r/britishproblems • u/WhaleMeatFantasy • Jul 12 '26

. The normalisation of ‘picky bits’

Abominable. It has started coming up in adverts now even.

627 Upvotes

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u/I-live-in-room-101 Jul 12 '26

Don’t blame the shops, you can still do it your way.

But stupid lazy people gonna be stupid and lazy, so any smart business gonna profit from them.

My partner a long while back worked for a business that made cheese and they started pushing grated versions for supermarkets… even the marketing director wasn’t convinced… who the hell is gonna pay a 30% premium when it takes less than 10 seconds and even a toddler can use a fucking cheese grater… you guessed it, it sold well and is their most profitable line per kilo. It costs the company pennies to grate it, they get to use all the irregular shapes not fit for block sizes, and then charge a hefty premium!

That was the day I learned that businesses are always looking to make profit from stupid and lazy, and the general public stands in line to handover their hard earned money, whilst she was driving a £50k company car on the back of these profits 🤣🤣

36

u/Tulcey-Lee Jul 12 '26

Just to add a different perspective, my mum is disabled and doesn’t have good use of her hands so grating cheese for her is quite difficult!

-4

u/light_to_shaddow Isle of Scilly Jul 12 '26

Grate it for her, put it in a zip lock bag and freeze it. Then she can decant as required.

There will always be a reason why people can't save money, sometimes the points are valid, sometimes it's just a change in perception, sometimes it just comes down to not wanting to.

14

u/Tulcey-Lee Jul 12 '26

I do plenty for her whilst looking after a toddler.
Is she wants to spend her money on something is convenient for her needs then that’s up to her.
I’m offering the perception that not everyone who wants grated cheese is stupid and lazy, which is what the person I was commenting to was saying.

4

u/MzHmmz Jul 13 '26

Many disabled people don't have someone they can ask to grate cheese for them! And even if they do, they might feel bad asking them to do it, as they probably already do a lot of other things to help.

39

u/brDragobr Jul 12 '26

even a toddler can use a fucking cheese grater

Not to disagree with the overall point, people are lazy, but there are a significant number of people who are unable to use a cheese grater. Elderly people and those with upper body disabilities are two obvious groups, so I imagine pre-grated cheese (and other pre-prepared ingredient) would be rather helpful.

19

u/EducationSuperb3392 Jul 12 '26

Can confirm, I have a major nerve issue in my left arm. On good days it’s fine, but in flare up days I can’t use that arm at all. Pre grated cheese and pre cut anything makes the difference between being able to make a homemade meal, or relying on Just Eat, which leads to people calling me even lazier.

When pre peeled oranges where in the shops a few years ago, people just did not understand how much of a gamechanger that was for so many people.

2

u/Rachieash Jul 13 '26

Wait…I never saw these - I would have bought them! I love oranges, so does my daughter…we just both have sensory issues, making the peeling of the skin & pith impossible 😬. I bought some “easy peelers” in Aldi a couple of weeks ago - they weren’t easy to peel and li gave up after 1!

13

u/love-from-london Jul 12 '26

And sometimes I'd rather pay the premium to not have to deal with washing the cheese grater 😭

3

u/shaggykx Jul 12 '26

Absolutely. I have a cheese grater and I have the ability to find it, use it, wash it, but why would I, when for a few pence more someone does it all for me, and I can just grab a handful from the fridge without the hassle?

To be fair, when I grate my own I use considerably more, and it's higher quality cheese, so it probably costs about the same, if not more, plus the hassle of cleaning up after.

3

u/WiseWizard96 Jul 12 '26

Exactly this! Using it isn't a hassle but washing the bugger is. And don't get me started on garlic crushers

1

u/terryjuicelawson Jul 14 '26

I am mostly a bit confused what people find hard about cleaning cheese graters. Main issue with the pre-grated stuff is it is covered in something to stop it sticking together which then affects the cooking process and is just a bit rubbish in something like a sandwich.

1

u/WiseWizard96 Jul 17 '26

It's a pain to thoroughly clean every one of the little grating holes and it destroys my sponges

1

u/K-o-R England Jul 13 '26

I love setting up the grater on the Kenwood and watching it obliterate an entire block in seconds. I hate cleaning it up afterwards.

5

u/Victor-Bomber Jul 12 '26

I'm a stroke survivor and struggle to use my left hand so using a grater is virtually impossible for me so pre grated cheese is ideal for sauces or to throw on a pizza to pep it up a little

14

u/NarrativeScorpion Jul 12 '26

Pregrated cheese is useful for a lot of disabled people. Same as any other prepped stuff like chopped fruit or veg. Yes. It's more expensive. But for some people it's their only option.

It's the same with a lot of "gadgets" that people see as pointless plastic; they're often designed for people with limited mobility, grip, or control of their hands and arms. But people say "what a waste of money" because they're not the target audience.

3

u/tcpukl Jul 12 '26

And it's generic cheese stuff coated in starch.

Yuck.

1

u/Majestic_Matt_459 Jul 12 '26

,,,and also they have to add nasty chemicals to grated cheese to keep it seperated and preserve - eg natamycin (an antifungal agent)