But wait! Have you seen the commercial for selling recipes for Dump Dinners and Dump Deserts? Make no mistake, this is a very hot marketing trend.
Were you excited to see the lady throwing food in one pan and saying your family will love it? Did you watch as she tossed a box of pasta, a can of tomatoes, some cheese, and a package of raw, unseparated ground beef in a pan, informing you there is no need to stir, just heat and serve?
Bet you thought you can’t make a quick, easy dessert? Just pour a can of soda and cake mix in a pan instead of eggs and oil. Kick it up a notch by adding a can of fruit.
But wait! Did your ears perk up when the announcer said get these two recipe books and an “Orgreenic” fry pan for only ten dollars? Well, it sounds like organic, but it is not and the company will not say how it is made. The name comes from the color of the pan which is green. The company is not located in the United States and the 1-800 number will take you to India if you attempt to get a refund. It is basically a cheap fry pan needing seasoning so food doesn’t stick, but many consumers have many complaints. Plus, you will be charged an extra $9.95 for shipping and handling. Orgreenic fry pans can also be purchased at Rite-Aid, Bed Bath & Beyond, CVS and Walmart but expect to pay eight dollars more.
At least with crockpots and casseroles, food prep is still important. The shortcuts of Dump Dinners would get a restaurant chef fired for not separating meat or cooking it with raw food. Besides being unsafe, not removing most of the grease is unappetizing.
Amazing marketing concept to associate the word “dump” with food, but it is working. Some of the Dump Desserts are fine for kids, and most can be found free on the internet. What did advertising executives tap into besides crossmarketing with a fry pan?
The millennials who grew up coming home from school and eating Hot Pockets liked eating fast and without a fork. Corporate food chains such as McDonalds needed to expand their breakfast market share adding breakfast wraps, dumping eggs, sausage, bacon, or any combinations of things into a soft tortilla.
As the millennium was passing by us, one of the hottest shows was the Sopranos. Back then, America liked big and quality. They lived in the era of “mcmansions” and big SUV’s. Now there is a trend for tiny houses, tiny cars to go along with your tiny wages while eating Dump Dinners.
Do you remember the size of the people on the show, like Tony, Big Pussy, and Bobby Bacala? They had huge appetites, always eating and eating well in every show. I just can’t imagine Carmela fixing Tony or the family Dump Ziti. She would have been wacked.
Somewhere along the way to 2014, our standards have lowered and guilt for demanding quality, and big things, from food to cars and homes have receded into the past along with the middle class paychecks.
Is corporate America, government bureaucracies and politicians making a concerted effort for you to accept less, yet pay more in goods and services from health-care to chemically and genetically altered corn, fruits, meats, and vegetables?
America’s exceptionalism and the idea of an easy, good family dinner, didn’t have to go away at the same time America did away with the space program. Remember those same goals that put a footprint on the moon, gave us Tang as well, but we can’t get lazy and not grow or use the best oranges on this earth.
Besides your dinners, are you down in the dumps? As the elections are approaching, have you been hearing how the politicians are blaming their opponents for taking this or that into the dumper?
Americans are waiting for the marketing that is not to the lowest common denominator, but to the highest. The quest for the perfect meatball, the perfect crab cake, or quick and easy recipes can be had and done with a little effort.
Maybe we need a Gordon Ramsey personality type to change our expectations for quality, as we go about our daily routines other than just in the kitchen. The thought is more than entertaining.
But wait! We should never accept less or feel guilty for pursuing quality. Attempting, even failing at a new, fast and easy crockpot or casserole recipe is far better than achieving a perfect Dump Dinner.
Categories: Humor, Life, Observations, Politics
elbrookman 
I couldn’t form any argument against your observations but wonder why you don’t emphasize an obvious summation ; the self absorbed, instant gratification mindset (to say nothing of being to damned lazy to actually cook for half an hour a make a good meal) of a broad spectrum of American society aren’t what those corporations have created but are simply catering to. Americans BUY this crap- like silly non stick frying pans, which if they ever took a little time and effort to learn how to cook in the first place they wouldn’t need. People love stupid commercials and even develop a fondness for them. If we keep buying , they’ll keep selling. I’ve never seen a commercial for Tiffany or Cartier except possibly in publications that would target the higher class. If the broad range of people could ever manage to extricate themselves from the “dump” culture they don’t seem to mind wallowing in and demand better, there could be hope for the successive generations to improve the standard not only of living but also improving the American culture as well. Your article seems to grant a higher opinion of our collective selves than I ever could.
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Ahhh ….I think I just fell in love with your brain ….. Yes ….I went easy on this….hoping others would know what I was saying …. Sometimes when I am direct….and say things in my usual manner …. I am critiqued as rude and told to grow up….see the comments to another article I posted in January on dump dinners as evidence ….I will return with a salty voice in my next article….thank you for reading me.
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I have never liked to cook, but I solved my cooking problem many decades ago by putting a television and a combination radio and cassette/CD/DVD player in or close to the kitchen. Now I can cook while I sing along with John, Paul, George & Ringo!
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