Whenever I have some kind of random thought, I can't help thinking of that amusing Saturday Night Live segment, "Deep Thoughts by Jack Handey." Lately I've had a lot of those observations that just pop up in my little brain, and lucky you, here they are:

* While I was looking in the freezer case at the grocery for today's cover story on cinnamon rolls - really looking, and not just breezing through for a carton of ice cream - I was struck by the fact that the freezer is a microcosm of the way we eat, with something for everybody. Here were specialty items - organic, kosher, gluten-free - meals for a crowd or meals for one or two, healthy foods and desserts. Who knew you could define a nation's eating habits by a freezer case?

* Alice Waters, who is in the forefront of the movement to eat locally produced and healthier food, would like to see Michelle Obama plant a Victory Garden on the White House lawn, reminiscent of one planted during World War II.

I love the idea, even as a symbolic gesture, but will it inspire anyone to plant a garden that they didn't plan to plant anyway? Maybe. After all, Michelle Obama's green gloves and the kids' coats from the inauguration brought down the J. Crew Web site, with everyone trying to buy.

* Along the same lines, will the "eat local" movement take a hit during the economic downturn? When you're trying to save money, are you going to shop anything other than price?

Or, will the downturn encourage people to eat more seasonally, because really, do you need expensive asparagus from Bora Bora this time of the year? And how did Bora Bora become the go-to place to indicate somewhere far away?

* Here's why it's so hard to diet during stressful times: It takes a lot of will power to stay away from "comfort foods," or to try to eat less, and you need to expend all that energy on worry.

* When you're feeding only two people, buying a giant pack of pre-made hamburgers at the meat counter is not a bargain, no matter what the cost. That's the case even if you think you'll turn them into other ground beef meals - spaghetti and tacos, meatloaf and meatball sandwiches - because the other person will probably call time out after five days straight of ground beef.

* You could freeze the leftover hamburger, but then you have to remember to thaw it out before it gets freezer burn. I, for one, have numerous half-opened packages of chicken breasts and hamburgers, most of which are so covered in ice crystals, I'd have to thaw them to find out what they are.

* Never put a plastic cutting board on a burner, even if you think the burner is cool. It just might meld to it, making it necessary to pry it off and ruining both the cutting board and the burner coils in the process. I'm not saying this happened to me, but I recommend a butter knife.

* Leave the ruined coils sitting out, just for fun, to see how long it takes the non-cooking member of the family to notice that your four-burner stove is now down to three.