Cook Night

In our home, 99.9% of our dinners are cooked by me.  At first glance this may feel like a noble service.  But when I reflect on author Michael Pollan's words of wisdom (that the most important thing you can do if you're concerned about your kids' health is teach them how to cook),I realize it may in fact be a disservice.

 

I know that others in the family can cook because they manage dinners on their own when I am occasionally out of town.  I use the term "cook" loosely, since it's mostly pre-made items that merely require heating up according to the directions on the package.

Cooking means different things to different people.  Michael Pollan refers to eating these packaged foods as "secondary eating".  He believes that this industrial "food processing" has taken a substantial toll on our health and well-being since they tend to use much more sugar, fat and salt than do people cooking for people. "Primary eating" involves cooking a meal from scratch. 

Facing the facts about the nutritional benefits of home cooking helps me place a higher value on "primary cooking".   I can bring myself to a point where intellectually, I get it.  It's way better for us to home cook our meals from scratch more often than consume packaged food prepared by corporations.  But does my attitude and my shopping/cooking behavior reflect the high value I place on cooking?

Attitude check -  do I view cooking dinner as drudgery or as an opportunity?  I can't deny that there are times when it feels like drudgery.  My heart's desire is to approach cooking with a spirit of adventure, with mindfulness, with fascination with the cooking process, and with enjoyment of the experience of cooking and eating.

I ran across a superb article, "Find Your Young Lady".  Referring to the famliar "Old Woman/Young Lady" illusion (see picture), the author uses the phrase "find your young lady" to teach athletes how to reframe their thoughts to improve their running experiences.  The principles can be readily applied to any behavior, including cooking. The power to embrace cooking as a joy and opportunity comes in changing our thoughts from self-defeating to self-empowering.

Although my having the "right mindset" is necessary for me to inspire others to cook, it is not sufficient.  Nor will aiming to simply capitalize on the teachable moments.  Instead, I need a concrete plan.  If we leave it to chance, it may not happen. 

Drum roll......"Cook Night"

My experience tells me there are two core factors that internally motivate kids to cook:
1. their stomach (sheer desire to eat something yummy)
2. fun, especially with friend

I started by asking the kids who still live at home, "Name your 3 favorite home-cooked meals."   David chose:  Sesame Grilled Chicken with Ramen Salad,  Flat Iron Steaks with mushrooms and green beans, and Calzones.  Jennifer picked:  BBQ ribs, Hamburgers, and Tacos.

Next I told them, "You get to learn how to make these favorite meals of yours this summer on Cook Night!"

"You may invite a friend to help cook if you wish."

We chose Monday for Cook Night since at present there are no extracurricular activities disrupting our dinner hour on Mondays. Here is our actionable plan to begin teaching our children the life-long skill of cooking:

Goal:  Throughout the 10 weeks of summer vacation, the kids get to learn how to cook their three favorite meals.

"SMART" plan (specific, measurable, actionable, realistic, time-based): Each Monday beginning June 24 through August 26, Jennifer (age 10) and David (age 13) will alternate being chef on Cook Night.  Each will have an opportunity to learn how to make their three favorite meals with my assistance.  Since the Cook Night plan will use up only 6 of the 10 summer Mondays, we have wiggle room built into the plan.

 

Perhaps in August we will celebrate with a fun, culminating "graduation" home-cooked dinner.

 

The above plan is tailored to our family.  It's important to become the expert of your own self and family.  Think about your attitude/knowledge/skills/behavior with cooking.  Where are the gaps?  This process of exploring will help gain insight to establish a realistic plan to put into action.  My hope is for all of us to discover and pass on the joy of cooking, comfort and fun in the kitchen, and good health for a lifetime!