nuclear waste aerobics

This is what I get for thinking out loud on tumblr, I get OVERWHELMED by the replies oh god there’s just too many. Here’s a couple comments I keep seeing:

“None of the characters know how to cook, so Steven has no options.”

You can eat fruits and veggies raw! Writing-wise there’s literally no obstacle that prevents Steven from eating healthy stuff. Any character could cook - or learn to cook - for any number of reasons. It wouldn’t change any fundamentals of the story. Steven himself can already make pancakes. I also recall some source saying that Pearl’s interested in cooking as an art even if she won’t eat any.

“This is how some people actually live, it’s just realistic.”

Welp, in my country fast food is an occasional thing for most people and eating that stuff every day is considered pretty sad and lazy. I guess it’s kind of a… culture shock… the way the show makes NO comment on Steven’s eating habits, as if it’s completely normal and expected. There’s Connie for comparison, though - she has a really strict diet which is basically a joke about her control freak parents. There’s no middle ground on this show, is there?

“Lol who cares?”

I honestly don’t mean to sound condescending about this, everyone should be allowed to eat whatever they like. Hell I’m not a health nut either, I eat candy or ice cream almost every day. I just can’t see a logical reason why the writers/artists feed nothing else but junk to their characters. I don’t think Steven eating an apple or a banana would seem out of character at all, but it just never happens??

“There was that watermelon episode!”

Yeeeeeah that happened.

Isn’t it a bit curious though just how much there’s junk food in Steven Universe? Almost every episode shows Steven munching on donuts, fries, pizza, pancakes, ice cream, or popcorn, or whatever, but I don’t actually remember if I’ve ever seen him eat a dish of healthy food. Except for that episode where they’re stranded on an island and catch some fish, maybe.

I dunno. Obviously it’s part of Steven’s character that he’s just this happy-go-lucky little kid and everyone can relate to his love of yummy stuff. Buuuut I still have to wonder why there’s such a strong focus on snacks and sweets. I know the stereotype of Americans eating greasy junk for every meal but it’s not actually true, right?? (note: I’ve never been to USA)

So are we just… having some sort of mindset that fruits and veggies are inherently too icky and banal for a children’s fantasy cartoon? Wouldn’t it be kinda new and refreshing if Steven got excited about proper food for once? Like a normal home-cooked dish? Case in point: the anime food tag, anything can look TASTY AS HELL when it’s drawn with love

Just my two cents I guess