I share your joy of planning meals. When I'm home, the afternoon is a leisurely preparation and I love the feeling of not having to rush, and we can take our time to decide what we'll feel like eating later on

(Ah, paywall. I really must get on track with subscribing to The Atlantic...?) It is sad, indeed. I think more people can follow a recipe, but don't know how to cook. Consequently, they collect one-time ingredients that aren't used up let alone used again. I may be missing the point since I couldn't read the article, but snacks are ultra-processed non-foods designed to be addictive and misleadingly marketed. It's oral soothing. They're socially acceptable pacifiers. (How close did I get?)

I grew up with a father who loved to cook and I remember eating escargot, French onion soup, artichokes, paella, perogies, borscht, bannock and all kinds of other fun things from a very young age. I and both my brothers love to cook and create amazing and delicious meals for no other reason than we want to. Always have, always will. We were middle class growing up in Canada, but my father (and mother) could still make amazing meals out of nothing. Influence matters.