The Joy of Cooking

It's funny how a meal which comes out of a frozen container can still fell homemade. You don't mix ingredients, and the preparation usually goes no further then to turn on the oven, but when the meal is ready, and you sit down to eat, it can be mistake for something that took all day to make. With chefs getting better and better at pre-preparing food to be frozen, meals that take 15 minutes on the stovetop can easily replace an hours work why you're too busy to cook. I can't help but have mixed feelings about these pre-made meals. On one hand, I can understand why they are so handy, especially the good ones which taste nothing like frozen food. I myself have eaten "Bertoli" frozen pasta dinners many times, and honestly, I love them! In fact, I've paid $15 at an Italian restaurant for just about the same thing. I know it sounds cliche, but they really are just as good as going out and paying twice and three times as much. Health wise, they aren't the healthiest choice, but then again most creamy Italian dishes aren't, no matter where you're getting them. The truth is, when I have been at school all day, I have a ton of homework to do, and am starving, emptying a bag of frozen pasta into a pan for 15 minutes doesn't sound half bad. Combine that with a pre-made bagged salad and I'm happier then a kid on Christmas.
On the other hand, I really do enjoy to cook, and I believe food made with love really does just taste better. Then again, I tried to make a white wine sauce for something the other night which turned out watery and dull, but hey, you win some you lose some. It seems to me that the love for cooking as vanished in many people due to time restraints. The only times I do attempt to cook are on a weekend when avoiding my homework is doable. When more and more opportunities arising to be able to grab something on the go I question weather that is as great as it sounds. With that option at hand, I wonder if people are more inclined to go the quick and easy route just because it's just that, quick and easy. Do people who one loved to cook now resorting to frozen dinners out of connivance? I hope the answer is no, and it's just a once in a while thing, when their schedule is too cramped. I hope people are able to make time, and to enjoy cooking for the process, not just the end result. I hope we have not lost the "Joy of Cooking".