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Visions of the Future: foods of tomorrow

Broadcast Date: Oct. 29, 1975

"In the future, cooking as an art will only be a memory in the minds of old people," predicted the science editor of the New York Times in 1949. We'll be cooking full roasts in seconds, soup will come in frozen bricks, and scientists will be able to convert sawdust into food. And it all could happen as soon as 1970! This segment of "Visions of the Future," from a 1975 episode of Quirks & Quarks, pokes fun at these prediction about the future as written in the past.

Visions of the Future: foods of tomorrow

• "Visions of the Future" was a fun segment that looked back at old magazine or newspaper articles (or other credible sources) that had predicted future scientific developments. Usually these were predictions that hadn't come close to coming true, and sounded somewhat absurd by the 1970s. This was a regular feature of Quirks & Quarks during the 1975-76 season.

• Elements of this prediction did come true by the 1990s: as North Americans became increasingly starved for time, the convenience food industry has skyrocketed since this clip aired in 1975. As a 1998 article in Prepared Foods magazine wrote: "The old adage of 'too many cooks spoil the broth' may soon become obsolete. Why?...Because lots of folks don't cook anymore, while others simply can't. This is especially acute for those under the age of 25 who have grown up with the microwave oven."

• On the other hand, cooking as an art form is as popular as ever, if not more so. "Record numbers of would-be chefs are enrolling in culinary schools, some of which charge $25,000 a year or more," explained a 2007 article in the Halifax Chronicle Herald. "Industry observers say celebrity chefs like Rachael Ray and Emeril Lagasse... helped launch the craze. The rising popularity of cable TV's The Food Network and reality shows like Top Chef and Hell's Kitchen are fuelling it."

Visions of the Future: foods of tomorrow

Medium: Radio

Program: Quirks & Quarks

Broadcast Date: Oct. 29, 1975


Writer: Joe Bodolai

Duration: 2:24

Last updated:
April 4, 2008


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