What Happened?

So tonight I was at Journal Club...(aka COOLEST Nerds in Town Club). Actually, it is a once a month meeting I have with 5 other stellar Dietitians. We research biochemistry stuff (they do, I just act like I know what's going on) and nutrition supplementation. I know, it sounds a little lame but I am actually so incredibly honored that I even get to be in the same room with these ladies(and we can get our continuing education hours this way).

Anyway, tonight, after a rousing discussion on Sea Buckthorn berries lowering CRP levels (go ahead... google both of those)among other things, one of them asked me this question:

Why is it that no one in your generation knows how to cook an absolute darn thing?

She's for the most part right. Not many people in their 20's would know about blanching or a bechamel sauce, or at the very least... just how to follow a recipe and it turn out edible. This is a sad predicament since so many women in their 20's have an inherent desire to know how to feed friends and family well.

Anyway, my response to her question was 2 fold.
1) I think part of it is family life got strained and really busy with kids pulled every direction imaginable as my generation was being born. There literally is not time between multiple kids and multiple sporting or music or dance practices for a kid to be in the kitchen with mom. Other moms in the room agreed that they let some of the life-skill things slide because kids are busy with other important and valuable things. Another idea is that even moms who were in the kitchen cooking good meals weren't talking to their daughters about it and the daughters weren't in the kitchen with them even just hanging out together.

2) The second part of the answer is that I think women in the Baby Boomer generation were still reacting to the feminist movement when they were raising us. So in their reaction to the typical June Cleaver idea of femininity, they stopped passing on skills they learned in the kitchen from their mom and even refused to develop some of those skills themselves.

This 2nd concept struck a chord with this group. It was obvious they saw it because most of these women are the very youngest of the Baby Boomers. I think the feminist movement in more ways than not ended up devaluing the power, ingenuity, and benefit of being uniquely female. And I propose that one of the reasons the next generation knows nothing about cooking is because it was no longer considered a value to pass that information on for fear of further stigmatizing women.

Don't get me wrong, I don't blame this all on our mothers by any means! This is a combination of many, many factors. But I dare say the women in their 20's are longing for the skills it takes to be uniquely woman! There is evidence of that all around me. The values of many women in their 20's at least around me, are possibly differing from their mothers. Culture in general is releasing women to pursue being healthy, taking care of yourself, and finding balance. All these concepts hit a nerve that is inherent in women to live fully in that and cooking is part of it.

But the reality still remains that many lack the skills needed. This has been expressed by women around me for sure.

So, I'm going to help. There will be cooking lessons beginning in September at the house on Wenonga.

If you are interested in joining us, please feel free to contact me! I would love it! I'm not an all-star chef by any means. I still mess stuff up and forget an ingredient sometimes, and complain that it didn't turn out as I'd hoped. In fact, I still call my mom all the time with cooking questions.... tonight even!

But in the end, we are reclaiming parts of what is lost in female culture as I hopefully pass on some basic skills in the kitchen.

We may need tasters too! Should they have pop quizzes? homework?

"Abraham hurried into the tent to Sarah. He said, "Hurry. Get three cups of our best flour; knead it and make bread." Gen 18:6 (And it was Sarah who got to entertain the angels!)