Eating Spartan Meals, But Yearning For More

If you suffer pangs of side-dish nostalgia, you’re likely not alone. The new edition of The NPD Group’s annual report on eating patterns in America says the side dish “is disappearing from the American dinner table.” In the 12-month period ending February 2004, 45 percent of dinners didn’t include a side dish—”the highest level since 1990.” It’s not that consumers want such a bare-bones dinner. In fact, the survey found an uptick in the number of people who feel that “it’s important to eat full and regular meals”—to 55 percent this year, vs.