Terrible news for advocates of slow cooking & real food. Both Scientific American and Splendid Table radio show recently mentioned a study about the Effects of Fast Food on Patience.
SA article: “In a series of experiments, the scientists [Chen-Bo Zhong and Sanford DeVoe,http://bit.ly/9muhPD] showed volunteers logos from several fast-food chains or asked them to recall the last time they’d visited. And they found that folks who had thought about fast food would then read faster, even though no one told them to hurry. And they also expressed a preference for time-saving products, like shampoo plus conditioner. And they tended to opt for immediate rewards, like getting a small cash payment right away rather than waiting a week for a larger sum. So if you want to ease the pace, forget meditation. Try a slow cooker.” 
Splendid Table podcast with the same reporter (2/26/11).
The original study was published in the journal Psychological Science. Obviously we are well aware this is an uphill battle. Still I’m surprised that participants would actually be so impatient as to choose less money over more! Anyway, something to know while devising strategies & tactics to educate, persuade & show.
One Dish At A Time 