What about the next generation?

[Sugar Apple]

There was a recent topic discussing the death of cooking in the US and it's set me wondering about the next generation. We're all food lovers and I'm wondering if we're passing that love along to our kids (or grandkids or the neighbor's kids). If you have children, are they good eaters, picky eaters, somewhere in between? Or is it all McNuggets and mac and cheese from a box for the kids and the good stuff for Mom and Dad? Are you showing them around the kitchen? And what about their friends?

We've made a few mistakes with our daughter (I regret the first box of mac and cheese she ever had and she's addicted to ramen noodles). But in general she's a great eater and likes to cook. She can roll sushi better than I can but won't eat it - it's the seaweed and not the raw fish she objects to, so maybe sashimi's the way to go). She loves McDonald's but since we have no chains here we can afford to indulge her on vacation with a few Big Macs.

She loves to cook but hates to follow recipes, which has made for some really interesting "cupcakes" that her parents have been forced to eat. A lot of her friends like to cook and quite a few have very adventurous palates also. We took a friend of hers along for company to Italy this year and they both loved octopus but were so so on squid because the first time they tried it, it was overcooked and rubbery. And quite a few of her friends cook too. My animal-loving daughter's big prejudice is against eating anything cute and furry. So no veal, lamb or rabbit.

So how do you think the next generation is shaping up?

[Jenni]

Depends on the family they're growing into, I think. I am 19, and I grew up in a food/ cookery loving family. I love to cook, and my brother does too. I see other friends, who grew up with familys who served them fish fingers and chips, or frozen pizzas for supper (we never did that, always homemade stuff) and they're not that into cooking. They like food, but would rather buy a sandwich and bottle of fizzy drink for lunch and get a takeaway for supper than cook.

[MattyC]

While I do think that in years past, we really have become 'dumbed down' in terms of food, I think it's definitely looking up. I think many health issues, exercise trends, and even food related shows and trends have kind of re-opened peoples eyes about food.

I'm 26. I'm not super young, but neither am all that old either. When I was growing up, especially into highschool, yeah it was a lot of crap because of timing and ease. And I do admit, I do still have a thing for ramen ( I know, I know). I was lucky enough to be interested in food, which along the way has really helped my eating and just knowledge of food in general. But a lot of my friends, up until just recently, really ate horribly. Bar food, instant food, you name it. But health issues, and to some people the whole 'rockstar' chef thing have pushed some of them to become to really start thinking for themselves, and to start doing things on their own, and realize they are better for it, even if those weren't their first reasons.

Now take my younger sister. She's roughly 6 years younger than me, and she is very anal about what goes into her body. She makes what she can at home from scratch, and if she doesn't, she does her homework and makes sure she is eating healthy. Sometimes she even puts me, who cooks for a living, to shame with what goes into her diet. Most of her friends are much the same way. I can't even get her boyfriend to drink soda (not that I drink much these days, but every once in a while sure).

From what I have noticed, each age group, the younger they are, are trying that much more to eat better... up to a point anyway. Obviously it gets to that point where it's under the parents control, but aside from that i'm hopeful. It's all just based on what i've personally seen.

I definitely think things will be ok. I think what we have for information and knowledge, and everything else food-wise that is happening, people are learning to ease off the crap. I think younger people are, on their own, deciding to eat better, as opposed to a little older, where it takes some form of kick in the pants a lot of the time. And I think the even newer generation will be even better off. But who knows? It could just be wishful thinking.

Edited October 22, 2009 by MattyC (log)

[Katie Meadow]

In my family skills seem to skip a generation. My mother was a lousy cook and could sew up a storm. I can't stand sewing, but I'm a pretty decent home cook. My daughter, a college senior, on the other hand, has great appreciation for good food and makes excellent food choices, but is temperamentally unsuited to cooking. She doesn't find it interesting and hasn't the patience for it.

But my husband and I never ate junk nor did we have sweet tooths, and we totally abandoned his family tradition of dessert with every meal. We were very lucky that our daughter never had a serious sweet tooth either and didn't whine about stuff like that. (Don't worry, she whined about plenty of other things.) She hoarded Halloween candy instead of eating it (and yes, she's frugal beyond belief) and by the time she was over the early childhood fixation on "white foods"--white bread, noodles and white rice--she became a good eater. She still doesn't favor large hunks of meat, but likes modest amounts of protein added to her veggies, such as in stir-fry. She loves all types of Asian food, and spent a semester in Athens and loved Greek food. Four days in Florence made her gag; she couldn't abide all that red meat. But, although she can quickly evaluate whether food is well-prepared or not, she doesn't actually care that much and gets annoyed with me for making food important. And she often makes judgments based on price. She's a very cheap date, but isn't any fun if the food is too "high end" for her politics.

My husband and I have never been to McDonalds in our lives. My daughter has only been once, with a friend's family, and she couldn't get herself to order a burger, since it would break a family record, so she had ice cream only. I don't mean to make her sound so reasonable around food. She isn't exactly.

[heidih]

I had the most pleasant surprise the other day. My 18 year old was talking about how he and his room mates shop for food. They spent a few weeks in a hotel before they found their apartment and had no kitchen, and limited funds. He said they noticed that when they were living off the "dollar menu" at the fast food places they became slow and tired all the time. Now they are shopping for fresh food, trying to cook, and feeling better. They come from very different food backgrounds but all agreed their food had no flavor. Their first major investment was in some seasonings. Pretty potent observations from three eighteen year old males. Of course they want to figure this cooking thing out themselves and want no help from me.....

[Special K]

A surprising number of kids at the high school where I volunteer like to bake.

Well, maybe it's not so surprising - they're my husband's chemistry students!

I bring in cookies, brownies, etc., for study hall, and a bunch of kids always ask for the recipes.

I love it! I'm trying to get the Doc to incorporate some real cooking in his class. Maybe I'll get to do a guest lecture one of these days.

[David A. Goldfarb]

Melchi, who turns three in December likes to help me when I make his smoothies. He peels the banana sometimes and puts it into the blender, and he likes tossing in the ice cubes.

Someone gave him this toy that consists of a wooden tray and a (fairly blunt) wooden knife and wooden fruits and vegetables divided in half and joined with velcro, so he can cut get some knife skills. Today he was sitting on his mother's lap and picked up her table knife in a safe way and cut one of her french fries, so there may be something to it.

[snowangel]

Way back when Peter was born, Heidi was but 18-months old, and given her disabilities, she was also an infant.

So, for Diana and me time, every night, after the babes were in bed, we'd get started on dinner preps for the next night (I was a work outside the home mom back then).

Then, Peter got older, and although I didn't have any more babies, he and I continued the tradition, along with Diana. My kids can (and could from about age 5) cut along with the best of them, and can also meal plan and root through the fridge/freezer and come up with a meal.

[pax]

My youngest went from eating everything she could put in her teeny little mouth and begging for more, hotter, spicier; to a picky kid with texture and "mess" issues.

These days if I want to get anything into her it needs to be raw veggies and cleanly prepared meat..no sauces, no fancy prep, no marinades, no jus, no herbs, no foolink around. My non-meat proteins are totally shot, no beans, no eggs, no nuffink. If it's mushy, fageddaboutit.

Would this be an ok place to admit that my mother got her hooked on day-glo orange Krap Macaroni and Cheese over the summer and I unhooked her by adulterating every pot which I cooked for her under duress until she finally cried "uncle" and started eating my homemade again?

[Kouign Aman]

When they are tender and not too large, a crisp batter of milk and cornstarch works well w deep frying.

As they get older and larger, it helps to part them out. The legs tend to be tough from all that running, jumping and climbing, and so work best w a slow braise.

Edited October 23, 2009 by Kouign Aman (log)

[llc45]

In my family skills seem to skip a generation. My mother was a lousy cook and could sew up a storm. I can't stand sewing, but I'm a pretty decent home cook. My daughter, a college senior, on the other hand, has great appreciation for good food and makes excellent food choices, but is temperamentally unsuited to cooking. She doesn't find it interesting and hasn't the patience for it.

That pretty much sums up my family situation as well. I came from a family of people who hate to cook, my one sister married a good cook but the rest of them rely on dinners out or take out. My 15 year old daughter has an excellant palate - loves all ethnic food, calamari, sushi, pretty much all types of meat and seafood, most vegetables, tofu, and hot/ spicy things. Not a huge fruit lover and hates fruit juice. At 5 ft 1 in and 95 lbs, she eats like a linebacker. But if she has to fend for herself, she will go without eating or, if really hungry, will grab a bowl of cereal or heat up premade lentil chili. She also will not eat leftovers. Since my family didn't cook, I had fantasies of how thrilled my daughter would be when I taught her how to cook. Boy was I wrong!

[pastameshugana]

My kids grew up loving mac & cheese and ramen (as do I, sorry, I have to admit it!). However, once I got the cooking bug, they've come along. They all (8, 6 and 4, and another on the way) play restaurant with each other. They take turns being the waiter/cook, and create dishes with their plastic food to serve to each other. My middle son even wrote down a couple 'recipes' and had me try them out.

One of the rules of our house is that you HAVE to try everything. You don't have to like it, or ask for seconds, but you do have to try it the first time, and finish the (reasonable) helping you're given. It's surprising (maybe not) how many things they discover they love when they get past the look/idea of it. My 6 year old loves salmon caviar for this very reason, and my 4 year old is a die-hard sholay kebab fan (it's a Bangalore thing, quite spicy). We've got adventurous eaters, even though ramen and M&C make it on the table a couple times a month..

As long as parents give their kids big horizons, and don't give in too easily to the little guys complaints.

Just my $.02

[KarenDW]

I love it! I'm trying to get the Doc to incorporate some real cooking in his class. Maybe I'll get to do a guest lecture one of these days.

I recall having to make Peanut Brittle as part of a senior high school Chemistry class. Most of the other students didn't have a clue what we were doing until the part where we added the "protein particles" to the mixture!

I've been accused, by my now adult children, of having raised Little Food Snobs. Both my daughters are appalled by the lack of culinary skill present in their friends. My girls still are the only ones in their particular circles who consume large quantities of fresh foods, and can plan and cook a balanced meal on a budget. Of course, I am addicted to instant ramen and take out chow mein.