Dinner at Your House

Time took an excellent look at Americans and food a few weeks ago. And then I see this Letter to the Editor in response:

"Your series of articles on eating smart made a good case for healthful home-cooked fods. What it didn't address was the downside: someone has to actually cook those healthy foods. Cooking is tedious, repetitive, and time-consuming. The last thing I want to do when I come home from a long day at work, tired and hungry, is wash, chop, and prepare vegetables. And lest anyone blame my attitude on not being a stay-at-home mother, I don't like cooking on the weekends either."

Why is she the person doing the cooking? If being a stay-at-home mother is an option, I'm assuming there is another parent so why aren't they cooking? There are kids, why aren't they cooking?

The person doing the cooking needs to be the one who enjoys it. For a lot of us, cooking is a fun adventure and things like washing, chopping, and preparing vegetables can be a way to calm down and destress after a long day. It can also be a fabulous way to spend time with your children.

A person who enjoys food and cooking realizes that there are tons of convenience foods available at the grocery now: pre-shredded carrots, chopped veggies, pre-mixed salad, pre-cut fruit. A healthy, colorful, flavorful meal really can be made in 5 minutes.

Why is the one with the whohaa in charge of meals even if they have no affinity for it? If someone doesn't enjoy cooking, their meals are going to be tasteless, joyless affairs that I just as soon skip. There are few cooks worse than one who is a martyr to the demanding stomachs around them.

Even if the woman is from a family where every single member hates cooking, why is she the one who is always doing it? Split it up. Give each kid a night where they are in charge within guidelines. Have the husband be responsible for dinner a couple of nights a week. Do it all together.

Or maybe it's easier to be a victim than to try to fix the situation.