Is cooking for your kids a ‘moral imperative’?
A few weeks ago Michael Pollan wrote for The New York Times Magazine this amazing story examining cooking in America – or more accurately the lack of cooking in America. The story was timed to the release of the movie “Julie and Julia.” It was a super long story and covered a lot of ground.
The part that caught my eye was his examination of why many parents are not cooking for their families anymore, how this trend developed in America and how it is affecting our children.
He points out in one part of the story that women used to view cooking as a moral imperative on par with childcare. That not cooking for your family was a dereliction of duty.
If you have the time, Pollan’s entire article is well worth reading but for our discussion here are a few of the more salient points:
“Yes, women with jobs outside the home spend less time cooking – but so do women without jobs. The amount of time spent on food preparation in America has fallen at the same precipitous rate among women who don’t work outside the home as it has among women who do: in both cases, a decline of about 40 percent since 1965.”
Pollan quotes from Laura Shapiro’s Book “Something from the oven: Reinventing Dinner in 1950s America” which said that the food industry tried to “persuade millions of Americans to develop a lasting taste for meals that were a lot like field rations.”
“After World War II, the food industry labored mightily to sell American women on all the processed-food wonders it had invented to feed the troops: canned meals, freeze-dried foods, dehydrated potatoes, powdered orange juice and coffee, instant everything.”
Shapiro makes the point in her book that the shift toward industrial cookery was NOT in response to the demands of newly working women entering the work force BUT as a supply-driven phenomenon from these food companies!
Pollan goes on to say that it took years of clever, continuous marketing to break down that resistance.
Toward the end of the article, Pollan examines how our not cooking is adversely affecting our families.
“As 2003 study by a group of Harvard economists led by David Cutler found that the rise of food preparation outside the home could explain most of the increase in obesity in America.”
Simply what the study found was that foods that were difficult or time consuming to make were often ones that are bad for us – such as the French fry or the donut. It’s a big pain to fry donuts or French fries at home. So foods that used to be cooked and served occasionally became everyday foods when you could buy them mass produced and not have to cook them for yourself.
Cutler found that obesity rates are inversely correlated to the amount of time spent preparing food.
The last quote in the story says basically if you want to lose weight, only eat the food you actually cook yourself. (I’m not sure I completely agree with this point. I bake a lot of homemade cakes and cookies and they aren’t making me any thinner.)
There’s a lot to chew on in this article. (HeHeHe. Sorry, I couldn’t resist!) So what do you think:
Do you cook for your family? If so, how often? How much from scratch and how much is it “assembling,” or putting together pre-prepped foods? If you were not working outside the home would it change the amount you are cooking?
Do you buy this argument that it’s a massive marketing campaign over a period of years that convinced American families to turn to more processed foods or do you believe the change is based on ease and time savings that working families needed? Is it supplier driven or consumer driven?
Is there a “moral imperative” to cook? Do you buy Pollan’s assertion that if you cooked for your family they would be healthier – the rule if you can make it from scratch you can eat it?
Tell us what you think about the site
Customer Care »
Vacation stops, manage subscriptions and more
AJC Services
Sections
Other Editions
Visitor Agreement | Privacy Statement
© 2013 The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
70 comments Add your comment
nurse&mother
August 26th, 2009
6:10 pm
Am I the only poster who really doesn’t like to cook??? I do cook about two meals per week. I can’t think of enough ideas. And by the time dinner rolls around (no pun intended) I am clueless. It doesn’t help that I am an extremely picky eater who hates mayo, cheese, sour cream, white cream bases, etc. This makes quick meals particularly hard.
motherjanegoose
August 26th, 2009
7:10 pm
nurse&mother…you would be in trouble at our house….we eat at least one of those things each night.
We had chicken pasta in a white wine sauce tonight with lots of cheese on top….salad, fresh green beans, fresh fruit and rolls….YUM!
FCM
August 26th, 2009
8:52 pm
I would like to make reservations at MJGs and JJs please.
FCM
August 26th, 2009
8:54 pm
Becky–I do southern style, cast iron skillet cooking too….I would like to plan a feast with your family. ;)
motherjanegoose
August 26th, 2009
9:24 pm
@ FCM HAHA…if you will do the dishes….you are in!
It is funny how different folks cook and how it has to do with their family and where they live. My sister is in Wisconsin and makes lots of soups and casseroles. I rarely make a casserole but love home made soup. They also eat wall-eye and smoked fish ( which I do love).
My husband’s grandma made home made noodles and would boil them in a dumpling broth and serve them over mashed potatoes. I never got into it.
My own grandma made kidney bean salad…kind of like potato salad with kidney beans. They do serve it in Iowa and it always take me by surprise.
We are quite lucky here, as we have access to such nice produce at the produce stand and even in the stores. Some places I travel to, have the worst grocery stores….it would be depressing to shop there.
My husband and I often remark of the little butcher we had in Texas. All the meat was fresh and DELICIOUS. It was a really small store but anyone local knew where it was.
I came upon an easy Salmon dish…get the salmon at Costco. We took orange marmalade ( my step mom sent us as they had way too many oranges and she had to do something with them) and mixed it with some Dijon mustard and balsamic vinegar. Seal the salmon in foil and pour the mixture on top….chopped fresh basil is nice. Just pop it on the grill…easy with a salad and rice….no gravy…haha~
Night all….
motherjanegoose
August 26th, 2009
9:25 pm
ooops…the mixture goes inside the foil with the salmon….most folks should get this.
Becky
August 27th, 2009
8:59 am
new step mom, I love to bake, I’m just not super good at it..
fk,if you emjoy cooking, take the time while your husband is working late to try cooking different things..This is what I do..
nurse&mom..Theres nothing wrong with you not liking to cook..As for finding things to cook, find a cook book put out by a local church or school..The recipes in there are usually tired and true..Also fairly basic..
FCM, I would love to cook a feast with you..I enjoy learnign new things from others that enjoy cooking..
MJG, I agree with you on having someone else wash the dishes..I”m like you, I don’t do a lot of casseroles, but come winter time, I do soups, chili and home made beef stew a lot..As for the mashed potatoes with noodels..WOW..Sounds to me like to much of (almost)the same thing..Cloged arteries (sp) waiting to happen..Yes, we are very lucky to have such a huge choice of everything here..
Patrick
August 27th, 2009
9:04 am
What Michelle said about fast food or restaurant food being full of too much salt and fat: I agree. There are three or four different Chinese restaurants within a five-mile radius of work, and every one of them, to me, has tasted way too salty. My mom said it may be because I’m used to homemade Chinese food, which is fresher (compared to sitting around a few hours under the hot lamps on the buffet, or probably sitting on a counter for a while before being brought to my table), and uses a lot less salt. Some restaurants I can’t eat at anymore because all I taste is the salt or grease. That’s one of the best benefits of home cooking: you can control how much salt and fat is in the meal. While a recipe may say to add a teaspoon of salt, a lot of times I’ve omitted the salt, and it didn’t affect the flavor of the dish at all. It may have said to sautée the onions or other ingredients in vegetable oil, I use olive oil or corn oil, whichever’s available, or depending on my mood. The flavor isn’t affected at all. As time passes you can adjust the recipe to your desire and use less salt, omit the salt, use less oil, or a much healthier oil.
Granted, if you use processed ingredients, like canned or frozen veggies, or frozen meats, there may be some salt or fat already added. Rely on the salt already added to those items to be the salt for the dish. Add other spices or seasonings. If you feel the dish needs more salt, then add it, but you don’t have to go letter-by-letter of a recipe all the time.
Patrick
August 27th, 2009
12:44 pm
nurse&mother…if you hate to cook, look into getting a slow cooker. With most recipes there’s very little to no preparation involved, except maybe having to brown, sear, or otherwise precook the meat, precooking the rice or noodles, and cutting up veggies. Other than that, just dump the ingredients in the pot, turn it on, and go. The slow cooker has gotten a slightly bad rap as being only suitable for soups, stews, and the occasional casserole/hot dish. Those are just a small fraction of what you can do. I have done pot roast, spaghetti sauce, jambalaya, peach cobbler, applesauce, lasagna, and a few other things. There are hundreds of cookbooks out there dealing with the slow cooker. One of the best series is “Fix It and Forget It”, which consists of recipes compiled from people around the country. There are also several websites, message boards, blogs, and groups dealing with slow cooking. I used to be in one on Yahoo until I got too busy with personal things to bother with visiting it frequently.
Is cooking for your kids a 'moral imperative'? | A Blog for Busy … | cooktoday
August 27th, 2009
2:45 pm
[...] more here: Is cooking for your kids a 'moral imperative'? | A Blog for Busy … Share and [...]
SS
August 27th, 2009
3:33 pm
@MJG Don’t know where you are located but–there’s a wonderful little shop I discovered in Woodstock, The Butcher’s Block. All fresh meats, no preservatives. I found their prices to be better than the grocery store and the quality was fantastic. The service was also very good. They also have some prepared sides and sauces for some easy meal ideas.
Is cooking for your kids a 'moral imperative'? | A Blog for Busy … | whatihadforbreakfast.com
August 27th, 2009
4:20 pm
[...] My grandma in Alabama would do the breakfast there, and it was nearly the same: eggs, bacon (or sausage ), toast, and juice. At home it was just cold cereal , usually Cheerios during the school week, but some sugar-loaded cereal (now … Read the original here: Is cooking for your kids a 'moral imperative'? | A Blog for Busy … [...]
motherjanegoose
August 27th, 2009
4:54 pm
@SS Mall of GA…..guess that will not be on my radar….too bad.
fk
August 27th, 2009
8:02 pm
Becky, you’re right, I should get myself organized and cook in the evenings. I need to be sure I have the proper ingredients. I (sometimes) cook on the weekends, divide it up into dinners and freeze. I made a big pot of sauce (easy, I know), etc. last Sunday. I keep telling my husband that I might be more inspired if I actually liked my kitchen. Had big plans to renovate, but will wait until things turn around b/f spending big bucks. I do cook more in the winter as my husband is the grill king during the warm months. Since my son is away at school, we have seem to have a lot of leftovers…enough for a second night’s dinner for two! That’s not always exciting, though.
Denise Dermody
August 27th, 2009
10:22 pm
Great thread Theresa! We cook at least 5 days out of the week. If I’m tired and try a fast easy meal served not at the table the kids complain they didn’t have dinner. I made a lentil dish tonight for dinner and Stella said “this dinner is great, I love fish”. Ha, fooled her.
I only make breakfast on weekends and feel guilty after reading the wonderful biscuit and ham breakfast of one of your readers. BTW, Michael Pollan’s new book is great.
catlady
August 30th, 2009
8:05 pm
Is it a moral imperative? Yes, if you think seeing to your family’s health is an imperative. It is also an economic imperative, I would think.
I worked full time and did the meat and 3s for 95% of the dinners during the 29 years I had children at home. Plus the three before I had children. Now, I eat at home almost 100% of the time, but don’t worry about the meat and three. I usually feast on vegetables–most from my garden–with meat a few times a week. And no TV on, ever!
catlady
August 30th, 2009
8:29 pm
I sound pretty danged sanctimonious. I live in the country and can have a large, varied, organic garden (although it is getting much harder as I get older). And while there was never any TV, I love to read at the table if I am by myself. I recommend Animal, Vegetable, Miracle for those who haven’t read it for a perspective on the importance of family cooking/food supply.
I DO think parents should cook home-made meals–dads, too. And the kids should be a part of the planning, preparing, and cleaning up.
Magenta
August 31st, 2009
2:54 pm
My husband and I are empty-nesters but we both work and, frankly, we’re lazy. It’s easier to go to an eatery or pick out something frozen. However, I distinctly remember one night when I was dead-dog tired and the thought of going out to any establishment, be it store or restaurant, was just too much. I rummaged around and threw something together from random items in the fridge and cabinets. I will never forget the good feeling it gave me. “Empowerment” is the only word that fits here. After that time, I’ve been much more willing to go the extra mile in terms of time and planning to actually cook a meal rather than reheat something made in a factory hundreds of miles away. My husband and I both come from busy-mom families where “TV dinners” were the norm. I now feel like I missed out on something important by not learning how to cook every day.
electroniccigarettes
September 17th, 2009
1:37 pm
First-rate Post.
Thanks for the details.
RAHELA KHAN
January 28th, 2010
2:32 am
dude this Is cooking for your kids a ‘moral imperative’? | A Blog for Busy Moms – MOMania mind blowing.
I prefer this too http://www.momrecipebook.com