New Michael Pollan article in NYT - Page 2

[PaytonPlace]

Great article!

Cooking from scratch really is dying and it makes me really sad. I find it to be so gratifying. Last Thanksgiving my MIL hosted (who serves boxed mashed potatoes) and all of the desserts were store-bought!!! I was astonished! Thanksgiving is the Super Bowl of cooking events!!! Anything store-bought on Thanksgiving is sacrilege in my house! LOL

I cook mostly from scratch and I love the Food Network! There are several shows I don't watch like Rachael Ray (her perkiness irritates me) and Sandra Lee (I don't consider dumping items out of a box as "cooking"). A couple of my faves that give good ideas and inspirations while using REAL food are Ina Garten and Bobby Flay's grilling shows. I want to like Alton Brown but the corny jokes & sketches make it so painful to watch. LOL

[tanyalynn]

Originally Posted by KristyDi

Where did Alton Brown go?

He's still there! But we have a DVR and set it to record, I watch it with the kids. So I'm not sure what time it's actually on, maybe 7pm Central? Can you tell I love Good Eats?

[crunchy_mama]

Originally Posted by PaytonPlace

Great article!

Cooking from scratch really is dying and it makes me really sad. I find it to be so gratifying. Last Thanksgiving my MIL hosted (who serves boxed mashed potatoes) and all of the desserts were store-bought!!! I was astonished! Thanksgiving is the Super Bowl of cooking events!!! Anything store-bought on Thanksgiving is sacriledge in my house! LOL

I cook mostly from scratch and I love the Food Network! There are several shows I don't watch like Rachael Ray (her perkiness irritates me) and Sandra Lee (I don't consider dumping items out of a box as "cooking"). A couple of my faves that give good ideas and inspirations while using REAL food are Ina Garten and Bobby Flay's grilling shows.

That is the way it is at my in-laws. I still vividly remember the first holiday w/ dh and how there was like 10 kinds of cocktail weanies. My mom uses plenty of boxes and cans from day to day but by golly on Thanksgiving the pies and cakes are made by her- the rolls are yeast rolls that are loving done by hand and the dumplings made w/ a recipe that is only in her head- I honestly don't know that my mil really knows how to cook- not real food cannot say I have ever seen her do it- yet they are amazed that their daughter doesn't know how- How do kids know if they are never taught. I would guarantee that my 5 y.o. son knows better what goes in deviled eggs than most people. I love them being in the kitchen(most of the time ) and really hope that they have a great grasp of how to cook from scratch and from instinct by the time they are grown- whether or not they use it is up to them of course.

[Juvysen]

My 3 year old loves helping me knead the pizza dough that we make by hand It's so cute.

[EnviroBecca]

Homefrontgirl wrote:

This article and her class made me think of ways I can teach the next generation how to cook. I benefited so much from learning this craft from my grandmother, aunts and mom. My son cooks with me every night, but who else can I reach? Hmmmmm......

I was a Girl Scout leader for 6 years (taking a year or two off now...) and cooking is one of my favorite things to do with the girls. In addition to cooking meals at camp, we did the Cooking badge one year, and for the Plants & Animals badge we made fried okra, and a couple of times we thanked the church for letting us meet there by hosting a Sunday coffee hour for which we made all the food from scratch. Oh, and when my son was a newborn, my co-leaders organized a meeting where the girls baked pizzas, a little one for each of them and a dozen for me to take home to reheat in the toaster oven for quick lunches!!! All the girls enjoy cooking, those who get to do it at home like showing off their skills and teaching others, and those whose families "never cook anything that doesn't come in a box with instructions" (as one girl put it) get a big thrill out of learning to make something. I've been able to teach a lot about nutrition, too!

So, you could be a Girl Scout leader or take a regular volunteer position with another youth organization, but a less daunting option is to hook up with one of those organizations and offer to lead the occasional cooking workshop. I remember when I was a Brownie, somebody's mom who wasn't the leader came to one meeting and taught us to make Vietnamese spring rolls. :

[WuWei]

Originally Posted by EnviroBecca

I was a Girl Scout leader for 6 years (taking a year or two off now...) and cooking is one of my favorite things to do with the girls.

I still have my recipes from the lady who taught us cooking in Girl Scouts. I was about 4th grade.

Pat

[homefrontgirl]

Originally Posted by EnviroBecca

Homefrontgirl wrote was a Girl Scout leader for 6 years (taking a year or two off now...) and cooking is one of my favorite things to do with the girls. In addition to cooking meals at camp, we did the Cooking badge one year, and for the Plants & Animals badge we made fried okra, and a couple of times we thanked the church for letting us meet there by hosting a Sunday coffee hour for which we made all the food from scratch. Oh, and when my son was a newborn, my co-leaders organized a meeting where the girls baked pizzas, a little one for each of them and a dozen for me to take home to reheat in the toaster oven for quick lunches!!! All the girls enjoy cooking, those who get to do it at home like showing off their skills and teaching others, and those whose families "never cook anything that doesn't come in a box with instructions" (as one girl put it) get a big thrill out of learning to make something. I've been able to teach a lot about nutrition, too!

So, you could be a Girl Scout leader or take a regular volunteer position with another youth organization, but a less daunting option is to hook up with one of those organizations and offer to lead the occasional cooking workshop. I remember when I was a Brownie, somebody's mom who wasn't the leader came to one meeting and taught us to make Vietnamese spring rolls. :

That's an excellent idea! Those girls we're lucky to have you!