On cooking supper

NPR again. Many American spends 2 hours or more a day watching cooking programs and 30 minutes preparing, cooking,serving and cleaning up for dinner. Now that is pitiful. Cooking "reality" programs have been raised (lowered?) to the level of combat, so I'm told. People say they don't have the time to prepare and enjoy a meal so they default to fast food, pre-prepared dinners or some other shortcut. But they have time to WATCH people cook. Now that makes no sense to me at all. I have enjoyed cooking since I was a sprog. Chef Boyardee got me started at about 11. I enjoy the planning, shopping, cooking, eating and yes even the cleanup. Takes me about 2 hours on average to the dinner on the table. Time well spent. Critical decisions must be made. Timing must be right. Concentration is fairly intense at some stages. The results are usually good. Fresh veggies, fish, meat, sauces, wine. Oh, the wine. Lately I have been using plonk for nearly every meal. Aussie term for cheap but drinkable everyday wine. At 3 bottles for ten bucks we can afford a bottle a day without breaking the budget. Sometimes I raid the wine locker for a nicer vintage label. A chewy Pinotage with prime rib, or a subtle Sauvignon Blanc with a grilled coho fillet. Yummm. At the end of most days my accomplishments can be added up on one hand and sometimes on only a few fingers. One of them will be supper.