The Generation Gap

What is our problem? Is it just me or is the 20 somethings age group becoming seriously lazy. Myself included in this accusation, I wonder what happened. My most fond memories of my childhood were all about family dinners at my grandparents where my grandmother would get up at the crack of dawn to begin the preparations. With merely one cup of coffee in her system she was a cooking superhero. Meat-check. Mashed potatoes- check. Three veggies- check. Homemade rolls- check. Dessert-check. Ever growing family- check. I would always look forward to holidays and hunting season so that we would have another delicious homemade meal where we could laugh and catch up with the extended family. Now I wonder, are our lives moving too quickly for our own good, or is it simply that we don't take the time to slow down and enjoy the small things?

In my mere four mile drive home from work, I pass a total of nine restaurants. NINE! It's no wonder with their bright colors and delicious greasy food that my 3 year old would much rather stop in and play at one of these places rather than waiting for mommy to make dinner. EASY-yes. EXPENSIVE-yes, but is it more expensive then cooking from scratch at home? I have recently talked to my better half about this very question. I love cooking, but have the tendency to fall into what's easy. I want to eat healthy and make wonderful meals for my family, but at what cost? Do I spend more time in the kitchen to provide a more healthy meal than the alternative, or do I go easy so I can spend more time with the family? But at that point do I actually spend more time with them when all is said and done. With the twelve-million calories consumed after a fast-food meal, all my family feels like doing is crashing on the couch and watching a nightly sitcom-is that quality time?

So here we are. Forget the fast food. Bring on the good ole home cooking. Bring back my roots. Follow in my mother's, grandmother's, and great-grandmother's footsteps. Forget the laziness. Forget the bright neon lights that lure my taste buds. Forget the extra 20 minutes of lounging on the couch in a grease coma. Here we go.