shrunk.

I opened a can of tuna yesterday for my salad. It was coral tuna. I usually buy Kirkland, so I haven't had this brand in a while. The size of the can is smaller, After pressing out the water or oil from the can of tuna, there was actually only about half a can of tuna left.

I went shopping today. Everything fit into two grocery shopping bags. They were full bags. I did buy a chuck roast, ground pork, tocino (marinated pork), chopped ham, 2 packages of bacon, and 2.5 lbs of frozen chicken thighs. So I got a lot of proteins. Dry milk (makes 4 quarts was $12.) It costs twice as much as a gallon of real milk. I picked up konbu, kampyo, frozen nishime vegetables for New Year's dinner. The daikon was old and they did not have the good gobo, so I will have to wait to get it later or leave it out. I got some staples carrots, potatoes, onions,(this was the only real things on my original shopping list), and sugar. The store had hand wipes, but I passed, I am actually good. I still have one wipe left in my cannister that I have been carrying around since March and I have another cannister to replace it. I got some dried noodles, spices, pork bouillon, and frozen vegetables. My freezers are full to the top again. I was hungry, always a bad thing to go shopping around lunchtime, so I was bad and got some potato chips too. The bill was $128. Hopefully, I won't have to go grocery shopping till next year, well unless I try to get the daikon and gobo later. I am glad I have cucumbers, perpetual spinach, komatsuna, bok choy, citrus, green onions and a lot of fresh herbs growing in the yard or the bill would have been higher. I even have the araimo and ginger for for the NY meals. A couple of years ago the bill for two bags would have been half of this. A few years ago, if I spent $40 at this store for groceries, it would have been a lot.

pepperhead212
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This has been going on for a long time - old cookbooks would call for a xx oz can of something, which is now smaller, often much smaller, as with the tuna. When did you last see a 1 lb can of pumpkin? And think of how much smaller things have become so they can be sold in dollar stores! And then there's the "marinated" meats, meaning that about 20% of what you are paying for is water! I refuse to buy those, even if they are super cheap.

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Cereal boxes seem to be getting smaller.

I have about 20 different grocery stores and supermarkets within a 20 mile radius in every direction. So I kind of get different things from different stores to keep costs down. But because of Covid sometimes it's better to get everything from one or two places to be done quickly, which causes the total price tag to rise.

Chicken was 79 cents a pound in one store in the east. But my wife needed a bunch of stuff she ordered online from another store west of me. So I had to put off buying certain things because they're more expensive west of me than they are east of where I live.

I don't rely on canned beans, I buy them dry and in bulk. Way more economical, taste better (because of how I cook them) and fills the kitchen area with the uplifting smell of cooking food.

imafan26
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I try to do my shopping at fewer stores. Long ago, it was my habit to shop the sales and go to five stores in a day. I can't afford to do that now. I also ended up buying a lot of sale items I never got around to using.

I try to go to Costco once a month, Sam's once month, and and my not so local grocery 4 miles away. I usually can get everything from those places, but these days a lot of things are still not restocked. The stores have gotten some things back like flour and yeast, but I still can't find tamarind paste. I do have to consider sometimes if it is worth going to the store for one or two things. Mainly because even with a shopping list, it ends up being more than that. This time I really only needed a couple of things but decided I would do my monthly shopping now before the Thanksgiving COVID infection spike hits. I hardly go shopping maybe once in two or three weeks. I think I may be experiencing sticker shock, it is like filling the gas tank, I never realize how much prices have changed because food costs have escalated at an accelerated rate. I know some of it is demand, some to production costs, some of it is related to increased transportation and covid mitigation costs that add to the store overhead.

Your food costs are about a quarter of mine. It is the real price of paradise. I hardly buy chicken except for the Costco roast chicken. I can't get that raw for that price. 5# frozen chicken thighs (that are not whole but cut in half or thirds) was $5.89. That was actually pretty cheap. Most chicken parts are $2.59- $3.99 lb. Hamburger was $5.99 a pound. The last time I went to the store over a month ago, it was $3.99 lb. There is seasonal variation but, that is a jump for this store. I usually get my meat at this store instead of Costco or Sam's because, the packages are smaller and this store has the best prices for staples. Bananas $0.99lb, 12oz bacon 2/$7.50, Portuguese Sausage $1.19 (it used to be 20 cents cheaper), Potatoes $1.69 lb, Onion $0.89 lb. I know you cannot relate but poi is $15 lb. Poi has been getting more expensive and there are production and disease problems that is causing it, but for some poi is like potatoes to you. Rice was $12 for 20 lbs. Shoyu is up to $9/gallon, and that is the cheap soy sauce.

I guess you need to give me your recipe for beans. I made baked beans, but it wasn't as good as I had hoped. I have made fifteen bean soup and I have dried kidney and pinto beans although, I must admit sometimes I go with canned beans because I have to plan a day ahead to use the dry beans. Oh yeah, another thing I noticed about the pork and beans, there wasn't any pork!

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TomatoNut95
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Food prices have definitely gone up. I'm tired of opening bags of stuff like chips and the bag is only HALF FULL!!

And as for pricing, I remember when those little single serve bags of chips in the store used to be 3 for a dollar or 30 something cents each. Later they went to 2 for a dollar or 50 cents each. They're probably a dollar each now for all I know.

I'll die without chocolate, especially Reese's peanut butter cups, but I to wish they weren't so expensive. I don't like paying 3.50 for a half a bag full of those little bitty unwrapped cups. And almost 2 dollars for a two pack of those giant cups.

If I could grow cocoa in my own backyard, I'd make my own chocolate. What's the deal with rising prices of chocolate? Are cocoa plants dying or something?

imafan26
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Cacao plantations have actually decreased. Climate change and a fungal disease in 1988 that wiped out 80% of cacao production did not help. Cacao farmers are mostly poor. Cacao is a cash crop and is not a mega farm crop. Like macadamia nuts it takes years to get it to produce and as the trees get older, they produce less fruit. It is very sensitive to environmental changes and is only grown in tropical and subtropical regions. The people making the money are the processors. Cacao farmers in West Africa earn only about $1 a day and as independent farmers do not have access to science , technology or better farming practices to get better yields.

imafan26
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Cacao seeds are not that easy to grow. You practically have to plant them almost as soon as the pod is picked. It is an under story tree of the tropics so it has special environmental requirements, needs to be protected, and it is pollinated by tiny midges.

imafan26
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I just remembered a few more things that have shrunk. Sugar used to be in 5 lb bags, then it was decreased to 4 lbs, and now 2 lbs are more common, unless you shop at Costco. It still costs more than the original size. Cake mixes were 20 oz., now they are 18 oz. The cake doesn't even fill the pan anymore. I don't buy cake mixes that much, I use them mostly in other recipes. I make most of my cakes from scratch, it is easy and it is made from common pantry goods anyway and only takes 5 minutes to throw together. Costco does not sell the 2 gallon bottle vinegar anymore. Actually, I rarely cook with vinegar, I don't like that kind of sour taste. Vinegar is for cleaning. How about those jumbo rolls of paper towels and toilet paper, they seem to be getting smaller but the price is still going up. Then there is the longanisa (its is a Filipino sausage), I call them shortganisa since they aren't long.

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applestar
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I love chocolate, too — I don’t really think I have the right environment to grow them, but I’ve been watching their prices since they have started to appear in on-line catalogs about 5 years ago. The prices have come down but not within my reach for a less than comfortably viable plant. Both are good reference for general and growing information and research, though.

Cocoa (Theobroma cacao 'Trinitario')
https://www.logees.com/cocoa-theobroma-cacao.html
4” pot for $39 — Connecticut

Theobroma cacao, Chocolate Tree, Cacao, Cocoa Tree - TopTropicals.com
https://toptropicals.com/catalog/uid/th ... CACAO_sale
6" pot for $44 — Florida


...DD wanted to try getting some organic canned cat food. She added 4 cans to today’s delivery order.... and found out they are actually 3 oz each — cans are about 2” in diameter, and directions say to feed 1-1/2 to 2 cans per day per 6-8 Lb cat.... Live and Learn. :roll:

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TomatoNut95
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It figures that an addicting food is hard to grow! 😆

Another thing that has always made me wonder, is why does decaffeinated tea more expensive than regular? Sweet tea is about 70% of what I drink, and I buy the regular, even though I'd prefer the decaf, because decaf is so expensive. Box of regular Lipton ice tea bags are $2 and decaf is almost 5. Is the process of decaffination expensive I guess?

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I guess you need to give me your recipe for beans.
One and a half to two cups of dry beans yields enough for three people with leftovers. A cup doesn't look like a lot but you'd be surprised. This recipe is for about two cups.

For black beans and pinto, soak overnight in water that covers them about two or three inches. If it's warm in your home soak them in the fridge.

Next day drain the water and replenish, adding about about four inches of water above the beans.

Peel and quarter two onions and toss them in. I like big quarters because they're easier to remove at the end of the process.

Halve five or six garlic cloves and toss those in.

Add about two teaspoons of your favorite powdered broth, like Herb Ox, something that isn't too chicken-y.

Bring to a boil then low simmer for an hour. Check the pot now and then to make sure the water isn't running out. Replenish as needed.

After an hour add a dash of cumin plus a couple dashes of pepper, not a lot. If you have some homemade or cheap salsa lying around you can toss about a third of a cup's worth in if you like.

Then simmer for another hour. At the end of the hour it's done. The broth should taste yummy. If it needs salt add it or more broth powder. You can eat the beans as-is if you like.

You can make a soup with the broth, adding more water so it's not that thick. Top with tortillas and melt some cheese over the top and of course add some beans to it.

The beans you can do whatever you like with them. I like to add them to a pan (with some bean broth) and add cumin, maybe paprika, some salsa, and a dash of cream. Simmer but don't let it get thick, it should be like a gravy but not really thick. Then you can add this to tacos or eat from a bowl.

One more thing you can do is put the beans into a blender with a dash of cumin and then add to a pan (never cook beans in an iron pan) and lighly fry them in just a little bit of oil, like a Tbs or two. You can add salsa to this too and it makes great refried beans, easier than you might think!

imafan26
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Thanks for the recipe. It sounds yummy. I have ham bouillon or smoked ham shank that I use for bean soup. It seems to be the best pairing.

To Applestar. I know some people have grown cacao as a houseplant, it is not a large tree so it is possible. In the garden it is grown in the "boardwalk" garden. The boardwalk garden is a winding maze of dirt mounds. It does not rain much average 4 inches a year in Pearl City, Hi, but it all comes in two weeks so the boardwalk floods when it does rain. The cacao tree should fruit in 3 years. Ours took a while longer. They were even considering planting a "friend" since cacao trees do better when their is more than one. Actually, it finally did bloom. Turns out the midges that pollinate the tree had to find it. Since then it has pods from the base of the tree and all along the branches almost continuously. The tree is cauliflorous. It is planted among other trees for wind protection but it can still get sunburn on the leaves in direct sunlight.

The pod has a sweet white flesh. It does not taste like chocolate. The seeds are bitter if you bite into them, but you can make cocoa with them by boiling the seeds. It is bitter unless you add a lot of sugar.



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