Doesn't anyone cook anymore?!?

[cruelshoes]

We went to a Boy Scout function last night. We were all instructed to bring a dessert to share. I made the Betty Crocker devils food cake as mini cupcakes. When I was looking around at the table, I noticed that the only thing that was homemade was...mine! (OK fine, I used a mix, but cut me some slack! ) Everything else was Oreos and storebought cupcakes and the like. I thought things were supposed to be changing and people were starting to cook at home more.

Ever feel like you are the only one in your kitchen and everyone else is just buying pre-made food? I know this is a generalization, and that lots of people cook from scratch. But you sure wouldn't know it from the dessert fare I saw last night.
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-Colleen

Where are we going, and what am I doing in this handcart?

[aklap]

I think you are seeing a snap shot of our society as a whole. I would venture to guess that most people [those that don't have food issues] opt for the convenience factor that processed/packaged foods so tantalizingly offer.

I think our family members may wonder why we don't have much free time - or that we're always in the kitchen. Umm...if I want to eat...we need to make the food. Sure, some stuff we can get "off the shelf", but not as a general rule. What takes them 5 - 10 minutes to pick up at the deli, takes us 1/2 - 1 - 2 hrs to make.

If they're not getting processed/packaged food, they're eating out.

I hear ya Sista...

Right now Peg is a whirwind in the kitchen. We've made GF & NGF batch of pasta tuna salad [I was in charge of boiling the pasta], an experimental batch of raspberry tea. I hear there might be a few GF baked goodies on the docket. I think there's a few more things that I'm forgetting.

I best get back to staining the deck...
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Al

“We cannot all do great things, but we can do small things with great love.” Mother Teresa

[rpf1007]

I would agree...nobody cooks. People are shocked at the food I bring to work for lunch because I actually made it myself. But I feel like this has been going on for awhile. Back before GF days I used to make cupcakes for people's bday...feeling like I was totally slacking off because I used a mix. But people were so incredibly impressed because it was always the only thing that was not bought made from a store. It does seem crazy. When I think back to what my mom used to do for us when we were little- she made everything from scratch...bread...cookies...even peanut butter. She still makes bread occasionally and does a lot of other stuff from scratch and people are always completely amazed.
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Rachel

[Home-Based-Mom]

*standing on yet another soapbox*

Might this be why we are seeing such an increase in health problems?

*off of soap box (for now, anyway)*
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Sandi ~ learning to live in a world obsessed and infested with wheat.
"If it wasn't food 100 years ago, it isn't food now." Mike Huckabee
Support Operation Christmas Child

[Flygal]

[The Edifying Conscience]

I don't believe that "nobody cooks." In my circles of friends most of us are cooks. My work, social, non-profit organizations, neighbors...all cook. Now do they cook every meal/dessert from scratch? I'm sure the answer is no. But, they do cook.

Colleen,
I think that stinks. I wonder if the parents let the Scouts choose what to bring. Regardless..

[jeant]

Most of my friends cook, and I used to love all the tasty foods they'd bring to potluck events. But my coworker has the same experience as Colleen at every event that her kids attend. Most often her homemade dessert or salad is the only thing on the table that wasn't store-bought.

I think the media spends an awful lot of time (and money) convincing people that they are too busy to cook. Combine that with TEC's point about priorities and I think we end up with some people that think spending 30 minutes making a special trip to the grocery store for Oreos is somehow quicker than spending 30 minutes making a cake from a mix.

[Mom2BoyzOnly]

I have another take on this. If Boy Scouts is anything like the school I work in, they are not ALLOWED to bring homemade food to any school parties. Everything MUST be prepackaged for many reasons. We also must offer healthy alternatives at every party. If the kids are accustomed to this rule, then that's what they're going to bring..
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Robin
Diagnosed approx 13 yrs ago
Seriously GF past 4 yrs

[aklap]

Another question for those that are surrounded by cooks...

How old are they?
Do they have children? If so, are the kids involved in extracurricular activities?
Do both parents work full time?

Honestly, I don't know how parents that work full time get ANYTHING done! There always seem to be something to do, somewhere to go, someplace to be. I can very easily see where cooking could be a lower priority in the day-to-day rat race for those family units. Kudos to those that can do it all!

I will agree that it is about priority, but like I said before, things often times seem to be done on the run. We watch Peg's sister's family - 2 kids, both in sports, both take music lessons, etc. It's like a hamster in a wheel... It's exhausting just hearing about their schedules!

[cruelshoes]

There was no stipulation at the Boy Scout dinner that said that everything had to be storebought. This is a church-run group, so we have a tendency to trust each other on stuff like that. My son's school has that rule, though. Even when we could still eat gluten, I was always a home cook, and usually at least baked a batch of cupcakes from a mix or some cookies from scrath to take to events. At this thing, everything was wrapped in plastic!

Maybe it just bothered me because I am in the middle of reading The Unhealthy Truth, which has me leery of eating processed foods at all. Not that we could have eaten any of the food anyone besides us brought.
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-Colleen

Where are we going, and what am I doing in this handcart?

[jeant]

[beckyhiker]

Hmm, well we cook most of our food because my DH and I love to cook good food, although sometimes coming up with a weekday meal can be a drag. We have 2 children (7 and 9, one now gf, one not) and we both work full-time and commute almost an hour each way to work. Kids are involved in some extra-curricular activities too. Also, both kids are picky eaters and often we get stuck making 3 meals. I admit that I miss the ease of just bringing home take-out during the week which is something that a lot of my friends do. I think, however, that they do cook most of their meals, at least the ones with families. I have no idea if they bother baking anything though. Oh, when we have a pot-luck lunch at work there are a lot of home-made dishes.

[cultureslayer]

It makes it much easier to cook now that I shop sales and have more food around. Spaghetti involves opening a jar of sauce and thawing meat, no trip to the store needed. Before when I didn't keep food around it was really temping to buy a frozen dinner or something while I was at the store and cook the meal the next day.
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Lauren
Pain is inevitable; suffering is optional.

[ostrich]

Most of the people I know cool. And these people range from 20-somethings with no kids to 30 or 40-somethings with kids. I think it really depends on the person and how busy they are. I cook all the time. Like Al said, if I want food I have to cook. It also cuts down on our dining out expenses.

Colleen - I imagine many of those at the meeting were rushed, and therefore ran to the store. Why do you think there's so many things like "break and bake" cookies?
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Ostrich :>--O==={

Time falls away, but these small hours
These little wonders still remain

[Kathie]