Home cooking is an important and
valuable skill that needs to be taught to both boys and girls in
the family home. Nevertheless, recent ideas about the power and
value of the family meal are changing as the dietary concerns in
our country are growing. There are many studies that illustrate
families that eat a meal together each day are much closer and
much more involved in one another's lives. During 20th century,
the family meal was monumental to the family unity.
However, in recent years, the
speed of life has taken off as quickly as the speed of
technology and we have lost the focus on the family unit. The
idea of fitting more activity into a twenty-four hour period has
consumed the American ideal of productivity and with that change
in mindset; we have lost sight of our basic American values. We
are a people that lives to the excess. Regrettably rather than
learn to appreciate our good fortune, we abuse the luxuries that
our society and economy give us and continue to abuse our bodies
and our health.
The act of bringing the family
together for a home cooked meal is not a fresh concept in
American culture. But it is one that has suffered greatly in
recent years. At one time, all member of the immediate family
gathered around the dinner table to enjoy family conversation
and a home cooked meal. It was considered a family heirloom to
pass down recipes to every female member of the family, teaching
them how to prepare a home cooked meal. Now, with ten hour work
days, two income families, over committed athletic teams and
other demands on family member time, we appear to be losing the
image of a family joined together for the family meal.
Home cooking is a term that
conquers up imagery of family closeness, healthy warm entrees
and a complete and nutritious meal. Sadly, with the heavy
schedule demands of the 21st century, many children consider
fast food as a nutritious meal. There is a popular food chain
that has in recent times made a commercial advertising the
family as sharing a meal and the "home cooked" meal is a bucket
full of chicken bought from the retailer. It is disturbing that
the fast paced world of today is moving away from the family and
into the idea that fast-food is the healthy answer to a home
cooked meal.
It is not shocking with this
attitude that diabetes, obesity and many other health issues are
on the rise in our society. We are a nation of plenty that eats
high fat commercially ready foods rather than sitting down
together to enjoy a home cooked meal.
