I then remember a couple of instances when my boys were young and there were always friends of theirs eating dinner with us. I was reminded of a time back then that I was making strawberry shortcake (a favorite of my family, obviously) and I had invited the visiting friend of that day to stay for dinner. He loved the dessert and said he had never had strawberry shortcake before. How could someone go through 10+ years of life in Western Pennsylvania without every having strawberry shortcake? I couldn't believe it.
That memory brought about another similar memory, still involving friends (brothers) of my son's, again being invited by me to stay for dinner. The home cooked meal that night was roast and real mashed potatoes. A very simple staple in my house. These boys loved the meal and said that their mother never had dinners like that. How is that possible?
So what is going to happen to home cooked dinners and home made desserts as our grandmothers and mothers (and us 50 somethings) pass on? Most grandmothers of that era have already passed on and sometimes old, wrinkled, yellowed recipes are discovered in cupboards or old recipe boxes. But are current working mothers going to take the time to follow these long lost recipes? With each generation I think this possibility lessens. What a shame!
I feel that if there was more home cooking done, there would be more families sitting together for dinner, not to mention how much healthier and happier our children would be. Who knows, maybe if a study were done, it could be determined that a lot of the problems in today's world could be directly or indirectly related to the lack of home cooked meals, lovingly prepared and served. I know cooking isn't everyone's "thing", but I sure feel sorry for those that don't experience it.