Something that's been bugging me for a while. I think it's time for a rant.
We occasionally get posts saying "I'm no good at cooking", or "I don't have time for cooking", or "I don't like cooking". In a similar vein we get posts saying "I only eat A, B, and C and I absolutely won't touch D thru Z".
... with the unspoken rider "but I still want to get healthy and lose weight".
Being mediocre in the kitchen is going to have about the same disastrous impact on your life as being mediocre (or selfish) in the bedroom. It's impossible, I'm pretty certain, to be healthy and slim unless you love food.
It doesn't help that modern dietary lore pressures people into thinking of food as nothing more than fuel. Eating is now a sort of shameful habit, and if you insist on doing it, you shouldn't be enjoying it. It's no wonder "food porn" is now massively popular entertainment - people who aren't getting any proper meals can at least indulge in a bit of vicarious enjoyment with celebrity chefs.
So what on earth happened to the nation's cooking skills? The cynic might suggest that the British never had any in the first place, but this isn't entirely true. British food has been a bit stodgy for a couple of centuries at least, and our penchant for boiling vegetables to an unrecognisable mush is legendary. But there are a few classics in the British repertoire, such as the Sunday Roast or the Full English Breakfast, that any average person would have been able to cook competently in the early 20th century. Today ... not so much. Well, three things happened, I believe:
1) TPTB told us that things like bacon and eggs, or roast beef, are a "heart attack on a plate", and that they'd make us fat. And we believed them. So those things ceased to be routine meals, and people stopped learning how to cook them. It actually takes a lot of skill to cook a Full English, and despite spending a lot of time in hotels and B&Bs for work reasons, I've only rarely been served a good one. This is a great pity. It might not be much, but it's part of our cultural heritage.
2) The same sort of people informed us that we all have "busy lives", and that therefore we would be best off abdicating responsibility for feeding ourselves in favour of faceless corporations who don't care if we live or die, as long as we live long enough to make some profits for them. Most governments have made certain that we do indeed have busy lives, by filling our existence with lots of futile activity, and bills that must be funded via said activity. Thus we all flop onto the sofa at the end of a busy day, drop a tinful of glop into a saucepan or the microwave, and spend the evening watching TV.
3) And thus we come to the arch-enemy of cooking, ie., the TV. Because the fact is, if you're spending three hours a day watching the latest brain-rotting tripe or political propaganda spewing from the Telescreen, you are not spending three hours a day in the kitchen. Popular opinion has it that 10,000 hours of practice can make you an expert at pretty much anything, which suggests that if you throw your TV away and do some cooking instead, you'll be Gordon Ramsay within 9 years.
Knowing how to cook excellent food, and having the tastebuds to appreciate excellent food, will enhance your existence to an immeasurable degree. It will improve your bodily health, your mental health, and your social relationships. It will, in short, make you happier than watching TV.
So here's my suggestion for anyone who might be up for a new Life Challenge: switch off the goggle box and stick it in the attic for a year. You'll save about 400 quid (TV license and cable package), which you can spend on recipe books and equipment. You'll feel a bit bereft for the first week or two, but in six month's time you'll wonder why you ever bothered having a TV in the first place.
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TheAwfulToad
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I think we've been encouraged to feel incompetent, leading to avoiding real food and thinking that there are better answers in packets and jars. And that has altered our tastebuds. Salmon was expensive when I was a child (I suppose it was all wild, not farmed as nowadays) and I remember finding real salmon very bland after the tinned variety. That's an extra factor to be dealt with.
I'll never be the excellent cook you suggest but I enjoy coming up with something from fresh ingredients and am increasingly going for seasonal stuff - even though that means no asparagus for another 9 months.
I usually rise to a Challenge, but I think I'll swerve that one ! Though I must say my cooking skills are improving, thanks to the advice on the Daily Diary, God loves a trier x
Excellent post TheAwfulToad ! I think Admin should post a link to this advice for everyone who signs up here and says they can’t/don’t/won’t cook! 😂 I’ve never been obese, just overweight because I love good food and I can be a bit greedy, but I think I am lucky to have been probably the last generation to have studied Domestic Science at school, where I learned to cook properly. We spent a term on meat cookery, a term on yeast and bread cookery, a term on eggs, and so on, between what are now called years 7-9. By the time my children went to school, it was “Food Technology”, and the nearest they got to cooking was designing a vegetable face on a ready made pizza base! Luckily they learned to love cooking because I always have loved cooking (and neither of them are overweight.) Bringing back proper cooking lessons would be the best thing the government could do, rather than messing about banning advertising, to reduce obesity.
I couldn't agree more Tt. It seems these days all kids are taught to 'cook' are things like chocolate crispy cakes! Not only were we taught to cook, but to budget, meal plan and keep to a time limit.
I cooked alongside my grandmother and mother and my children did the same with me. Now my grandchildren join me in the kitchen and my 12 year old granddaughter could feed a family with HM food quite easily. My son is a trained chef.
I'm not saying my meals are restaurant standard, or anywhere near, but they are nutritious and tasty and don't cost a small fortune.
Right on man! All the same can be said here in the USA (just worse). I used to think cooking was hard...until I actually tried it. It's as easy as any skill set and with resources like YouTube, there's no excuse. It also gets far easier with time & practice. God help you eating right with packaged foods and good luck spending massive $$$ (quid) on actual healthy food. Unless you're rich as balls, cooking yourself is the only other way.
I went from 263 to 185 in less than a year by cooking/eating right.
Follow the money...Big food and Big Pharma are a marriage made in heaven! In food, they get us hooked on Sugars/Carbs so you need to eat every 3 hours. Imagine how much less they'd make if we had 3 home cooked meals a day? Big Pharma takes over after years of Big Food, then supplies us with Insulin & cholestorol meds. They empty our pockets and lead us to an early grave, but not until we've trained our kids how to eat. Whew...sorry, thats some DARK SHIT...but, tell me I'm wrong.
Thanks for this TAT, it can be frustrating when people give up on themselves, before they've tried.
It's the same with everything, we're not born with skills we have to learn them and practice makes perfect, or as near as dammit anyway.
We can also learn to like new tastes and textures - think of a baby when it's being weaned and the exaggerated grimaces and shudders after every mouthful, which turn to excited clamouring a little while later.
Habits can be made and broken, with just a little effort
I read somewhere with regard to weaning that babies/children need to be offered something new up to 12 times before they happily accept it. The moral of that story is don’t give up, either with babies or adults trying new things.
I'd add... Give them a choice between brocoli and carrots, never a choice between those & sugar! Our children's future is determined by our actions & examples.
Interesting post 😊. I’ve just been listening to the BBC Food Chain (more detailed report to follow) about ‘comfort eating’ and how it’s largely a Western Phenomena. One comment stood out, the Italians have no concept of ‘comfort food’ because ALL FOOD IS PLEASURE. No guilt, no forbidden foods, just a whole culture of good food and families joining together to cook and eat.
Fabulous post TheAwfulToad and great responses too. Trouble is, I think we are all the converted. My mum was a fantastic cook, especially of all things pastry (hence my name). Her pies, sausage rolls, tarts, quiches were literally all to die for and as for her lemon meringue...oh wow. I'm slobbering at the thoughts. Having said that, we weren't overweight, I guess because she also cooked proper meals from scratch and that was where I learned to cook. My son learned from me and flew with it. He loves to cook when he gets home from work, finds it relaxing and is very imaginative. Hopefully lots more people have developed their cooking skills during lockdown and their kids are learning at their apron strings. But somehow I don't think so. Whoever said kids should be taught proper cooking at school is spot on. How do we bring that about!
I complete agree with your analysis and its good to have a rant.
I distinctly remember my first 'cookery lesson' at secondary school, we had to make a salad!!! And a fruit crumble, i took the ingredients list ( one tin of fruit pie filling and I packet of crumble mix) to Granny who went apoplectic and wrote a very strongly worded letter to say no granddaughter of hers was going to use the listed foodstuffs, needless to say i took all the proper ingredients and made a proper crumble.
Although I'm not a great cook, I don't use convenience foods and always fresh veg ( with the occasional frozen peas)
My daughter can cook properly and cooks from scratch most of the time.
Bring back proper cookery lessons at school and teach our children the necessary life skills.
Can't argue with any of that - and don't want to! I agree with all you say about food and cooking, as others have already commented.
My contribution is to agree with you, very strongly, about the TV! I gave mine away almost 5 years ago, and have never regretted it. Friends are shocked, and tell me about interesting programmes I have missed - but I would have missed them anyway, as I never switched it on!
Now I have the "fun" of being chased by the TV Licensing people. When I first cancelled my direct debit I had a letter insisting that I fill in a form explaining why I no longer needed a licence. I sent it back, and received a letter telling me that they would allow me to be licence free for 3 years, after which I would need to complete another form. I have now rebelled - I have no intention of filling in forms to tell some busybody why I do not choose to do what everyone else does!
I have just received another letter, telling me that my property is now unlicensed, that I am not allowed to watch TV, and that I will be prosecuted when they catch me! I "must" contact them to avoid being investigated. I have no intention of doing anything about this!
Sorry - this is a wildly off topic rant - but I needed it!
Thank you BridgeGirl. I have joined this one, but not very active on it. I have been spending more time than I really want to on HU just lately because it gets interesting - I originally joined for C25K and ended up joining the gluten free (I am coeliac), healthy eating, and LCHF forums as well as this one - so I will soon live on the laptop if I'm not careful!
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Well fyi the tv rubbish as it is is my sole companion. I'd be lost without it as sad as it sounds to some people. I live on my own. Id rather watch TV garden or Hoover than cook. !! And as for centuries of English cooking my mother and siblings did well all lived up to 84 to 88. And they had a pudding or 2. Only one had diabetis but she also ate loads of fruit and veg. And as for dislike of cooking. I've always just cooked as my mother did and boiled veg. I absolutely hate cooking always have. Even my salads looked unappetizing disasters. Some love cooking and experimenting. I dont. You've either got it or you haven't and it's not for the want of trying. I always loved any food put before me by someone else tho. That's me
Hi Basten. Please don't take my rant as saying other people should be like me when it comes to TV - I don't believe in "should" and I know we all have very different lives.
We also have different food and cooking experiences which mean we all feel differently, but there is a lot to be said for getting people to cook a bit when they can, and for teaching kids to cook basic meals
I think that so many people are used to reheating/microwaving food that the cooking programs should be more focused on really easy options. I do a microwave frittata which is basically eggs, grated cheddar, seasoning onion and whatever I feel like throwing in. This could be crumbled Feta cheese and some olives or spinach and chorizo, I sometimes add finely chopped chilli or peppers, torn up ham, whatever. Season and microwave for 4 mins in the plastic mixing bowl and turn onto a plate. That's easier than a ready meal and looks much more impressive at work.
Thing I like doing in a microwave include whole braised onions, leeks topped with cheese, braised red cabbage. I also like baked apple stuffed with fruit and brown sugar or steamed sponge pudding (not really diet options).
The cooking programs on a Saturday morning seem to feature easy to cook dishes provided you have around 50 ingredients in little bowls. They should actually feature a few things you can keep in your cupboard for weeks or years.
I believe that cooking has dwindled out since ready meals have been introduced. Its created a lazy society. Why cook all day to make a sunday roast when you can have a ready made one in 7 minutes... i was taught to cook by my mum. I therefore taught my 2 daughters to cook. My youngest who is 19 and who is fully able and knowledgeable to cook real and healthy food still prefers ready meals and takeaway food. As its easy and quick for her. She is also classed as overweight, would like to lose weight but wants a magic pill to do it. Rather than working at it and stopping the food she says she cant do without. Personally i put it down to lazyness and lack of willpower.
I would also add that the quality of ingredients used in some so-called cooking is dreadful. In your example of a full English, unless it's top quality meat, I'm not interested! 😆
You have a great point about sticking the TV in the loft!
One of the worst things that happened to British cooking was WW2, and rationing.
OK, we were fitter and less fat that we had been for years, but a large number of young people didn't learn to cook properly during that time, and it affected our relationship with allotments, gardens, and kitchens, and with food itself.
Allotments started to decline when many men did not return, and gardens became smaller as women became a larger part of the workforce. We didn't have freezers and refrigerators, most food we were still getting was canned stuff, often from the USA, with more sugar and salt than we were accustomed to, and things like Fruits, eggs, vegetables and mushrooms were extremely seasonal.
I remember cookery classes in school in the late 50s and early 60s, lots of stodge, lots of potatoes and cabbage (boiled until it surrendered!), Suet puddings (Both savoury and sweet!), Pies, stews and Mince (and the sausages my grandmother called Bags of Mystery, because all kinds went in them!). Lumpy custard, Tapoca, Rice pudding with Jam, Semolina.
Yogurt hadn't been heard of, we thought the French existed on snails and Frog's legs. Avocado? It didn't taste right in a Fruit salad! Pineapple came in cans, and we had only seen Watermelon and Pumpkins on American TV shows! Spaghetti came in cans with tomato sauce, Spam and Corned beef were still a thing, Pizza wasn't heard of and the only place to get a burger was Wimpy!
Fish and Chips was our go to on Friday night, and Chinese restaurants and Curry houses started sprouting in our towns, along with Italian restaurants.
Mainly it was the Travel industry and package holidays which opened our eyes to better foods.
Now it is all here, International food stores with virtually everything you could want, officially for communities who have come to us over the years, but we have embraced them.
In the town I lived in until February this year, we had Italian, Indian, Carribbean, Chinese, even a Gurkha restaurant, and the stores to serve them, Polish food stores, along with Mc Donalds and KFC, Pizza places galore.
Food Porn, yes, but do we need it with all the restaurants, Coffee shops. etc around?
I will make a case for Cookery being a greater thing in schools; it has dropped off in popularity in recent decades, and folk who can't cook, will buy in and eat poorly.
Cookery books are the most popular genre at the moment, but are they used for cooking? or just as coffee table books, or even doorstops? I don't know.
Well, that got a lot of interesting responses! I'll reply to you collectively because you've made some recurring points.
Cooking in schools (or not). Yes. Quite. And please, can we just call it "cooking classes" instead of "domestic science"? Why does everything have to masquerade as "science" these days? Does that somehow give the chocolate cornflakes an aura of legitimacy? And why do we have set our kids such unchallenging projects? Most kids like being given tasks that are on the edge of (but not outside) their immediate competency. Telling them to make crumble or whatnot from packaged ingredients is an insult to anybody's intelligence, even a ten-year-old's.
And thank goodness for grandmas!
Midori : thanks for the trip down memory lane. I've heard the same story repeated many times by people who lived through (or just after) the war. It's an odd thing that, despite the stodge and the atrocious quality of food, people in the 70s were not fat. However they were definitely ... misshapen. And not very healthy. They got fatter as they got older (and they got heart disease). Personally, I ascribe their relative leanness to the relatively high cost of food and a natural frugality left over from the rationing years. Many people literally could not afford enough food (our family couldn't - I was perennially hungry as a teenager). Thanks to government subsidy of grains, burgers and pizzas are way cheaper than they were in (say) 1975, and much more accessible.
The coffee shops and restaurants are just outside the reach of most people. I earn reasonably well, but I wouldn't spend money in those places more than once a week.
Subtle_badger : the washing up takes more time than the cooking ...
Hidden , basten , Lytham : I'm not saying TV is entirely dross. I watch the discovery channel (or something similar) when I'm on the treadmill. You get the occasional snippet of useful information. However it's that intermittent drip-feed of good stuff that makes TV so compelling (the technical term is "conditioning with intermittent reinforcement"). Intermittent reinforcement is an incredibly powerful technique. You can literally take over someone's life with the right reward schedule (example: gambling addicts). TV channels would lose audiences if they made top-quality programming all the time. I think the BBC have cottoned onto that fact.
Sayitagainsam : quite. One of the reasons the Full English experience in the UK is underwhelming is the poor quality of the ingredients. Bacon and sausages in particular are just dire.
Whydothis : I knew I couldn't be the only reactionary old git on here! Ohhh .. and TV licensing. My mum had the same experience (she doesn't have TV either). She was so upset by their stream of threatening letters she phoned them up and gave them an earful. Worth bearing in mind that "TV Licensing" is a private company whose only purpose is to chase people for money, and they're given free rein to use borderline-illegal tactics to get people to cough up.
shawnner : kids' meals. Yes. I know someone who, while being otherwise a good parent, had trained her kid to eat nothing but junk food by doing precisely the thing you warn against. Kids will learn to eat pretty much anything, but they will indeed prefer sweets over food.
IndigoBlue61 : very interesting observation. Makes a lot of sense. I do believe that much of what passes for "diet" advice these days is actually rooted in a pathological fear of food and the pleasure it gives. It certainly doesn't have any basis in science. I've lived in many countries outside of the UK and none of them have any concept of "comfort eating" because, as you said, all their meals are inherently comforting ... unlike the British low-fat meal, which is both unsatisfying and lacking in nutrition.
You have a very good point about hunger and rationing; As a just post war baby, I remember it even now, and the Virol we were given to boost our nutrition. Vile stuff!
I think as all the new packaged foods came in along with freezers many of us went a bit wild with eating, and put on the lard.
I was still pretty slim and very active until my two children came along, and then I had problems shifting the 'baby belly'.
As I have gotten older, with multiple disabilities now, I have found keeping the weight off harder, especially as I can no longer do the sports and activities I used to love. Walking is very difficult with a wrecked knee and hip. My wheelchair lurks in the garage, but I refuse to use it until forced to. I also refuse medication until I'm absolutely desperate and climbing the walls. Lockdown has not helped as muscle tone is lessening, which makes walking harder. But I'm bl**dy minded, and refuse to give in.
I disagree with “ please, can we just call it "cooking classes" instead of "domestic science" . . . I did Domestic Science and it was very comprehensive. For example we studied why certain foods need cooked in a certain way, about how the carbon/protein molecules react to heat as well nutrition, farming, budgeting, where the food comes from . . . An excellent course taught by a positively vintage elderly lady who was very strict and an absolute star ⭐️
A massive loss to current school curriculum in my opinion ☹️
It has been an interesting discussion - thank you for starting it!
Re Domestic Science - it was called that when I did my 6 month of learning to make jam tarts and victoria sponges (in about 1967) so that is old hat now! My younger sister did Home Economics and my own sons did Food Technology (I think they invented that title when the national curriculum was made equal for boys and girls, to avoid putting the boys off!)
I like the idea of intermittent reinforcement applied to TV quality! And I like being called a reactionary old git - I take that as a real compliment!
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