I’m also a nutrition nut and I speak from personal observation . We all know that inflammation is what causes the ageing process.
I’ve spent time studying Oriential medicine in Asia and I find that in their culture, the key is to be “cool” and avoid “hot” foods. It’s a concept that is foreign to Westerners. Well, coffee is simply very, very “hot” and causes internal inflammation (stomach upset,etc…). Just observe people who consume coffee everyday vs. those who don’t.
I won’t go into details but my diet is a modified combination of Calorie Restriction, Mediteranean (sans the carb), and Asian cuisine (sans white rice), with lots of herbs/spices but no added salt, sugar or refined/processed products.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m not a health evengelical. And socially, I’ll eat anything. I never proselytize because people don’t appreciate eating advice. Although I do have a bet going with a good buddy on his inability to loose weight(he claims he can). I’m waiting a few months to collect on my 500GB hard-drive, ha.ha 😉
Back to the economy… I think that there’s been a shift in our culture in the last 20 years. People have fancier kitchens but they cook less, and if they do, it’s the frozen and processed foods. I’m an observer of grocery baskets.
The chain restaurants that offer “value” (large portion), a theme and “reasonable” (but not luxury) prices will continue to do well regardless of the downturn (Starbucks, Cheesecake Factory, PF Chang, CPK, etc…) People will find money for that small escape. It’s easier to get rid of the SUV than diner out.
I find Starbucks to be more of a stress inducer than “escape”. But I dislike busy stores.
The same goes with PF Chang… I like the food, the atmosphere and the price. But I refuse to go to the one in UTC except during the week. It’s just too busy, and the wait is too long.
People will change their neighborhood zoning regulations so that they can subdivide their 6,000 square foot home into multi-family units and make the wasted space of their “public” front yards private by paving it over for parking spaces or fencing it in for a pool or vegetable garden.
Match.com will have a section for people who only want to date other debt-free people.
Non traditional seeking of college degrees will become the norm until private universities cry “uncle”.
The “rule” that 18 year olds need to move out and rent their own apartment will start to seem bizarre.
fuggy wrote:
“The “rule” that 18 year olds need to move out and rent their own apartment will start to seem bizarre.”
This hasn’t been a “rule” for a long while. Unlike the housing bubble, the trend for young people living with their parents longer has been well characterized by the mainstream media for some time now.
I do agree that we may see a trend towards more multigenerational homes in the future.
