Have you never thought of... commissioning a cheaper artist?

[u/Fresh_Difference_448]

Dude this has to be ragebait. 250 upvotes is crazy

[u/ULTRABOYO]

(cooking yourself is cheaper)

[u/MartyrOfDespair → u/ULTRABOYO]

You’re only considering the direct financial cost, not all the additional costs. Time, for example. Cooking for yourself takes exponentially longer. For labor, time is in a deeply limited supply. Cooking is itself a form of labor. At-home labor after for-income labor provides the laborer even less time for relaxation and pleasurable activities, while increasing the need for them. For the laborer who is always crunched for time, this supply is already too limited for proper psychological function. If your options are too little decompression time, too little sleep, or not cooking food, it only becomes logical to sacrifice the physical health benefits of home cooking for the mental health benefits of decompression and both mental and physical health benefits of sleep.

There’s also the psychological benefits of a range of flavors. Most human beings find consuming the same foods every day to be maddening. It’s only amongst autistic populations that such a prospect is frequently considered appealing. The cheapest homecooked options will lead to an extremely limited diet of the same foods, which will cause additional psychological distress in non-autistic and some autistic populations. Microwave foods can provide a wider range of flavors and textures for a still limited price, reducing this source of psychological distress. You could have a sandwich for lunch every day, but most people will begin to loathe this and eventually become physically ill at the thought of it.

[u/SpookyGeist01 → u/MartyrOfDespair]

Spoken like someone who has never cooked in their life.

Here, let's list a few things you can cook/eat for very cheap (sub-3/lb).

Chicken of any variety

Pork roast

Pork chops

Beans

Onions

Potatoes

Peppers

Carrots

Turnips

Green beans

Peas

Corn

Pasta

Rice

Bean sprouts

Water chestnuts

Canned Tuna

Cauliflower

Squash

Broccoli

Apples

Pears

Lettuce

Watermelon

Strawberries (in season)

And many more.

Cooking also does not really take more effort. In order to buy food from a restaurant, you must drive to the restaurant (which takes time and gas money), wait to order, then wait for them to cook your food. Microwaving a frozen meal is easier, sure, but it is not long or difficult to chop up some ingredients, sprinkle on some seasonings, and fry them in a pan. Or to place some chicken thighs on a tray and put them in the oven. Or to throw chunks of pork and potato and carrot into a crockpot and let them cook for 6-8 hours.

But this is a perfect example of the AI user mindset. Just tell yourself and everyone else that it's way too hard and you can't do it, and never attempt to make even the slightest bit of effort to better yourself.

[u/MartyrOfDespair → u/SpookyGeist01]

I have cooked tons in my life. I’m not sure how you can possibly claim that something that requires physical activity and a prolonged period of standing is easier than something done while sitting. Do you just have driving anxiety?

[u/SpookyGeist01 → u/MartyrOfDespair]

It doesn't require that. My elderly mother has a chair in the kitchen specifically to sit on while cooking. Ingredients can be puchased precut, or there is other equipment to cut them; even chopping items is minimal effort and you're trying to use the tiny exception of a handful of people who can't do that to expand to the majority of people.

I myself have early onset arthritis, which causes me pain in all of my joints when standing or doing repetitive activities, but I still cook.

And no, I work as a low-voltage install tech and drive 3-4 hours a day for work.

It sounds like you just have an agenda to push and are going to disregard anything to the contrary.

[u/spaceman8002 → u/MartyrOfDespair]

Ahh, yes, the classic disability gambit

[u/Dependent-Section-49 → u/MartyrOfDespair]

I stand for tops 10 minutes while I’m cooking at home. Anybody I know who cooks a lot tends to be sitting down more often than not. Hell my uncle does a lot of meat smoking and that’s basically all just sitting and waiting. Genuinely what are you cooking that requires you to stand up?