PumpkinBear: Kewpie mayo is, as one poster pointed out, creamier and less custard-like in texture and consistency than standard mayo. Taste-wise, I would say it's detectably sweeter and also more savory (this is the "umami" someone pointed out, due to it having a small amount of MSG). I also find it less rich, though that may be because of its thinner consistency.
Count me among the 'atypical' of my generation then. I didn't realize it was so very uncommon for my generation not to cook, as most of my friends and peers (from all different industries and walks of life) are into food culture and we have regular potlucks. I've always found it extremely self-gratifying to eat my own homemade meals...in fact, I sorely missed it during the time I worked in a restaurant. I was surrounded by terrific food all day, but by the time I got home I'd be too exhausted to make a proper meal. I felt deprived!
I don't bake, however.
Not a flavor comment, but I also love that when you twist off the red cap, you have a star-shaped opening, so it can be squeezed directly onto your dish nicely instead of plopped or oozed.
The flavor is hard to describe, but it is unique. There's a small amount of tang to it.
Cooking connects us. So many people live unconnected lives today, and fast/easy food is just a symptom of that disconnection, as I see it.
Old fart here, 64. I learned to cook in my late 20's when I realized that if I was going to live alone, I'd better learn to cook. It simply never occurred to me to eat out, I couldn't have afforded it. So I went out and bought the "Joy of Cooking" and made myself beef stew. The recipe called for turnips, it was horrid. I immediately realized that I simply didn't like the taste of cooked turnips. So I threw it away, and cooked it again without turnips. It was delicious, I realized that a recipe was simply the way someone else had made a recipe, and that I could decide what would be good, and what I wouldn't like. At that moment, a cook was born.
40 years later, I still love to cook. For me, as others here have alluded, it is a meditation. But beyond that, it is a gift, as I have taken my time, and my creativity to provide others with my love.
I was involved with a family that were good cooks, but had a limited repertoire. Every time I suggested an idea that was new to them they turned their noses up. Today, they always look forward to my latest creation.
My good friends never ask what I'm preparing, they only ask what time they should be there. So it is possible to influence others with your actions, you just have to keep at it, and what a joy that is.
"I worry about the grandmothers we will be some day" - love it!! I too recognize that many people in our age group (I'm 22 for the record) don't cook but if it helps, I do know a LOT of people that do! So just have a little more faith, we'll all grow into the grandma role someday.
Hillary
Chew on That
I am 38 and do have a few friends who cook, but I know a lot of people who don't. We sat down to eat as a family every night growing up and going out to dinner was a rare treat. Desserts were always made from "scratch" I have people often tell me that they can't cook, I say that if you can read a recipe you can cook. It's all about whether you have the interest. I generally get a lot of compliments about my cooking, but there are also the occasional comments that are overboard and almost insulting, implying that they can't understand why I would ever want to take that much time and effort preparing something that could be bought so easily. I will freely admit that I eat out a lot more than I ever did as a kid, but on the whole I get a lot of enjoyment out of cooking for family and friends. Even if my close friends don't cook a lot for themselves they appreciate the cooking I do for them and I think it does inspire them a bit to try it more themselves.
I'm only 21, but have been cooking full meals since middle school. My mother used to cook every dinner, but when she took a part-time job, she no longer had the time or energy. So divided up the week and each of us (my parents, brother, sister, and I) each took two days a week to make dinner. My sister was only about 8 at the time, but she still learned how to make food other than Mac and Cheese and we're all, I think, great cooks now.
Relax. There's no reason for lamentation. As you and your generation mates get older, some of you will naturally get into cooking. I know that when I was in my 20's, dinner usually consisted of some canned macaroni product eaten over the kitchen sink. I had different priorities then. Now, I have the time and inclination to cook better, and so I do. Hopefully, so will you and your friends.
I learned to cook because (1) my mother wasn't a very good cook and (2) I love to eat. I was hungry! I don't know how to inspire adults to cook but my 7-year old already quotes me: "homemade is always better." I think we also need to teach our children to think critically about what they eat: Does the food at Applebees, McDonalds, etc., REALLY taste good? OK, I'll admit it, I love the fries at McDs.....but otherwise I think I can usually make something tastier at home.
It breaks my heart to think of how many people believe dinner is prepared by dialing a phone.
The best way to inspire cooking is to get 'em while they're young. Failing that, all is still not lost. Lots of times if you impress someone with food, then explain that it "didn't take any time or effort at all," you'll hook them. And let's face it, most "everyday dinner" food does not require much work. A little pre-planning for fresh ingredients and a well stocked pantry will allow one to prepare almost anything.
Then, there are just some people who burn water. Feed them.
I, too, was a latch-key kid. In kindergarten, we made a class "recipe book": the kids dictated the recipes to the teacher, who wrote them down and photocopied them into a little booklet (great idea, too!). My entry was (no joke), "making Spaghetti-ohs." (Get out the pan, open the can...) My mother was mortified, but that was my reality.
Now, though, I cook at least 4 times a week. Soups, Chili, teriyaki chicken (boning my own chicken!) I don't know where it comes from, as my mother still absolutely never cooks, but I adore it.
One of my favorite things? Looking down at an oddly chopped vegetable in my food and thinking, "Oh, I remember chopping you!" Yes, I was an odd child, and I am a strange adult. But cooking makes me feel relaxed like almost nothing else.
I'm 34 and I too lament over the lack of cooks in our generation. Hey, we were the first latch-key kids and this is the fallout. My friends who cook were forced to cook while growing up. They were responsible for at least one meal a week. I cook because of inspiration and necessity -- my dad and mom's family can cook and I wanted to make what they made and my stepmom can't cook. I wanted better options for dinner.
I've had a lot of success with kids and preteens when I make stuff they like from scratch -- pizza dough, ice cream, cakes and cookies. They want to get in and help. They love to experiment and customize.
For folks in my generation, I take the Semi-Homemade approach. For instance, add homemade pie filling to a store-bought crust. Wilt fresh spinach and toss with dried pasta. I agree with everyone that the best way to get people to want to cook is to enlist them while you're cooking something wonderful. That's also a great way to get folks to try stuff they aren't familiar with.
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