If this is a new term for you join the club, it seems that the younger generations have reported hating growing up in homes with no ready-made meals or snacks, and now that they are out on their own, they stock their own pantries with prepared foods instead of the ingredients needed to make finished meals and snacks.
Admittedly, when I grew up, there were a lot fewer premade food choices available. Our family of five was on a tight budget and we had three good meals available each day. We rarely had dessert unless it was Saturday night dinner at my grandparents’ house. My brother, sister and I had cereal most mornings with whole milk and orange juice if we wanted it. When mom felt inspired, we’d have pancakes with log cabin syrup which was always a treat. Mom would write our name in batter and that made us all feel very special.
In elementary school, we only lived a block from campus, so we walked home for lunch. We usually had heated up leftovers from the night before and I particularly loved leftover spaghetti and deer or elk meat sausages. Other days, it might be a simple sandwich on Roman meal wheat bread and Fritos. Again, it was served with a frosty glass of whole milk and an orange from our backyard tree if we wanted something sweet to finish off the meal.
When we hit jr high school, we either took a packed lunch or more rarely ate the fifty cent special at the cafeteria, (hamburger, fries and a carton of milk). Our packed lunches were quite an attraction for some of our friends whose parents didn’t hunt. My brother found that he could trade for almost anything on days when we had a deer steak sandwich in our little brown bag.
High school was more challenging, especially for me. I kinda stopped eating lunch, instead opting to make a sandwich for myself after school.
The only drinks we had in the fridge were milk, OJ for breakfast and a big container of plain sun tea that mom made each morning on the sill over the kitchen sink. Other than that the message was clear, if you were thirsty, drink some water, out of the hose or tap. About the only junk type food we had around were Fritos to have with a lunchtime sandwich, as for desserts, we generally didn’t eat them, unless mom or dad got creative and made cinnamon toast or mixed Karo syrup with peanut butter and spread it on toast for us.
Saturday night was always special because we ate at my nana and papa’s house. Menu always included bbqed steak with all the trimmings. Homemade beans, potatoes, biscuits, veggies, green salad and Nana’s apple pie or maybe homemade popcorn, or homemade ice cream in summertime. Saturday night was the time to really enjoy and I got in on helping make our weekly family dinner at a very early age. Everything was from scratch and it was delicious. It was a labor of love that generally began mid morning on Saturday with running to one of the roadside produce stands around the valley and picking up what was inexpensive and in season. I loved every minute of those days with Nana. She taught me to be a smart shopper and how to cook.
During my time growing up, I don’t think we went out to eat much more than 2-3 a year. When we did, it was usually for my birthday which fell two days before Christmas, and mom and Nana were looking for a break. Those birthdays usually involved a trip to the local pizza place or Chinese restaurant. For us, that was wonderfully exotic food. I finally tried a McDonald’s hamburger sometime after my tenth birthday when we took a tour with my Girl Scouts troop. I didn’t see what all the fuss was about, and still don’t.
On the rare occasions when mom would send us to school with 35 cents to eat in the elementary school cafeteria, dad would always ask me what I’d had to eat, and said that I’d tell him we had quail and mashed potatoes or deer burgers for lunch. We ate a lot of game meet at home, and I just reported what the cafeteria stuff looked like to me.
Once I was on my own, I still cooked for myself and when I married Fred, he was delighted to have a wife who liked to cook because he loved to eat.
I think that the generations who prefer eating out or living on premade meals and snacks are really missing something. Not only is homemade food more delicious, but it’s far less expensive and generally better for you. The other big benefit of cooking at home is passing on family traditions, recipes and generally spending quality time as a family. Living out on a ranch, 46 miles from town, requires that you know how to cook if you expect to eat. I guess we could pack frozen pizzas and tv dinners home, but how would you whip up lunch for unexpected guests. That takes a freezer and a pantry…and in summer, a garden. All good things to have and to know how to use.
Kris Stewart is a rancher in Paradise Valley, Nevada.