And Who is Going to Help Me *Cook* the Wheat?

[Carrot Top]

Who does the cooking in your home?

Do you eat foods from take-out or restaurants or buy ready-made foods often?

Do you cook absolutely "from-scratch" using unprocessed ingredients often?

Are you single, married or living with other(s)?

Do you have children?

What sort of work do you do?

Do you feel you have enough time to cook the sorts of foods you like to eat?

I'm interested in the questions of time, culture, society, money and class. As they relate to food and how it fits into our lives, of course.

As a question for "extra credit" , is the form of your daily cooking/eating/dining different than it was in your family when you were growing up, and if so, how is it different?

[K8memphis]

Oh I love Golden Books. I wanna play.

Who does the cooking in your home?

My husband mostly, Chef-boy, our son, was just here, he cooked ethereal foodstuffs for us. I can cook, I'd rather bake. I'd rather do anything than be in the kitchen after these two guys left it.

Do you eat foods from take-out or restaurants or buy ready-made foods often?

We do get take-out, soup, Mexican food or pizza. We mostly cook from ingredients.

Do you cook absolutely "from-scratch" using unprocessed ingredients often?Yes, but my husband can eat pasta and rice so he does buy that. But a nice filet of fish, or chicken plus veggies is our usual faire for dinner, generous garden type salads with fluffy romaine and some cheese, beans, boiled egg, tuna for protein for salad toppings for lunch.

Are you single, married or living with other(s)? Married, fair to partly cloudy.

Do you have children? Don't hold it against me One of each. Teacher-girl and Chef-boy.

What sort of work do you do? My present metamorphosis is as a cake artist.

Do you feel you have enough time to cook the sorts of foods you like to eat?

Yes, I just don't want to cook.

I'm interested in the questions of time, culture, society, money and class. As they relate to food and how it fits into our lives, of course.

As a question for "extra credit" , is the form of your daily cooking/eating/dining different than it was in your family when you were growing up, and if so, how is it different?

I did a lot of my own meal preparation growing up, including a lot of toast. My husband does almost all of the cooking now. I'm usually in charge of the salads.

edited to say: yes we eat out once or twice a week too.

Edited February 1, 2007 by K8memphis (log)

[tino27]

Who does the cooking in your home?

100% Me. Roommate has neither the time nor inclination to do anything that takes longer than 5 minutes to make. The microwave is his friend.

Do you eat foods from take-out or restaurants or buy ready-made foods often?

Given my schedule, I'd say 50% restaurants. 25% take out/ready-made, and 25% cook for myself.

Do you cook absolutely "from-scratch" using unprocessed ingredients often?

When I am doing a job as a caterer or personal chef, everything feasible is made from scratch. Certainly all breads. Things like butter, though, I leave to the professionals. Oddly enough, I personally don't mind fast food every now and again, although I often tend to find it extremely salty.

Are you single, married or living with other(s)?

Single, currently co-habitating with roommate

Do you have children?

Heavens no!

What sort of work do you do?

Day job: Computer programmer. Nights and weekends: Personal Chef/Caterer

Do you feel you have enough time to cook the sorts of foods you like to eat?

If I wasn't cooking for everybody else all the time, I'd say yes, I do.

I'm interested in the questions of time, culture, society, money and class. As they relate to food and how it fits into our lives, of course.

As a question for "extra credit" , is the form of your daily cooking/eating/dining different than it was in your family when you were growing up, and if so, how is it different?

Parents and grandparents came from an age of cooking out of cans ... Campbell's Cream of <fill in the blank> Soup as a base for many, many dishes. While I have nothing against canned products (like beans or tuna fish), I am of the mindset that preparing soups, bechamels, veloutes, etc. from scratch yields such a more flavorful and healthier result. I have yet to convince my family that the slight bit more effort is truly worth it. They sure seem to like my re-tooled Green Bean Casserole though.

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Edited February 1, 2007 by tino27 (log)

[therese]

Who does the cooking in your home?

Mostly me. Husband will throw something together if I'm not there, and the kids are both competent if need be.

Do you eat foods from take-out or restaurants or buy ready-made foods often?

Pizza for the kids if my husband and I are going out for dinner on the weekend. Indian's our usual if we're doing takeaway (maybe once or twice a month), grocery store sushi if I'm shopping late. We eat out as a family about once a week.

Do you cook absolutely "from-scratch" using unprocessed ingredients often?

Hmm, depends on your definition of "from-scratch." I don't, for instance, routinely make my own pasta or bread, and I don't can my own tomatoes or make my own pickles or put up my own jelly and jam. On the other hand I buy almost nothing from the "middle" of the supermarket.

Are you single, married or living with other(s)?

Married.

Do you have children?

Two teenagers (one 13, one 16)

What sort of work do you do?

Professional, full-time, not food-related.

Do you feel you have enough time to cook the sorts of foods you like to eat?

Yes. Food's important to me, so I make the time.

As a question for "extra credit"  , is the form of your daily cooking/eating/dining different than it was in your family when you were growing up, and if so, how is it different?

About the same. My mother didn't work outside the home, and we didn't go out to eat as much as a family, but I did go out with her pretty often when shopping on the weekend (as she shares my interest in food). Family dinner with everybody around the table every night, just the way we do it now. She used more frozen vegetables, but was (is, in fact) an excellent cook.

[Knicke]

Who does the cooking in your home?

I do. My roommate can cook, but like tino27's roommate, she is extremely impatient, and usually sticks to 2-3 main dishes all the time (eggs and toast, pasta, etc.). Or mooches off of her folks.

Do you eat foods from take-out or restaurants or buy ready-made foods often?

Not as much as I used to. I'll still buy bread occasionally, and pasta always, but most food is made from scratch. Part of it is that I've only been living here a few months, and haven't had the time to explore my restaurant/takeout options. I'll pay for someone else to cook my food, but only if I know I'll get something tasty.

Do you cook absolutely "from-scratch" using unprocessed ingredients often?

See previous question.

Are you single, married or living with other(s)?

Single, sharing an apartment.

Do you have children?

Nope.

What sort of work do you do?

I'm a full time grad student with a part-time research job.

Do you feel you have enough time to cook the sorts of foods you like to eat?

Most of the time, yes. It helps that I am usually working from home, either on homework or research, so I have the ability to get up from my desk and check on stock or dough now and then. I've got enough time on the weekends to make things like soups and stews, which I then freeze for the week. I tend to rely on freezer food more at the semester gets busier.

As a question for "extra credit" smile.gif , is the form of your daily cooking/eating/dining different than it was in your family when you were growing up, and if so, how is it different?

My parents were not big on processed food, but their cooking is not quite as elaborate as mine - not to say that I'm an elaborate cook by any means, but I plan the week's meals ahead of time and think a lot more about what I want to make. I generally spend more time cooking than they do. Probably because I don't have kids and no one is counting on me to get dinner on the table.

[Live It Up]

Who does the cooking in your home?

Me, almost always. Until a few months ago my husband had never cooked anything for me, ever. Not even toast. Maybe microwave popcorn. I like it this way, however, as I'm a control freak in the kitchen.

Do you eat foods from take-out or restaurants or buy ready-made foods often?

I hate ordering in. I feel like it's a waste of money, unless it's pizza(from someplace good). We're really broke these days so we almost never order in or go out to eat. Used to eat out about once a week, though.

Do you cook absolutely "from-scratch" using unprocessed ingredients often? Not absolutely from scratch, but I don't buy convenience foods often.

Are you single, married or living with other(s)?

married (1.5 years)

Do you have children?

not yet

What sort of work do you do?

My husband and I own a home accessories/house wares store. We work together and we have basically no income 'cause our store is still new and struggling.

Do you feel you have enough time to cook the sorts of foods you like to eat?

I don't have enough time for anything. 3-6 nights a week I get home after 9pm, so I've taken to making dinner for the next night the night before. If I can't manage that, then we eat at 11pm

I'm interested in the questions of time, culture, society, money and class. As they relate to food and how it fits into our lives, of course.

I'm not really sure how to answer this question beyond what is obvious from my other answers.

As a question for "extra credit" , is the form of your daily cooking/eating/dining different than it was in your family when you were growing up, and if so, how is it different?

My mom is a good cook, and when my dad was alive we ate dinner together almost every night. My dad had his few specialties that he made like steak and home made potato chips and burgers. After my dad died we ate a lot of packaged frozen stuff and things my mom could make ahead and leave for us. She's a flight attendant, so raising 3 kids alone was really hard, I'm sure and she had to be gone 3-4 nights a week. I hope when I have a child we'll be able to eat together. I have lots of great memories of cooking and eating with both my parents, and I'd like to pass that on to my kid.

[dianalane]

Who does the cooking in your home?

I do 99% with hubbie bbqing occasionally.

Do you eat foods from take-out or restaurants or buy ready-made foods often?

I worry about what the kids eat so fast food only twice a month as a treat(!). We love asian food so we go out once a week to various Chinese or Pho restaurants.

Do you cook absolutely "from-scratch" using unprocessed ingredients often?

Like Live It Up I don't cook absolutely from scratch and I don't buy convience foods often. So I don't make butter, ketchup or mayo but I make my own salad dressings, occasionally make bread. I use canned diced tomatoes in sauces but don't use cream of soups.

Are you single, married or living with other(s)?

Married

Do you have children?

Three teenagers still living at home who have no interest in cooking but urge me to make sure " to write down all your recipes before you die."

What sort of work do you do?

Civil servant who supervises a small technical staff.

Do you feel you have enough time to cook the sorts of foods you like to eat?

I make time to try new recipes (teenagers are fickle). I cook a few main dishes on Sundays to fall back on if I'm rushed during the week. Otherwise, I cook 6 nights a week. Lately I have been on a soup/ stew kick. And I make time on the weekends for my hobby/ reason to live: baking.

As a question for "extra credit" , is the form of your daily cooking/eating/dining different than it was in your family when you were growing up, and if so, how is it different?

My mom didn't enjoy cooking like I do, so we ate Hamburger Helper, Manwiche, Kraft MacnCheese, etc. But when I visited my Grandmother, I was in heaven. She enjoyed cooking and enjoyed teaching me. Grandma was Mexican-American who had worked as a domestic in Jewish households in her teens. So along with my favorite beans and torillas, she made mazto ball soup with a bit of chile in the chicken broth and other Jewish cuisine with her little twists. I hated my mom's cooking: I vowed as a child to only eat real butter and cook all the foods I saw in the Gourmet and Bon Appetit magazines in the library. I was always interested in trying unfamiliar food. When I was a young stay at home bride (20 plus years ago) and cooked non stop to make up for lost time, my mom visited everyday to eat.

[EllenC]

Who does the cooking in your home?

I cook most of the time. But as the day gets nearer and nearer for my 18 yo son to move out, I force him to cook more and more. I want to ensure he has the skills to feed himself when he's on his own.

Do you eat foods from take-out or restaurants or buy ready-made foods often?

We rarely go to restaurants. I can cook most things just as well at home for less money and I enjoy it, so why not. We get take out maybe once a month. Maybe not that often.

Do you cook absolutely "from-scratch" using unprocessed ingredients often?

I cook using ingredients. For the most part we don't like highly processed foods. "Powder is not cheese, mom!" I make our bread once or twice a month. It's usually gone in about an hour. The rest of the time it comes from the store. Sometimes I make noodles. When we have lasagne I make the noodles, the sauce and the ricotta. I don't make the sausage. It just depends on the ingredient.

Are you single, married or living with other(s)?

Single.

Do you have children?

Yep. One daughter who comes home for dinner about once a week. One son who is getting ready to fly the nest.

What sort of work do you do?

Professional non food related.

Do you feel you have enough time to cook the sorts of foods you like to eat?

For the most part.

I'm interested in the questions of time, culture, society, money and class. As they relate to food and how it fits into our lives, of course.

I don't make a huge amount of money and I do believe in living within my means. That means that is the cash isn't in the bank, we don't buy it. (With the two notable exceptions of my home and my education.) I believe that good food is good for you. We spend probably a bigger than average percent on food. But I do try not to waste it.

As a question for "extra credit" , is the form of your daily cooking/eating/dining different than it was in your family when you were growing up, and if so, how is it different?

My mom was a great cook. My dad is a retired chef. We ate pretty good when we could afford it. We also ate some things that had cream of mushroom soup as a base. I can remember as a young girl waking up to a table full of crab parts. We happily cleaned the plates. I don't use much cream of soups. My kids are considered picky eaters because they think that salads should include things like cucumber and avacado. They also think that if cheese is listed in the title of the food, somebody should be using a grater or knife on actual cheese. I think I eat much like my parents did.

[K8memphis]

Do you have children?

Three teenagers still living at home who have no  interest in cooking but urge me to make sure  " to write down all your recipes before you die." 

That is too funny!

They can't cook but they can write can't they??

Guppies have the right idea.

[MarketStEl]

Who does the cooking in your home?

I do all of it, by choice. Roomie and partner may nuke things on occasion.

Do you eat foods from take-out or restaurants or buy ready-made foods often?

Partner loads up on prepared dishes (mostly pasta salads) from DiBruno's once a week and eats those on days when I'm not cooking; the number of such days has increased since I started going out more in the evenings. Both of us will pick up rotisserie chickens from Whole Foods on occasion, but usually, if I feel like roast chicken, I'll roast one myself.

Every so often on a night I'm not cooking, partner may order something to take out from More Than Just Ice Cream, a casual eatery on the street floor of our building. I like to eat out, and so do partner and roomie, but none of us are frequent diners. All of us "love that chicken from Popeye's," though, and I will bring some home as a treat on occasion. (Partner, however, prefers mild. )

Do you cook absolutely "from-scratch" using unprocessed ingredients often?

I don't know if I'd say I do this often, but I do it often enough, and certainly more often than I did, say, 20 years ago. The one "processed" ingredient I use most often is frozen vegetables; as partner Hamburger Helper, that also shows up often enough in my menu rotations, but it shows up less often now than it did, say, five years ago.

I hereby request that I be taken out of the kitchen and shot should I ever succumb to Slow Cooker Helper or Crock-Pot Classics or anything like them.

Are you single, married or living with other(s)?

Legally single, living with a partner and a roommate; we have never registered our partnership.

Do you have children?

Nope. As close as we get are our two cats.

What sort of work do you do?

I'm a writer/reporter/editor/flack. I work at a smallish private university in a faded industrial center about a half hour's drive and an hour on SEPTA from central Philadelphia. I also do freelance writing and editing. Ask me for samples of my work if you're looking for a fast and talented writer/reporter/editor/flack to help your efforts.

Do you feel you have enough time to cook the sorts of foods you like to eat?

Most of the time, yes. The Crock-Pot is your friend.

I'm interested in the questions of time, culture, society, money and class. As they relate to food and how it fits into our lives, of course.

I don't like spending money if I don't have to and shop for groceries accordingly. But I also enjoy the sensory aspects of shopping for food, and if I run across something that I think is worth it, I will spend money to get it. I consider my background middle class, and I don't mean aping-the-wealthy "middle class," either, but in the kitchen, there's a little bit of "down home" in me, as I suspect there is deep down inside most African-Americans. I think that food and cooking are great ways to bring people together, but I don't use them in that fashion as often as I like.

As a question for "extra credit" , is the form of your daily cooking/eating/dining different than it was in your family when you were growing up, and if so, how is it different?

Most of the time, we don't "sit down at the dinner table" the way I did at Grandma's growing up or at home before my parents' marriage began to deteriorate. Instead, I pull out the trays and we eat while [reading|watching TV|working on the computer|posting messages like this one]. Company, however, deserves the dinner table.

My cooking spans a wider range of cultures and cuisines than the cooking I grew up on did.

Edited February 2, 2007 by MarketStEl (log)

[SuzySushi]

Who does the cooking in your home?

Me, when it comes to family meals. My husband gets his own breakfast and occasionally fixes himself lunch.

Do you eat foods from take-out or restaurants or buy ready-made foods often?

Very little take-out unless we're really hungry and pressed for time (maybe once a month); we eat out about once every two weeks, often dim sum brunch or sushi bar. Ready-made foods, sometimes a Costco rotisserie chicken and occasionally locally-made frozen wonton.

Do you cook absolutely "from-scratch" using unprocessed ingredients often?

About 70% of the time. But I'm not above using "processed ingredients" like soy sauce, oyster sauce, plain frozen vegetables, dry pasta, etc. as ingredients. I also (horrors!) use jarred pasta sauce as a base to augment, and my daughter likes Kraft macaroni & cheese better than the from-scratch kind.

Are you single, married or living with other(s)?

Married.

Do you have children?

Yes. Daughter age 10. Grown stepson who's home with us on weekends.

What sort of work do you do?

Freelance writer/consultant

Do you feel you have enough time to cook the sorts of foods you like to eat?

Usually, but not always.

I'm interested in the questions of time, culture, society, money and class. As they relate to food and how it fits into our lives, of course.

If I had more time, I'd probably do more baking from scratch. I'm glad that I live in an era and place where food from other cultures is so available to me--I love exploring new cuisines. We probably spend more than many other people on food because my husband and I treat food as one of the sublime pleasures in life and don't confine ourselves to a particular budget, but I shop frugally and always look for items that are in-season or on-sale. The conviviality of getting together over a good meal is, to me, also an outpouring of friendship and love.

As a question for "extra credit" , is the form of your daily cooking/eating/dining different than it was in your family when you were growing up, and if so, how is it different?

God, yes! My mother treated cooking as a chore and was a terrible cook. Maybe I'm (over)compensating!

Edited February 3, 2007 by SuzySushi (log)

[dianalane]

Do you have children?

Three teenagers still living at home who have no  interest in cooking but urge me to make sure  " to write down all your recipes before you die."  

That is too funny!

They can't cook but they can write can't they??

Guppies have the right idea.

←

My oldest daughter (20) is already on her own. She always hung out in the kitchen when I cooked or baked but never wanted to help. I found out recently that she is an excellent cook! She doesn't want any of my recipes; she wants to find her own way.

The exchange went like this:

Mom(tasting food): Ohmigod Britt, you can cook!

Britt: Yes, Mom, I can.

Mom: Why didn't you tell me, I would have...

Britt(interrupting): Yeah mom, you would have made me cook all the time! (and starts singing " Cinderelly, Cinderelly

Night and day it's Cinderelly

Make the fire, fix the breakfast

Wash the dishes, do the mopping....")

So I have no worries about the guppies; they will pick it by OSMOSIS!

[Genny]

Ah, my sweet CarrotTop, you have quoted my all time favorite parable. Of course you did!

Who does the cooking in your home?

I generally do all the indoor stuff, man cook with fire outside.

Do you eat foods from take-out or restaurants or buy ready-made foods often?

Unfortunately, yes. Mostly for lunches. Soups, fast food, etc.

Do you cook absolutely "from-scratch" using unprocessed ingredients often?

Most of the time, if I'm cooking its from scratch. I have a few products such as the scone mix I get from a mill in Oregon but it is "unprocessed" ingredients as well.

Are you single, married or living with other(s)?

Married, just me, my man and our cat!

Do you have children?

see above

What sort of work do you do?

Life insurance administration

Do you feel you have enough time to cook the sorts of foods you like to eat?

Sometimes, often I don't have the inclination to cook because this little red hen does all the KP...its a barrier to entry

As a question for "extra credit" , is the form of your daily cooking/eating/dining different than it was in your family when you were growing up, and if so, how is it different?

Growing up dinner was at 5:00, give or take. There was always a protein, veg & starch. Mom did most of the cooking until she started working outside of the house when I was about 12, then I did a lot of the cooking. Dad grilled but did not cook- unless it was to *nuke* something in the microwave and stuff into a tortilla. Now we eat anywhere from 5:30 - 7:00. There is always a protein and veg but starches rarely. We probably eat too much protein. I try to have at least 2-3 servings of veg at dinner because I don't always do so well during the day. My husband does know how to cook and has some specialties but he likes my cooking. He grills the protein about 50% of the evening meals and I'm getting him to grill the veg more often too. We certainly eat out much more frequently than I did as a kid. We didn't have much money growing up so eating out was a big deal and it was only once a month.

[Kouign Aman]

Dianalane, you have very smart children!

Who does the cooking in your home?

We both do. Its ~ 60:40. right now, but about a year ago he did almost all of it. I think about it more. He just does it. And uses 4x the dishes in the doing. I like rice, he likes mashed potatoes. So in a sense we have 'turf' about who cooks what.

Do you eat foods from take-out or restaurants or buy ready-made foods often?

We order out about 2x/mo. We eat drive thru ~ 1x/week, on the way to rehearsal. Its a great way to fill the time spent sitting in traffic.

Do you cook absolutely "from-scratch" using unprocessed ingredients often?

Probably not. After watching endless bunches of broccoli die slow painful deaths in the crisper drawer, we started buying it frozen. We buy pasta and bread, & jarred sauce which my husband then doctors extensively. We buy blocks of cheese, grate and freeze it. I also use the jarred chopped garlic on weeknights. When I havent seen the munchkin all day, minutes count - for both of us.

Are you single, married or living with other(s)?

Married.

Do you have children?

One, age 2.5

What sort of work do you do?

Biotech, fulltime.

Do you feel you have enough time to cook the sorts of foods you like to eat?

Not yet. The time is just starting to become available, so Im starting to climb the learning curve, slowly, slowly, because I dont know how to cook many of the foods I most enjoy eating.

As a question for "extra credit" , is the form of your daily cooking/eating/dining different than it was in your family when you were growing up, and if so, how is it different?

Very much as it was the first 10 years or so, growing up. Editted to add: except my mom 'plated' (portion controlled?) most meals in the kitchen, and my husband grew up eating 'family style'. I've let myself be converted to his tradition (despite the extra dirty dishes it creates)

Edited February 2, 2007 by Kouign Aman (log)

[chromedome]

Who does the cooking in your home?

Mostly me. My daughter will usually pick up the slack, if I'm not home, or else they'll just pick at whatever's around (or use up the week's worth of cheddar on grilled cheese sandwiches). My son and ex will cook once in a blue moon if the mood strikes.

Do you eat foods from take-out or restaurants or buy ready-made foods often?

Almost never.

Do you cook absolutely "from-scratch" using unprocessed ingredients often?

Almost always.

Are you single, married or living with other(s)?

Oh, um....

Well, I am still living with my two kids and my ex-wife (long story) until mid-April.

Do you have children?

Yes, as above.

What sort of work do you do?

I'm a chef.

Do you feel you have enough time to cook the sorts of foods you like to eat?

Only some days. Usually I'll find a way to break up the prep, if necessary, so that I can make what I want. For the past several years, it's been less a function of time than of catering to the tastes of wife and kids. That means nothing too spicy, no lamb, no fish, no spinach, no organ meats, no olives, no anchovies...meh.

I'm interested in the questions of time, culture, society, money and class. As they relate to food and how it fits into our lives, of course.

Ex and I both come from blue-collar backgrounds; my father was a sailor, and hers was a truck driver. We both grew up in basically meat-and-potatoes households, although in my case my parents were beginning to experiment with different things already by the 1970's.

As a question for "extra credit" , is the form of your daily cooking/eating/dining different than it was in your family when you were growing up, and if so, how is it different?

Much more diverse. I tend to keep lots of Asian and Middle Eastern ingredients on hand, and use them regularly. We also eat a lot more pasta and rice, as opposed to potatoes. I buy my long-grain rice in an 80 lb sack from the local (Afghan-owned) convenience store, as well as my basmati; I go to one of the local chinese stores for sticky black rice (I like it for desserts). I also, once in a while, will do a flat-out restaurant style plated meal, just 'cause I feel like it ("Sorry guys, it's 'chef food' again...").

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[Milagai]

Who does the cooking in your home?

Mostly me, though others get pressed into service when

I am sick or have a deadline. Others include DH, DD (9) and

network of friends......Someday someone should

write the tenure-track cookbook - who makes what

for whom and when.....

Do you eat foods from take-out or restaurants or buy ready-made foods often?

Takeout: sure, why not! I love not having to cook, and

would love to just sit back and issue orders....

Chinese takeout or pizza every few weeks.

Ready made foods - rarely

Do you cook absolutely "from-scratch" using unprocessed ingredients often?

I'm sort of in the middle. I use a lot of canned beans (e.g. kidney

or chickpeas), but also a lot of regular dals.

I use frozen veggies sometimes (e.g. who wants to slice

and dice in the middle of the week? Not I!)

But some veggies (e.g. okra) are just abominable frozen

and sublime fresh....

My priority is to buy what's on sale / cheap. Often those

foods are fresh (e.g. cabbage at .29 c per lb, and cabbage poriyal

is really tasty and v easy once it's been shredded); sometimes

they are frozen.

Also I dont make my own tofu or paneer, both of which

I use a fair amount of.

I have not yet bought frozen idli/dosai batter though...

Are you single, married or living with other(s)?

Married, 2 kids.

Do you have children?

DD 9 and DS 5. DD likes to 'work' in the kitchen

but just as soon as she gains competence in something

she no longer wants to make it.

DS is still a caveman, and getting him to do something

other than squish or stomp in the kitchen looks like

it will be a loooong project.

What sort of work do you do?

Academia....

Do you feel you have enough time to cook the sorts of foods you like to eat?

Sure, why not. I'm fairly work-averse though.

I would much much much rather eat good food that

someone else has made.

But money constraints, plus the fact that the food we eat is not

that widely available processed, forces me to get into the kitchen

and COOK.

This seems to have dogged all women in my family -

my mother and grandmother are/were excellent cooks,

malgre lui, they had to learn under various unfavorable circumstances

until they reached a point where they found reliable help

then they relaxed with a sigh of relief. Every now and then

they would make something just to show that they still

can/could (boy, they REALLY can/could!).

I'm still waiting that happy day for myself. I'm not that

great a cook, and I cannot bake to save my life (requires

too much precision).

I'm interested in the questions of time, culture, society, money and class. As they relate to food and how it fits into our lives, of course.

As a question for "extra credit" , is the form of your daily cooking/eating/dining different than it was in your family when you were growing up, and if so, how is it different?

My cooking is much more international (e.g. pasta, "Mexican-ish",

huge reliance on hummus, million varieties of cheese, etc.).

Also, I use canned / frozen stuff that my mother never had access to.

Another funny thing is that my parents (scientists and rationalists)

raised us non-vegetarian because that was the thinking in those

days - meat is better for your health. Now the circle has turned,

and in this era of over-nourishment etc. my splinter of the family

has become vegetarian - not difficult when you begin with Indian food,

and when we ate meat it was more like once in a few weeks rather

than every day!

But there is still the visceral food-emotion connection to the

same darn things that we seem to have eaten for generations -

the smallest emotional or physical upheaval and we all run

for the rasam-rice! I am just recovering from flu, and have

survived the last few days on an industrial sized tank full of rasam that I

brewed when I felt it coming on.....

The few times my father cooked, he took an engineer's approach:

using geometry instruments to ensure that the chapatis were

precisely round, experimenting with the bounce-coefficients of

various foods dropped on the floor, etc. Very entertaining,

but not much help when the family is hungry and just

wants the results

[Genny]

CarrotTop, I believe its your turn to answer your own questions for the rest of us!

[Carrot Top]

Facts? You want facts from me, Genny? I have to face sober reality?!

Okay. . .a bit later, though. This Little Red Hen has to clean the house and go grocery shopping before sitting down to write anything that is longer than a sentence or two.

[Carrot Top]

It's much more fun reading about everybody else's life.

Who does the cooking in your home?

Me

Do you eat foods from take-out or restaurants or buy ready-made foods often?

Take-out about twice a week, restaurants about once a week, ready-made no. Fast-food for snacks for the kids about two times a week. They remain healthy and not overweight.

Do you cook absolutely "from-scratch" using unprocessed ingredients often?

Aside from eating take out or going to restaurants, I cook three meals a day every day. About half of those meals are from scratch, half not. I'd personally find it too time-consuming and boring to cook each meal from scratch.

Are you single, married or living with other(s)?

Single

Do you have children?

Two, ages 12 and 14. They can cook basic things but would rather have Mommy do it. If I had a Mommy here, I probably would too, so how can I blame them?

What sort of work do you do?

Full-time Mom. Sometimes I think when I grow up I'll be a writer, so I practice at that. Other times I think I'd rather just move to St.Pete's beach and be a beach bum.

Do you feel you have enough time to cook the sorts of foods you like to eat?

Yes, but the two other people in my family like different foods than me, so usually I cook what they like to eat.

I'm interested in the questions of time, culture, society, money and class. As they relate to food and how it fits into our lives, of course.

That's funny. So am I!

As a question for "extra credit" , is the form of your daily cooking/eating/dining different than it was in your family when you were growing up, and if so, how is it different?

Yes, different. My mother did not enjoy cooking so food was never that important. Lots more variety in our foods today, and though we don't always eat sitting around the table, when we do, the kids don't have a book stuck in their face as I remember always doing. . .

My reason for posing these questions is to listen to how people are living, in the ways of "food". For I think food is in the category of the few things that do give meaning to life.

I've had more than one "lifestyle" with food, myself, and each one is vastly different. I've been married to a man who would eat everything and anything, who loved food, who came from a background where food was a huge part of everyday life. Then I was married to a man who was trained as a chef but who only wanted to eat meat and potato-like things, and who had a very limited (and inappropriately snotty for someone who could not taste) palate. I've been a pastry chef which was great fun, a chef which was good and interesting fun, an executive chef which was immense fun and very rewarding in all ways, and a VP in charge of foodservices for a large corporation, which was really not fun at all. I love to feed my children in ways, but detest it in other ways, for have found it to not be all that it's cracked up to be.

What gives pleasure in food, in the ways that we live with it? Are the credos that we are taught "true"? Women in particular have a complex relationship with the kitchen - it's where we've "lived" and worked from, historically. Yet now there are (at least) two conflicting notions of how we should be, in terms of food and cooking, this way that we've used to nurture others for so very long. One way says "Throw off the old shackles! Use what you please in terms of convenience foods, it frees you for other things in life that you can find time to do. . .the food is still good, and good for your family *and* you." Another way says "Focus in on the finest, the best, the most pure and quintessential foods. Take time to cook for yourself and for your family, for they *can* and *will* know and feel the difference."

I don't know. I really don't. There might not be an answer.

But it sure seems worth pondering, to me.

So please give me more stories to ponder.

[Lilija]

Who does the cooking in your home?

'I cook about 95% of the actual sit down lunches and dinners, but when work or school runs late, hubby does a bang-up job getting something nourishing on the table. He cooks breakfasts, 7 days a week (even if it is a bagel, cream cheese, and juice for our son, on a weekday).

Do you eat foods from take-out or restaurants or buy ready-made foods often?

Lunches, I do, some days. My favorite lunch places are the local sushi joint, Baja Fresh, and a local deli. For dinner, not too often, maybe once a week, once every two weeks-ish. Pizza is a weekend treat once or twice a month, Chinese is an emergency meal, when the pantry is low maybe once every two months. We used to eat out 2-3 times a week, but in the interest of saving money, we cut it down to once every two weeks, about. Late shopping nights find us with a prepared salad and rotisserie chicken from Costco.

Do you cook absolutely "from-scratch" using unprocessed ingredients often?

I don't use many convience foods. I don't bake my own bread, make my own pasta, etc unless it's for some special meal. I stopped buying jarred sauce, but I can't give up on canned broths, I also love bagged salad, and mixed greens. I also always have an emergency supply of breaded frozen fish filets, Annie's mac & cheese, shredded cheese, canned curry paste, and canned soups on hand, for fast lunches and dinners. They're definitely the exception, not the rule. I abhor most canned veggies (except tomatoes, beans and creamed corn). I do have a few bags of frozen veggies laying around, especially in the winter, when our garden is dead.

Are you single, married or living with other(s)?

Married, with one 8 year old boy, and a "starving artist" housemate.

Do you have children?

see above

What sort of work do you do?

Part time student, part time "pre consumer test panelist" Meaning I'm a trained sniffer and taster for a huge flavor-fragrance company. I smell fragranced stuff, and eat flavored things (I get my processed food fix at work ), and answer batteries of questions about said things. We also own a landscaping business, and I do most of the bookwork/clerical for it.

Do you feel you have enough time to cook the sorts of foods you like to eat?

For the most part, yes. I make the time, in fact. Mealtimes are important to the family, and we value the food we put in our body as much as the time spent eating. Some days are hurried, but I try to plan ahead and have stuff ready to reheat in the freezer. Sometimes, I simply don't have time and we resort to soup, salad, and sandwiches. This is especially true in the summer.

As a question for "extra credit" , is the form of your daily cooking/eating/dining different than it was in your family when you were growing up, and if so, how is it different?

My mother dislikes food, hates cooking, and viewed it as a chore. We ate mushy spagetti, canned (not even jarred...) sauce, boiled potatoes, canned veggies, fried till dead porkchops, plain baked chicken parts, TV dinners, Hamburger Helper type meals and Domino's pizza just about every night. It was rough. I ate by myself in my bedroom most times, in front of the TV or a buried in a book. I taught myself how to cook when I was 12ish, and things got marginally better. So, yes, I would definitely say that things are different now. We eat at the table together for dinner, just about every night. We eat lunch together when we can, and weekend breakfasts are a big deal for us. I still hate eating alone.

Edited February 5, 2007 by Lilija (log)

[jeniac42]

Who does the cooking in your home?

I do. Fiance has cooked for me twice; I'm better at it and enjoy it more, so I take that responsibility.

Do you eat foods from take-out or restaurants or buy ready-made foods often?

Not often, no. While my foot was healing (broken, couldn't bear weight for several months) I did eat a lot of delivery food and I am really over it for now. We go out maybe once a week right now; that's likely to drop to once a month soon because we will be livin' la vida broke-a.

Do you cook absolutely "from-scratch" using unprocessed ingredients often?

Absolutely? No. I buy frozen vegetables, sometimes canned beans, as someone else said, I don't put up my own tomatoes or most pickles; I make some of my own charcuterie but not much, yet; I'm terrible at bread-baking so I usually buy wonderful loaves from Mancini's. I love condiments like chipotle mustard and sriracha, and don't usually make my own mayonnaise. I buy crackers, and chocolate truffles, and breakfast cereal sometimes. This kind of is a where-do-you-draw-the-line question, for me. I feel like most of what I make is "from scratch", though, insofar as I can pull it off.

Are you single, married or living with other(s)?

Engaged; technically I live alone, but my fiance is here more nights than not. I don't mind that, because it's just as easy to cook for two and it helps with my grocery bill Plus I can get him to take out the trash for me. (Hey, I cook and do the dishes; fair's fair.)

We are moving in together in May and getting married... sometime soon, so I expect some of this dynamic may change. My work situation is also changing, and it might require that we adjust and accomodate. But it is important to both of us to eat together as a family every day, and if he could make it here for lunch we would eat lunch together as well.

Do you have children?

None yet; one thing I am concerned about is establishing good routines and eating habits for ourselves before we do have children, so that I'm not scrambling to come up with something that could already be a habit (she said, naive and childless).

What sort of work do you do?

Presently, full-time technical support. When we move, this job goes away, so that future is nebulous. The plan is to take a part-time job and go to school full-time to finish up my prerequisites for a pharmacy program, which means I'm likely to have far less time. Another reason I'm striving to establish routines and habits that run on auto-pilot for me.

Do you feel you have enough time to cook the sorts of foods you like to eat?

I'd love to have more time to experiment with learning to bake bread and make preserves and canned goods. But there are never enough hours in the day for everything, so some things just slip through. Maybe this year, I always say....

I'm interested in the questions of time, culture, society, money and class. As they relate to food and how it fits into our lives, of course.

As a question for "extra credit" , is the form of your daily cooking/eating/dining different than it was in your family when you were growing up, and if so, how is it different?

Yes. My mother hates cooking, and nobody else in my immediate family, as far as I can tell, actually enjoys food. It was mostly TV dinners and canned ravioli growing up. My grandma hosted big family dinners every Sunday, which I adored, and she taught me how to cook from the time I was very young, so I frequently just prepared stuff for myself. Also, we never sat down to eat as a family except at these Sunday dinners, and that always bothered me. I just don't have a lot of good or close memories about this.

That is another reason for determining that eating together at the table every day is a priority for me, and if it's home cooked six days out of seven (now, while I have the time) then that's even better.

Edited February 5, 2007 by jeniac42 (log)

[Kouign Aman]

one thing I am concerned about is establishing good routines and eating habits for ourselves before we do have children, so that I'm not scrambling to come up with something that could already be a habit (she said, naive and childless).

Not naive at all. Its a bloody good idea, IMO. My experience was that even when nap time and cooking time co-incided, braintime might have run out, so learning new things was hard. Then naptimes lessened, and reading dinner-time recipes got essentially impossible for a year, so I operated on the few things I had on autopilot. There's two levels operating here - the shopping level and the cooking level. There's a period of time when a project that complex is really hard to manage, if its not already habit.

When the munchkin arrives, habit is a life-saver. So is the weird desire to ensure your offspring eats well. That improved the veg/fat ratio in my own diet immensely. I remember my green-veg-hating mom (who was sitting next to the 18 mo old munchkin) looking at a large broccoli stalk on her plate and asking me "What's this? ". I said, "its an example, Grandma.", and my mom ate the whole thing without making a face. First time I'd seen that in my life.

Edited February 6, 2007 by Kouign Aman (log)

[srhcb]

I, said the Sparrow, with my bow and arrow. I'll help you cook the wheat! (a mixed allegore?)

Who does the cooking in your home?

I do.

Do you eat foods from take-out or restaurants or buy ready-made foods often?

Very rarely.

Do you cook absolutely "from-scratch" using unprocessed ingredients often?

I use some canned and frozen products, but do all my bread and desserts from scratch.

Are you single, married or living with other(s)?

Common Law Married?

Do you have children?

GF has grown daughter, grandson (3 yr) and grandaughter (6 m0). They stayed with us most of last year, and only live about four blocks away.

What sort of work do you do?

Raconteur

Do you feel you have enough time to cook the sorts of foods you like to eat?

Yes, since we eat fairly late on weeknights and I plan more elaborate meals and baking for weekends.

I'm interested in the questions of time, culture, society, money and class. As they relate to food and how it fits into our lives, of course. 

Me too.