Food Revolutions

I love Jamie Oliver. Seriously. I have been a fan of his since the Naked Chef. He was pretty much my last celebrity crush because I met my husband the following year. My husband actually does the "fake" jealousy when I am watching or reading Jamie. "Why don't you marry him instead?" Ah, I would if I could. Just kidding. I really, truly love my husband. But Jamie ... sigh :).

That being said, it makes me sad Jamie Oliver has to teach us how to cook, and eat. What has happened to our society? I assumed most people knew how to make a meal for themselves, from fresh ingredients. I thought most people bought veggies and fruit. When did dinner end up being in front of the TV with a plastic tray?

In my home, growing up, we never had a TV near the kitchen. The only time we ate supper in front of the TV was when dad was away. We would usually have the stereo on. My parents were huge CBC fans. Generally, we would have "mood" music playing in the background while we ate. We always ate supper together, at the kitchen table, even on days when I had gymnastics or piano, or my brother had some activity.

My mom was born in Trinidad, raised in England, and moved to Canada in her 20s. She loves to cook and bake. She would seek out people of different nationalities and learn their specialities. She learned dishes from my Oma (her mother in law). My mom makes an awesome spanokopita (Greek spinach, feta and phyllo pie) and her koenigsberger klopse (German meatballs in white sauce with capers) are a hit with my niece and nephew. She actually doesn't make much food from Trinidad, but she has always makes good, wholesome food with fresh ingredients.

She taught me how to cook. I honestly don't remember her teaching me, but I was always cooking with her. We had a "Cookies for Kids" cookbook we used often. I remember flipping through her old Joy of Cooking, and her Betty Crocker cookbook from the 60s. In high school, she bought my brother and I cookbooks for Christmas one year. We had to pick a night when we would be in charge of dinner. It is a lot of work to come up with interesting meals every night of the week, so my mom recruited us.

Our family meals were simple, but they always included some vegetable (something green or orange: usually broccoli or carrots, but sometimes asparagus or beans), meat and often rice (potatoes were not as common on our plates). We would make our own pizzas from scratch. Very rarely would be have something premade for dinner. If my parents were away for the evening, my brother and I might have Swanson's meat pies.

We almost always had brown bread in the house. The sweetest cereal we ate was Honey Nut Cheerios. We rarely had pop in the house. I actually didn't like it much because I would get those pop burps. You know, the ones that go up your nose! Chips were only available when we had company.

My mom instilled in me some wonderful values and habits. I kept these habits when I moved out. Although I often would make a one pot wonder for supper, (when you are cooking for one, it is easier to put everything together in one pot), I used fresh ingredients. I had one roommate who thought I was a vegetarian because I bought veggies. I bought meat too, but he never bought veggies, so thought I must be a vegetarian.

I love cooking. I love cooking for others. I feel a sense of pride when I can make a meal for my friends and see the pleasure on their faces when they try something new, and tasty. I have made eggplant haters love my eggplant Parmesan. Almost everyone I met while I was in university got to try my spicy chickpea recipe. I haven't made that in ages...hmmm, maybe I should make some tomorrow.

I made a soufflé for my mom's birthday this year. First time ever, and it turned out! Baked cheesecake! I spent a summer making cheesecakes with my best friend. I am amazed we didn't pack on the pounds. Good thing we'd taken up rowing that year!

Food is so great! Making your own food is incredible. I used to read cookbooks while I was eating (this was when I lived alone, or with roommates, and we never ate together). I love watching the food network. If I spend enough time watching it, I will eventually find a recipe I want to try. Usually they turn out. My favourite magazine, by far, is the LCBO's Food and Drink magazine. Many of my go to recipes are from those magazines.

I have never dieted, but I have always tried to cook with quality ingredients. Use the good stuff, but everything in moderation. We always have a little dessert. Diets don't work, but watching what you eat does. Eat colourful food. Eat fresh food. Eat real food. Eat good food.

I know my children will grow up with a healthy attitude towards eating and cooking. My mom taught me how to cook wholesome food, and I will teach my children. Somewhere along the way, there was a breakdown in this system for a lot of families. I hope they can find their way back, and we can start to take the focus off unhealthy eating habits, and get back to enjoying being in the kitchen.