---
id: 2026-03-14T23:17:58-0400
title: 2026-03-14 23:17:58
tags:
  - status/draft
  - topic/hobbies/cooking
daily: "[[2026-03-14]]"
date-created: 2026-03-14T23:17:58-04:00
---
# 2026-03-14 23:17:58

## Utility for Meal Planning

Would you take this offer?

> You can no longer eat or drink,
> but you no longer need to to survive.

I wouldn't, but I've known people who would.
I've also known people like the villain from _Ratatouille_
that would never eat something just for the calories.
I'd say I lean more towards the first,
certainly my interest in cooking
is one of cost optimization,
not expressing myself through the medium of food.

Taste does matter to me though,
I realized this recently while eating particularly bland [[stroganoff]].
Novelty of taste as well,
which is why I rotate through recipes
rather than just picking my favorite.[^1]
But the value of taste declines sharply above a certain point.

[^1]: Internalized social stigma probably deserves more credit there,
    but the outcome is the same.

For me, a recipe with high [[utility]]
is tasty, cheap, _and_ convenient to prepare.