By Rory Zeman

Nat/World Editor

After a day of long work, people would rather throw a frozen meal into the microwave or oven to get a convenient, low-quality, bland meal instead of indulging in a fresh, varied, memorable meal from a business. We should normalize eating at restaurants, as it is a superior alternative to frozen, home-cooked meals. 

Eating at restaurants is a central component of human culture around the globe. The vibrant reputation of cities comes from their cultural distinctiveness, often affiliated with the place’s cuisine. However, the development of microwaves, preservatives, and frozen foods allows people to store cooked foods in their homes for weeks, only requiring minimal effort to heat and eat. In addition, the introduction of fast food and the mass chains of national restaurants put a strain on local restaurant businesses, which are far superior options to packaged meals from fast-food places and freezers. 

This food fight has ravaged local restaurants, which offer more varied meal options than the newer, lower-quality, fast food chains offer. Going out to eat gives you a variety of restaurants to choose from. In addition, each restaurant has a distinct menu with numerous meal choices, further increasing the wide range of options when one goes out to eat. Furthermore, many of the restaurants that people can choose when they go out to eat offer far healthier and more balanced options than other convenient sources of food. The extra money that restaurants charge compared to fast food places not only goes to the servers, but also to the quality ingredients that compose the great food. 

Although many expensive sit-down restaurants may seem out of reach for most people without the time or money to go to such places, there are cheaper, and more convenient options that still offer healthy options in a convenient way. For example, most fast-food restaurants, which are significantly more affordable and quicker than sit-down restaurants, offer menu items with fresher ingredients, such as salads, sandwiches, and fruit juices. Additionally, the U.S. government has cracked down on the fast food industry, often requiring them to present the nutritional facts for all of their food and offer healthier alternatives to their regular menu, giving customers a convenient way to choose a healthy meal in a budget-friendly and time-friendly manner. 

Eating at local restaurants can also be supportive of peoples’ communities and minds. Going out to eat is more meaningful than just the simple act of consuming food. Going somewhere to eat creates time for a mental break and time to spend with friends and family. In addition, going out to eat at local restaurants helps support the town and community. Eating at a local restaurant gives it the funding it needs to continue to stay in business, combating the growing number of chain restaurants around the country. It also supports the workers at the restaurant, who are often local residents of the town where the restaurant is located. 

The extra time, effort, and prices that come with eating at restaurants may seem absurd to some people. Buying massive quantities of food from grocery stores, storing them, and quickly heating them is appealing to people. In addition, ordering a quick meal from a fast food restaurant that pleases one’s wallet and taste buds may also seem appealing. However, the quality food, health, community support, and memories that come from going out to eat outweigh the cheap, low-quality, and revolting food that comes from freezers or fast food places.