Changes in Eating Habits

[Just Cooking]

For the first 2/3rds of my life I was a meat and potatoes guy..
3 square meals a day, not too much planned snacking but, what I wanted, when I wanted it..

When first married (1959) our weekly meat budget was $10.. Some sort of meat 4 or 5 evenings a week.. A full meal, prepared by my wife was mandatory.. Not in a husband dominant way, it was just how things worked back then..


When I finally grew up (a bit under 40) I learned to do more than grilling.. To be honest, my wife had mixed feelings about me cooking.. She felt it was her kitchen, her responsibility to have dinner ready for her family..


Time changes everything..
In today's world we (Jeannie and I) eat something about 5 times a day.


We always have a light breakfast.


A snack comes about 11am


Unless we are out, we seldom eat lunch.. If we do have lunch in, its a sandwich or something light. If we don't have lunch, another light snack is in order.


Somewhere between 2 and 4pm we have a small portioned supper.


Most evenings we will have a dessert, allowing enough time to digest before bedtime.


I spend a lot of time in the kitchen, even though I only prepare 3 or 4 full meals a week now.


The kitchen still gives me pleasure.


How has life and time changed your eating habits?


Ross

 

[Kayelle]

What a great idea for a thread Ross!


Much of your past relates to mine too, as I was wed in 1963 and we were married for 42 yrs. Times were different then for sure, and my exclusive domain was in the kitchen...alone. I think that was pretty normal then as it seemed to be true for my friends also. He never cooked a meal, and I never mowed a lawn. It worked fine for the time.

Today my new life it's somewhat different, although I'm still the boss in the kitchen, my Souschef husband is by my side in the kitchen when or if I need him. There's no way I can explain how much better that is than daily flowers. The kitchen is actually fun now, like never before.
Dinner is still the main event here and I need to have it on the table somewhere between 6:00 and 7:00. It used to be 6:00 on the dot so I'm a little better about that now. In my previous life, breakfast and lunch were on our own, and that's still true now. I remember my Mom saying "for better or worse, but not for lunch"..words to live by.

 

[CakePoet]

I divorced my exhusband, I went from potatoes and meat to much more fun food. My ex refused spices other then salt, pepper, garlic salt, flavoring salt, BBQ spice ( which mostly salt) and junk food and he did eat Swedish taco and only chili to show how macho he was.

It was no fun, everything was yuck unless he had guest ( I was just the "maid" ) then it was amazing.

So after him, I been allowed to cook what I want and I am having fun, yes I can use spices and way less salt.

I have to eat at least 5 times a day says the Doc, I manage 4 at the moment some days and if I am alone 1 .

 

[blissful]

For DH to avoid acid reflux, he went from meat and potatoes for the last meal of the day, to eating any meat, fat, sweets, pasta, or ice cream by 2 pm, then vegetables and popcorn w/out fats, in the evening. Eating an apple in late afternoon helps. Getting his gut healthy took months of kefir every day.


For him, antacids used to be the 5th food group, now he hardly ever uses them.



I personally don't mind the change. I like vegetables and whole grains and popcorn later in the day (and early in the day). We eat when we feel like it, 2 or 3 times a day.

 

[Andy M.]

As a child growing up, our family of four ate together every evening. Mom did all the cooking even though Dad was a chef. That's just the way it was.

When I got married, it was pretty much the same. Dinner was ready when I got home from work. My then wife did all the cooking and I was not allowed in the kitchen. That we HER domain.

Living alone/with a roommate after my divorce, I really got into cooking and ate what I wanted when I wanted. Learned to cook for one (or sometimes two).

Then SO came along and things changed. She worked full-time too and was fine with my doing the cooking.

Now we're both retired and we have morning coffee together if we wake up at about the same time. Breakfasts and lunches are usually do-it-yourself affairs that sometimes happen at the same time and sometimes don't.

We are on a later schedule than most our age. We sleep late and eat meals late. Breakfast can be 11:00AM to Noon. Lunch is 2:30-3:30. Dinner is around 7:30-8:00. Dessert is at 9:30.

As far as what we eat, I don't think it's changed all that much over the years. Dinner is still the big meal of the day and it's fairly traditional. We just eat less than when we were younger. I no longer need a 16" pizza for myself. I share and we have a slice or two left over.

We really haven't had any issues that require dietary changes. I guess that's lucky. Not looking forward to the day I can't eat anything I want any time I want.

 

[Mad Cook]

I was born in 1949. My parents had married during the war but Dad was posted In the south west of England (Mother lived in the Midlands) and then to North Africa so they didn't actually live together in their own home until Dad was de-mobbed in 1946.

After the war they both worked in the family business and Dad often finished work before Mum did. At home they operated on the principal that if something needed doing then the person near it did it.

The only thing that Dad drew the line at was shopping but we lived next door to the butcher and across the road from the baker & the greengrocer delivered so it didn't matter much.

I just took it in my stride and was very surprised when I went to school and discovered that this was not the usual 1950s way of doing things! Even in the '60s I was something of a curiosity when my friends discovered that my father could actually cook and often did (this was before Britain discovered barbeque-ing!). I have often thought that Dad would have liked to be a chef if he hadn't got dragged into the family business. He was quite adventurous by 1950s standards.

This is all very common these days although there are still some dinosaurs - I have women friends who are married to them!

 

[caseydog]

Growing up, we had three meals a day, whether we were hungry or not. My sister and I could not leave the table until we cleaned our plates, no matter how much we hated what was on the plate.

When I got a car and a job, I could eat what I wanted. First big change. When I went off to college, I totally decided what, and when to eat.

Most of my adult life, I have not eaten on any set schedule. I have always eaten whenever I got hungry. My parents still eat on a very rigid schedule. My dad does a lot of the cooking, now, and my mom has improved her cooking skills. She still doesn't season things enough, but at least she doesn't overcook things -- most of the time.

When I was married, we planned our meals for the week, and went shopping. That was how my wife grew up, and I was okay with it. We shared cooking duties, and were both good in the kitchen. We ate very good food.

These days, I don't pre-plan anything. If is see a nice rack of ribs on sale at Kroger, I may plan to cook them on Sunday. But, that's still not set in stone.

Also, you may have noticed, I do a lot of "grazing." I generally don't like to eat a lot of food at one time. With exceptions... I am a sucker for a good chicken-fried steak, with mashed potatoes and fried okra. I will clean that plate, and waddle away from the table feeling "fat and happy. "

Good topic, Ross.

CD

 

[JustJoel]

I don’t think I ever had eating habits. Both my sister and I were very picky eaters, according to Mom. And I do remember her trying to put together three different meals every night. And the stuff she made (can’t even say “cooked”) was dreadful.

Recently though, like many of you, I’ve had to change my diet for medical reasons. Well, dental reasons, to precise. Nothing too crunchy, nothing that you have to tear with your front teeth (basically, small pieces are best, but not too small, lest they get stuck in one of my “affected areas.” And lots of smoothies, gazpacho, and milkshakes. I can eat shrimp, thank the powers, and I can eat soft stuff - a nice curry with diced, tender chicken with some soft buttered naan.

So yes, I guess my habits have changed, in that before, I really didn’t have a habit. I ate when I was hungry and I ate whatever I liked. I guess that could be considered a habit, though.

 

[PrincessFiona60]

Things are very different now. I basically eat when I want and what I want inside the constraints of my diet. I do wander outside those constraints once a week for one meal, I can give up rice and pasta, but not potatoes. Most nights I stop at Mom and Dad's and have what's leftover, they eat their main meal before I get off work. On the weekend I fix one meal for the three of us.


Growing up, Mom cooked most meals, Dad every once in a while, usually a kick-butt soup. When Mom started working, we girls did the cooking for dinner...that started when I was about 14. Shrek and I shared cooking duties, depending on who was home when...both of us worked night shift for many years.

 

[Cooking Goddess]

Ross, the first 2/3 of your life sounds a lot like the first half-ish of mine. Mom cooked, the rest of us ate. When I got married (age 23), I cooked, we ate. Standard meat-and-two veggies meals. Once married, though, dinner times had been all over the map with Himself's career and work schedule. Now that he's no longer working, our schedule would work quite nicely if we were living in Hawaii - we're about six hours behind east coast time.

...We are on a later schedule than most our age. We sleep late and eat meals late. Breakfast can be 11:00AM to Noon. Lunch is 2:30-3:30. Dinner is around 7:30-8:00. Dessert is at 9:30.

As far as what we eat, I don't think it's changed all that much over the years. Dinner is still the big meal of the day and it's fairly traditional. We just eat less than when we were younger. I no longer need a 16" pizza for myself. I share and we have a slice or two left over.

We really haven't had any issues that require dietary changes. I guess that's lucky. Not looking forward to the day I can't eat anything I want any time I want.

That ^ is pretty much our house, except we run even later than you guys do. I roll out of bed around 11. Himself can't even peek above the covers until the sun has gone well past the meridian.

We rarely share a meal before dinnertime, unless we're traveling. It is then that we eat breakfast (hotel buffet food) and lunch together, along with the evening meal. It's not odd for us to start our dinner around 8 or later. Neither of us have an issue of falling asleep, or food shortly before bedtime disrupting sleep or anything. Heck, Himself can still drink a mug of caffeinated coffee, then slip right off to sleep.

Desserts are few and far between, unless we need to admit to the cookie or two : that often partners up with the last cup of coffee for the day - around 6:00 PM. Since I'd rather cook than bake, some of you wouldn't make it a week here without nightly dessert. (Sorry, Ross!)

 

[CakePoet]

To clarify bit about Sweden, it is not the woman place to be in the kitchen, it is the one who has the time or who is at home or can cook.

My dad is an amazing cook, my mum isnt. Sadly she was the one being home, since my dad on and off worked in another town. I would long for the weekends when dad was home so he would cook or when my mums mum would come over and save us. It went so bad that my mum made bread that goats wouldn't eat and we voted her out of the kitchen, she got told to do dishes. Since I was the youngest I got to cook one day a week and my sister twice, well one of them is an amazing cook and one has no common sense and dyslexia. So now we had 3 days of edible food in week.
Here is the odd part, my mum adores none common sense sisters food and hate mine, she will go so far not eating mine she will ate stale sandwiches with half rotten cucumber from none sense sister.

My dad has more sense and used to send me recipe to make when they came over when I had move away from home.

Things he knew my mum wouldnt let him cook.

A few days ago I made my mum's really good loaf, same cookbook and I dont have dense loaf as she did, I ended up with a lovely bloomer.

 

[Kaneohegirlinaz]

What a great thread Ross!

Both DH and I are Baby Boombers.
We grew up in a household where Mom stayed at home and was the Homemaker and Dad the Breadwinner.
That’s where our stories change paths.
DH’s Mom was the quintessential Betty Crocker gal … my Mom … not so much.
DH’s Mom made mouth-watering homemade pasta dishes, whereas my Mom just cooked everything to death.
I taught myself, at an extremely young age, to cook out of the need to have an edible meal (and the rest of the family thanked me!).
When DH and I married, later in life, we were both workaholics. We’d leave the house at the crack of dawn and not return until well into the evening, 6 days a week.
Our eating habits were: eat what you can, when you can, period.
Once we retired, I was able to cook what we wanted (thanks to the fact that ingredients here on the “Mainland” are far cheaper), when we wanted – no time-clocks here babe!
We have 3-5 small tasty meals per day, depending on our schedule (better for the metabolism).
We have never eaten much meat, but more plant and grain based meals.
Having grown up with the Asian Culture, meat is used as a condiment rather than as a staple ingredient.
DH has gleefully adapted to my cooking style, well, it’s that or go hungry.
We like to eat out and we see a lot of our counter-parts do so more than we do; I suppose because they prefer NOT to cook. I enjoy all the aspects of eating at home: shopping for the ingredients, prepping everything, cooking the meal and the clean up (well maybe not so much of that). I can control our intake of Sodium, Fat, Cholesterol, Carbs, Sugar, Fiber and you name whatever you like in our diet.
Isn’t that wonderful and tasty too?

 

[caseydog]

Ross, the first 2/3 of your life sounds a lot like the first half-ish of mine. Mom cooked, the rest of us ate. When I got married (age 23), I cooked, we ate. Standard meat-and-two veggies meals. Once married, though, dinner times had been all over the map with Himself's career and work schedule. Now that he's no longer working, our schedule would work quite nicely if we were living in Hawaii - we're about six hours behind east coast time.


That ^ is pretty much our house, except we run even later than you guys do. I roll out of bed around 11. Himself can't even peek above the covers until the sun has gone well past the meridian.

We rarely share a meal before dinnertime, unless we're traveling. It is then that we eat breakfast (hotel buffet food) and lunch together, along with the evening meal. It's not odd for us to start our dinner around 8 or later. Neither of us have an issue of falling asleep, or food shortly before bedtime disrupting sleep or anything. Heck, Himself can still drink a mug of caffeinated coffee, then slip right off to sleep.

Desserts are few and far between, unless we need to admit to the cookie or two : that often partners up with the last cup of coffee for the day - around 6:00 PM. Since I'd rather cook than bake, some of you wouldn't make it a week here without nightly dessert. (Sorry, Ross!)

Sounds like Sundays at the doghouse. I generally crawl out of bed around noon. I turn the phone ringer off, and sometimes don't check emails all day.

But, Sundays are also when I like to do big cooks. Smoke some que, do a slow cook in the cast iron, or something else ambitious.

I have never had much of a sweet tooth, either. So, not many desserts here.

CD

 

[Caslon]

Two square meals a day is okay by me.