"jmcquown" > wrote in message
...
> On 12/20/2012 11:02 PM, Julie Bove wrote:
>> I am asking because I sometimes do surveys online for money. And while I
>> can't speak specifically of the items that the surveys are about, they
>> are
>> sometimes products that are already on the market but sometimes new
>> items.
>>
>> The one I got tonight was not one that I qualified for. But they
>> mentioned
>> products like granola bars and Hamburger Helper and wanted to know if I
>> had
>> purchased them in the past 6 months. The only thing I could answer "yes"
>> to
>> was salty snacks. The other things were all prepared foods that we do
>> not
>> eat or use.
>>
>> The thing I think is odd is that they seem to be looking for a target
>> market
>> that is not me.
> (snippage)
>
> I participate in those market surveys, too. And you're right, they're
> nearly always looking for a target group in which I don't fit. I do
> sometimes get free products to test and when that's happened it's fun
>
> As for "what is cooking"? Sure, I use some convenience foods. For
> example, if I don't feel well and don't have soup made from scratch in the
> freezer, I'll open a can. But adding a can of water or milk isn't
> cooking.
>
> Cooking, to me, is when I have to do prep work. Slicing, dicing,
> chopping, browning, sauteeing, roasting, seasoning... even if I wind up
> throwing it all in the crock pot for a few hours, I had to *work* towards
> the finished product and that's cooking. IMHO.
>
> I think many of these surveys are geared towards younger people who
> *don't* cook. Then again, it's market research and they're trying to find
> out who buys their products. For the most part we don't, so that's why we
> are screened out.
>
> Jill

Oh... That could be! My mom is the type who would buy such products. I
have mentioned the Hamburger Helper before which she loves. And she used
every kind of packet she could get her hands on when I was a kid. Taco
seasoning. Spaghetti sauce. Gravy mix. And perhaps those things are fine
in a pinch but if you never make stuff from scratch then you have no clue
how to do it.

I think this is akin to her and her phone. At their house they have those
programmable phones so that all you have to do is type in two digits to get
someone. Both she and my dad have the two digits memorized. And I had one
of those phones but quickly learned that it was no good for me! Again,
might be good if you were in a hurry to dial someone. But if you never
actually dial their number, you don't remember what it is. My dad wanted to
call me the other day but realized that he didn't know how to because he
didn't know my number. He is living in an adult family home now with no
phone of his own.