A registered dietician came to talk to use about nutrition over a lunchtime brown bag session. She brought up Michael Pollan's Food Rules, and asked how many of us had read some of his work.
I mentioned this to another coworker who missed the talk, and we both decided that 100 years ago, gathering food took a disproportionate amount of resources, your caloric intake was controlled, and massive preparation went into the food chain. In the name of progress we all have desk jobs widening our arses, not keeling over in the fields.
Take for example, the preparation of rice as a staple. In Debashis's grandfather's day in a village in India, one would grow the rice, thresh the rice, manual dehull it, (if you want to parboil the rice, you boil the patty, dry it out, then dehull it). Before machinary, a massive effort involving the entire village.
Wheat flour before industrial grinding, another epic. Once the protective hull was off, it became very perishable so you only had a few weeks at a time. This is our lay-person's understanding anyway.
Side Note: the RD doesn't like tomatoes. WTF??????
Late update: thinking about this more, my grandmother's generation WAS the tv dinner generation, and she was happy to not be slaving on the farm she grew up on. She lived to be 86, and passed away last year. She was ready to die, had a great life, 13 kids, and been ready to die for 10 years. WAIT A MINUTE...........
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