Where have all the cooks gone?

Many people I encounter, especially in my generation, don't like to cook. I have some questions....and of course I have some thoughts that might be answers...

Questions:

Why is food/nutrition left on the bottom of many priority lists?

Why do the latest video games, shoes, cell phones, or upgraded cable TV packages get our greenbacks, but buying naturally and sustainably raised meat is seen as an unnecessary expense?

Why do busy families put after school activities over cooking dinner?

WHY do we send our kids off to school with fruit gels and other packaged junk when we can easily prepare a quick lunch?

Or worse, why do we let them eat the nasty green meat government approved school lunch and feel like we are doing our job as a parent?

Why do we wind down in front of a TV or computer, and not in the kitchen with family?

Where have all the lost cooks gone?



My thoughts:

1. For my generation especially, we are a product of the 70's where for the first time in history women went back to work in large droves with the intent on having careers (different from our grandmothers/Rosie the Riveters who helped with the WWII efforts by temporarily joining the work effort and who did not have processed or packaged foods widely available.) By the 70's, the women's movement was in full swing and the food manufacturers responded with an onslaught of prepared and packaged foods. This gave families a choice: cook, zip through a drive through, or have a box or a store make it for you. No thinking involved. Food has never been the same.

2. For many, preparing food is a burden. People work long and hard, over schedule themselves, and rationalize that a bagged salad is better than no salad, right?

3. Some find it beneath them--why cook when I can afford to eat out.

4. Many simply do not know how to manage their way in a kitchen--either they had no role model growing up or they were busy and didn't seem to notice (the latter is my older sister who had great role models in the kitchen but never really stopped in to watch/participate). Cooking can seem a little intimidating. Maybe they think of their grandmothers that spent days preparing food and that might seem unreasonable too. Just for the record people both my parents worked full time and both cooked. It was a family affair, and if nothing else, this was the most important thing they did for us as kids (even if older sis was off doing God knows what).

5. Sadly, many people simply do not enjoy or value food. I feel for these people because I have no understanding as food is my main motivator and I think about eating constantly!


If you do not make health and food a priority, why not?


What is happening by our lack of cooking? And what are the ramifications?

Well, for the first time in recent history, our children have a projected SHORTER lifespan than the generation before them because of obesity. Did you get that people? Our children are expected to DIE YOUNGER because of the way we feed them.

Last week another projection was made: in 40 years almost all Americans will be overweight.

If the governments projections of early death and being unnecessarily fat won't wake you up, then maybe watching an entire generation slowly die of obesity related issues like diabetes, heart disease, compromised immune system, preventable cancers, etc., a health system collapse because of the burden of an ailing society, and a job force depleted because everyone is home sick, will wake up the generation that follows.

By making nutrition a core value, we can literally give life to ourselves.