How do your eating habits differ from those of your parents

[jfk]

I just finished making a spaghetti dinner for the wife and kids. As might be expected, I ate spaghetti regularly as a kid though the spaghetti I just prepared and ate bore no resemblance whatsoever to that which my parents cooked.

As such, I was wondering the way in which your eating and cooking habits changed, why you think they've changed and some of the pros and cons of the evolution.

[odellthurman]

My parents are old and eat a lot of jello and other soft foods, whereas I enjoy a good steak or maybe even some corn on the cob on occasion. So there's that difference.

[katyseagull]

How is your spaghetti different from your mom's? How do you prepare it?

My mom used to make the best spaghetti and meatballs. It was awesome. I haven't thought about that in years!

[katyseagull]

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My parents are old and eat a lot of jello and other soft foods, whereas I enjoy a good steak or maybe even some corn on the cob on occasion. So there's that difference.

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I know an old man who eats corn on the cob and steak. Just buy them some teeth for god's sake Odell.

[jfk]

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How is your spaghetti different from your mom's? How do you prepare it?

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That's part of the equation. I never do it (or most things) the same way.

Today it was yellow onions and crimini mushrooms sauteed in grapeseed oil and olive oil. I added diced tomatoes (about a quart from a can) and capers. Into that went a little port, cabernet, vodka and cassis liqueur. It then got a big splash of pepperoncini juice. There was oregano, basil and paprika put into the sauce. At the end I added about a cup and a half of water in which the pasta was boiling. I topped in off with diced tomatoes out of the garden and thinly slivered basil from the garden. The spaghetti was actually angel hair which the kids seemed to enjoy. We served the whole thing with some sourdough to sop up the thin sauce at the bottom of the bowl. I forgot the pecorino and was out of garlic but those would typically be in the mix. I'm probably forgetting an herb or two but the whole thing took about twenty minutes.

My parents would go the tomato sauce and tomato paste route. There'd be ground beef added. We always had a bay leaf or two in the sauce which would simmer for hours. The spaghetti came out of a five pound box. I can't remember the brand, but can still picture the box. The strands were as brittle as the ego on a failed Russian ballerina. It was always the same brand and "al dente" was not in the consideration. We always had garlic bread.

It never would've dawned on my parents to have made a quick and easy, meatless(*) spaghetti sauce with a fair amount of fresh ingredients. They wouldn't have deviated from a recipe, ever.

Just a random observation of how eating may or may not be trending towards fresher, lighter, more seasonally oriented meals and how culinary traditions can deviate greatly in a short span of generations.

A great deal of what we eat in the house is quite unlike anything I ate as a kid and the things I ate as a kid I prepare in ways which are entirely dissimilar to my parents' methods.

(*)the "meatless" commentary is not done with some hidden vegetarian agenda. I eat meat. Had I any Italian sausages about the house they would've been grilled.

[Moneyline]

When I was growing up my parents ate a pretty typical American diet. Both are overweight. They make attempts at eating healthy foods now, but I don't think they are really committed to it.

My diet is carb heavy and contains very little fats. I eat lots of pasta, rice, and things like that. I never add saturated fats or salt to food. I even use olive oil instead of butter when I fry eggs. When other people eat what I cook they usually say that it tastes bland, but I like it fine.

[katyseagull]

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My parents would go the tomato sauce and tomato paste route. There'd be ground beef added. We always had a bay leaf or two in the sauce which would simmer for hours. The spaghetti came out of a five pound box. I can't remember the brand, but can still picture the box. The strands were as brittle as the ego on a failed Russian ballerina. It was always the same brand and "al dente" was not in the consideration. We always had garlic bread.

It never would've dawned on my parents to have made a quick and easy, meatless(*) spaghetti sauce with a fair amount of fresh ingredients. They wouldn't have deviated from a recipe, ever.



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This is very true of my family too! My mother used tomato paste and ground beef and lots of seasonings. She lets her sauce simmer for hours and never deviates from her recipes. You are onto something here!

When I make spaghetti I go for quick. I often throw in sliced squash and sausage and wine. I prefer angel hair pasta over any other. I rarely follow the same recipe.


I was lucky to grow up in a home where we ate healthful meals and my parents were into natural cooking. We never used cake mixes or any frozen meals. I was unlucky, however, to grow up in a family of borderline anorexics. Our portions were always tiny, seconds were frowned on and usually not an option. If we had cookies in the house everyone was watching how many we all ate and counting. It really sucked.


Couple ways in which I differ a lot from my mom:

- I tend to add sugar to everything I cook.
- I eat more meat than my mom and I buy ridiculous quantities of meat at the store. My friends and family say I over-buy everything and waste food.
- I use real butter and cream in my cooking and I'm pretty generous with it.
- My mom baked a lot of her dishes. I make 90% of my stuff on the stovetop in a giant cast iron skillet, unless it's a quiche. If I could figure out how to do a quiche in a skillet I would. [img]/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img]

[jtown1010]

My mom is lactose intollerant and allergic to red meat, she pretty much eats fish, soy, tofu, whole-grain bread, and lots of fruits and vegetables. I grew up on an extremely healthy diet, no sugar cereals, no fast food, no red meat, very little sugar products.

Now I try to eat pretty healthy, but for conveniance I'll go to restaurants a lot and eat fatty foods, I've also developed an addiction to BBQ recently.

[dvh]

After college I found myself eating exactly like my parents: Roasts, steaks, stews, all with rolls, potatoes and gravies. I also found myself gaining about 2 lbs. per year for 10 years.

About 4 years ago I drastically changed eating habits and how I cook. Now it is lean proteins, fresh green vegetables with very few breads. I still enjoy the roasts, just not very often

[Fishwhenican]

My family mainly eats wild game for our meat. Deer, Elk, Antelope. The only kind of meat we will buy is Chicken and then occasionally pork and sometimes Ground Beef if we forget to thaw out some Elk burger and want burgers for dinner.
Living in a city and no one in the family who hunted means we had none of this when I was growing up.

My Chili is also WAY better than my moms. She made some kind of runny watery thing with macaroni, chunks of tomato and a bit of ground beef. I use tomato sauce, deer burger beans and various chili seasonings. Throw some shredded cheese on top and extra hot sauce and WAY too good!