The other night on Twitter I saw a tweet informing me that only 1 in 10 people involves their children in cooking. I was a bit surprised at this and clicked on the link to read more. I was shocked and horrified at what I read. Not involving children in cooking was the least of the issues.
The survey, the results of which you can see here, went on to say that 47% of 18-24 year olds don’t have time to cook and that 37% of those under 34 don’t cook out of laziness. Laziness! Over 50% of adults order at least one takeaway per week and 40% dine in a reastaurant once a week.
Now, I admit I have a tendency to think that other people think like I do. I know they don’t always and I know that in a lot of matters, including food, I am a tad old-fashioned in how I live. But still, I do believe that if the figures are a true reflection of the reality of current Irish attitudes to eating, then things are going seriously wrong.
I have a feeling, in writing this, that I am preaching to the converted. But, if even one person reads this and wants to move from laziness and takeaways to better health, learning to cook, reducing food waste and teaching their children how to prepare meals, then that would be great.
Here and here you can find some of our Three Sons Later favourite recipes for baking with children, and here you can find all manner of quick and easy meals, breads, cakes and preserves.
So, what are you waiting for? The weekend is here. Get yourself and the children into the kitchen and get cooking, baking or even making a salad. But get doing it.
P.S. If you tag me on Twitter, Facebook or Instagram and use the hashtag #hometruthscooking, I’ll share your photo on my social media platforms to spread the love.
I hadn’t seen that survey….Unfortunately I’m not surprised. There’s a good show on tv here at the moment, What are You Eating? I was only discussing it with my husband during the week, hoping that it would change attitudes and ideas, there isn’t anything that cannot be bought, people need to read labels but they’re not, instead they’re paying for convenience with no regard for quality and ingredients….we are indeed in serious trouble.
Isn’t it terrible? When I think of when people our age were growing up life was so different in relation to food, wasn’t it? It is as if cooking is a hobby now and not part of daily life.
It really was a world apart from where we’re at now and I really do believe we need to get back to basics, cooking a meal from scratch really isn’t difficult, but while the supermarkets are stocking mashed potatoes that just need to be heated in a microwave I fear people will continue to resist home cooking.
I realise that not everyone is as much of a food lover as you or I, but ready made mash? Ugh. No!