On Tue 25 Jan 2005 11:18:48a, Steve Calvin tittered and giggled, and
giggled and tittered, and finally blurted out...

> With lives seemingly getting busier and busier do you see the end of
> "scratch" cooking in the future? Just looking backward, my Mother and
> especially my Grandmothers cooked everything from scratch. Breads,
> cakes, pies including the crusts, stews, soups, sauces etc...
>
> Today is seems as though the number of people who routinely cook from
> scratch is dwindling. People are migrating to canned stews, spaghetti
> sauces, sauces in general, soups, etc. I know quite a few people who
> don't cook, period. They either do take out, go out, TV-"dinners",
> frozen stuff like pot-pies, and even premade and frozen PB&J sandwiches
> for gawd sakes! Now I admit that I don't routinely make bread but I
> pretty much make much everything else "the old fashioned way."
>
> Anyone else noticing a decline in folks like us who enjoy cooking and
> make the time necessary to indulge ourselves?

It's a sad commentary on modern life when it becomes obvious that most the
people one encounters considers "cooking" to be the action of opening a
container of something and heating it up to serve. Our office periodically
has potluck lunches, however, where I usually see dishes that were clearly
made from scratch. I think there may be many who actually do cook for
special occasions, but rely on some form of pre-prepared food for day-to-
day eating. Life is hectic, time is short, and the answer obvious to a
great many people is buying heat-and-eat foods, or eating out at a vast
array of restaurants.

When I was growing up, eating out was usually reserved for special
occasions. I graduated highschool in 1963 and I know that food preparation
taught in home-ec at that time was "from scratch". I suspect that my
generation may have been nearing the end an era where most people were
scratch cooks. I have to admit to keeping certain canned soups on hand,
and I occasionally buy prepared sauces, and often buy good bakery bread for
lack of time. But most of what I prepare has its roots in basic recipes
made with fresh ingredients.

OTOH, from the plethora of the fresh meats, seafood, and produce on hand in
almost every supermarket, there must be a fair number of folks who
routinely turn out home-cooked meals on a regular basis. If this weren't
the case, there would clearly be less available in the stores.

Perhaps there's an underground of good cooks out there just waiting to be
met!

Must my 2¢...

Wayne