TTC

[Just Not Good]

I hadn't read the thread but when I saw it was 11 pages I knew something was going ok. Aka peanut butter wars.

I'm Australian, grew up in 80s/90s my parents were health freaks, never had cream of anything or convenience meals. So this thread is actually quite enlightening. Thanks :)

My least favorite casserole was my mother's horrible amalgamation of her Midwestern roots and her health food aspirations: broccoli casserole, made with brown rice, a package of firm tofu squished up, boiled broccoli minced small, and a can of cream of mushroom soup. Mix, bake, mourn.

[flyawaystray]

In my county, the MTA buses are pretty good. Go a county over and public transportation is almost non existent (depending on what part of the county you're in), especially toward the end of Long Island. There aren't really any food deserts here, though.

The MTA does offer access-a-ride for those who are disabled.

[OkToBeTakei]

Still fascinated by this thread, it has debunked quite a few misconceptions I have had. I was always very jealous thinking that the US supermarket would be bursting full of all this beautiful produce I have to pay more for. There are very few fresh ingredients I cannot get for anything, granted for speciality I may need to travel. I live in a rural area 5 miles from a small town and 15 from all 5 major supermarkets but only 40 odd miles from a large city. Any of these are accessible by public transport although to my shame I drive everywhere. My nearest convenience store is 1.5 miles away.

Another query regarding the changes in convenience versus basic skills. Is Home Ec a standard subject in schools? When I was at school we had it twice a week and there I learnt the joys of roux, making your own flaky pastry (why would you, see you next week) Making mayonnaise, Swiss roll (without the cracks :lol: ) Just basic cooking skills, sauces, pastry (I can still hear that teacher shouting LIGHT FINGERS we use LIGHT FINGERS for pastry.)

We made everything from scrambled eggs to Christmas fruitcake.

[bookiewookie]

Still fascinated by this thread, it has debunked quite a few misconceptions I have had. I was always very jealous thinking that the US supermarket would be bursting full of all this beautiful produce I have to pay more for. There are very few fresh ingredients I cannot get for anything, granted for speciality I may need to travel. I live in a rural area 5 miles from a small town and 15 from all 5 major supermarkets but only 40 odd miles from a large city. Any of these are accessible by public transport although to my shame I drive everywhere. My nearest convenience store is 1.5 miles away.

Another query regarding the changes in convenience versus basic skills. Is Home Ec a standard subject in schools? When I was at school we had it twice a week and there I learnt the joys of roux, making your own flaky pastry (why would you, see you next week) Making mayonnaise, Swiss roll (without the cracks :lol: ) Just basic cooking skills, sauces, pastry (I can still hear that teacher shouting LIGHT FINGERS we use LIGHT FINGERS for pastry.)

We made everything from scrambled eggs to Christmas fruitcake.

Sadly Home Ec isn't a standard subject in most schools. I think it partially gets cut because it's not considered necessary (essentially, if it doesn't help you get into college, it's probably the first thing in the budget to get cut). I think that every high school student should be taught a basic life skills course - how to cook, balance a budget, plan for retirement, change a tire, do basic DIY woodworking, etc. - so that they're not completely helpless when they enter the real world. One of my first year roommates in college was so ridiculously sheltered that I had to teach her how to boil water. I wish I were kidding.

[Ariel]

My school had a pregnant girls class that was essentially home-ec. The dads didn't have to attend thought.

[stacyf]

I think when it comes to cooking classes in secondary schools in the US they tend to lean more towards Culinary Arts. These classes are usually electives or kids that plan on a culinary career take these classes.

[bookiewookie]

I think when it comes to cooking classes in secondary schools in the US they tend to lean more towards Culinary Arts. These classes are usually electives or kids that plan on a culinary career take these classes.

I think if I could do high school all over again, I would definitely take Culinary Arts 101 at the very least. Probably auto shop too. I already know how to cook, but it would be nice to learn tricks of the trade from a professional. I took a knife skills course a couple of years ago at my local culinary school and it was amazing!

[BlondeAgent007]

If the welfare queens were still around, this thread would be 3748 pages long by now. Thank Jehovah for small favors.

ETA or better yet, August should be doing the thanking.

[FJismyheadship]

Can someone direct me to easy and fast meals that are healthy and full of flavor? Preferably anything I can cook in large batches to freeze, and things I can give a 7 month old baby either straight or by blending.

I look online and everything I find just tastes blah.

[OkToBeTakei]

If the welfare queens were still around, this thread would be 3748 pages long by now. Thank Jehovah for small favors.

ETA or better yet, August should be doing the thanking.

Welfare Queens?

[OkToBeTakei]

Can someone direct me to easy and fast meals that are healthy and full of flavor? Preferably anything I can cook in large batches to freeze, and things I can give a 7 month old baby either straight or by blending.

I look online and everything I find just tastes blah.

I gave mine most things we had. Including and not my best moment a greek salad. Tomato, cucumber, red onion, feta and oregano. It turned into a milkshake :lol:

Spooned it in anyway.

I bought a huge load of organic veg/fruit a one off, steamed and either pureed or mashed it, froze it in ice cube trays and bagged it. It took about 6 hours of one Saturday to get through it all. Then for the baby there was always an option along with what we were eating. It was easy to introduce lumpier bits to the puree as we had them. Added fish or meat etc to the same. Introduce new flavours by adding herbs or mixing the veg/fruits.

Eg. I had bags of steamed pureed pear to which I added banana in less mush ie. lumps. Then used the pear in oats, for breakfast. Introduced blue cheese in pear puree.

I had bags of pureed carrot, turnip, broccoli, pea, sweet potato, leek, cabbage, red cabbage, potato, spinach, apple, pear, plums, peaches, nectarine etc. etc. Sweet potato with a dash of fresh squeezed orange from an orange over Lemon Sole. (cheap fish here.)

The combinations were endless. That 6 hours of work kept my kiddie going for about 3 months. Well worth it. There were very few foods I did not try steam puree mix and serve. It was not expensive, just time consuming.

Jamie Oliver does a a good line in 15 minute meals or 30 minute meals. They do actually work. But I think they are really geared toward the UK food and taste market.

ETA I am NOT a big Jamie Oliver fan but my kid loves the show and manages some of the dishes, granted with more time and help from me.

[BlondeAgent007]

A certain group of welfare recipients who used to frequent the board would consistently dogpile anybody speaking poorly of/ stereotyping welfare recipients. I don't think it was wrong to try to diffuse welfare stereotypes, but threads they invaded would frequently stretch into pages and pages of dogpiles, which tends to do nothing constructive.

[BlondeAgent007]

to clarify, I don't mean they were "Welfare Queens" in that they were the stereotypical welfare queen.

[OkToBeTakei]

A certain group of welfare recipients who used to frequent the board would consistently dogpile anybody speaking poorly of/ stereotyping welfare recipients. I don't think it was wrong to try to diffuse welfare stereotypes, but threads they invaded would frequently stretch into pages and pages of dogpiles, which tends to do nothing constructive.

AH! OK with you now.

Yes I can see why that would happen. Breaking stereotypes is difficult. Any perceived 'advice' or differing view is classed as 'privileged.' Whilst not all have been in that position it certainly does not mean a new thought or perspective is wrong.

It can be a victim culture.

I tend toward my own culture for reference as we all do. When looking at a differing culture I will look at a broad view on the board. Aretejo is fairly European in food culture although realistic about European failings so sometimes it is easier to look at that type of view when trying to navigate the mire that is welfare and food. Although as I mentioned above it is a very different food landscape where I live.

This thread really is eye opening. All from fecking TTC :lol:

[stacyf]

In regards to frozen meals I don't have anything for the infant but homemade burritos freeze well and are easy to heat up. I make a sauce using chicken stock, black beans, roasted corn and cilantro. The ingredients for the sauce are cooked together and then pureed. I put the sauce in little sandwich bags that can be put in warm water to thaw and then pored over the burritos for the last spin in the micro. My burritos are three bean and chicken with lots of cilantro and a bit of the sauce and cheese to bind them. Kids love them.

I am also a big soup person and soup is easy to freeze or left in a crock pot for hours. I am not a casserole person and never really knew what a casserole was growing up. Our menu growing up was a rotation of meatloaf, roasted chicken, spaghetti & meatballs, stuffed cabbage, stuffed peppers, trout on Fridays (Dad caught it) and a roast or something similar on Sundays. In the heat of the summer it was not unusual for us to pick some cucumber, tomatoes and corn and eat only that for dinner. There is nothing in this world better than a fresh picked tomato with a hint of salt. My mom was a good cook but stuck to the meat and potatoes type of meals, we always had an iceberg salad with Italian Dressing with our meals.

I had a bit of wanderlust in my 20's and the best way I found to fulfill my desires was learn to cook professionally, that way I always had a job. I apprenticed in Europe and traveled the seasonal circuit in the states for years. I later returned to college and I am now a Civil Engineer. I will never regret the wonderful things I was taught by some amazing chefs... the downfall is everyone always wants me to cook.

Edited because I cannot type this evening.

[August]

If the welfare queens were still around, this thread would be 3748 pages long by now. Thank Jehovah for small favors.

ETA or better yet, August should be doing the thanking.

You might need to reread, I'm not the one saying that poor people should just pay a $5 delivery fee to get all that fresh produce.

[August]

Can someone direct me to easy and fast meals that are healthy and full of flavor? Preferably anything I can cook in large batches to freeze, and things I can give a 7 month old baby either straight or by blending.

I look online and everything I find just tastes blah.

What kinds of foods do you like? Mexican, Italian, Middle Eastern, casseroles, marinades, roasts, beans, meat?

[BlondeAgent007]

You might need to reread, I'm not the one saying that poor people should just pay a $5 delivery fee to get all that fresh produce.

Perhaps my reading comprehension isn't the best. However, implying that "poor people just shouldn't have so many damn kids" would have gotten a noose around your neck pretty fast in yesteryear. Not everybody has the same idea of what adequately providing for a child looks like. I think most can agree on food, clothing and shelter, but beyond that the standards vary greatly.

[Dinaberries]

Can someone direct me to easy and fast meals that are healthy and full of flavor? Preferably anything I can cook in large batches to freeze, and things I can give a 7 month old baby either straight or by blending.

I look online and everything I find just tastes blah.

My son took a while to start liking solid food so your baby might have moved past the things I'm going to suggest, but when my son was seven months old, I would just puree and freeze any fruits and vegetables he liked (I'd use ice cube trays), and I would defrost a few at a time, and find combinations he liked. It made things really easy. When he was a little older, I made him a very mild chicken and mango curry that I would freeze, and also all sorts of soups and pastas (of course I wouldn't give him long noodles. I still don't, and he's nearly 20 months old now). My favorite website for recipes when he was younger was wholesomebabyfood.com but it looks like the url is now wholesomebabyfood.momtastic.com

I hope that helps!

[Dark Matters]

In my county, there's paratransit, for seniors and those with disabilities. It's a demand service (meaning they'll come get you and take you wherever), but I think there are a bunch of strings attached. I think it doesn't run late evenings or weekends, I know none of our non-driving senior theatre attendees use the service. You also have to qualify for it, one person making less than $845 a month.

All kinds of shops used to deliver in the US, my dad remembers his aunt had everything delivered, my grandmother had fewer things, so there was a small service charge, but he doesn't know what it was (speculates it was probably between 3-5 cents in the 50s when he was very young). There are grocery delivery services popping up again now, and I don't know for sure, but I think if you kept up on coupons and considered what you ordered, it'd be almost as cheap to simply get Jimmy John's and the various pizza places to provide your every meal.

I live in the suburbs and we have a paratransit service in my county too. It's cheap and the drivers are terrific (well, the drivers I have had were). Problem is, I have had no luck in using it because you have to reserve both your going and return trips and I have rarely been able to get both, even when trying to make the reservation as early in advance as they allow (usually about 5-7 days). So if you live out here, are disabled and don't have a car or a friend or relative who is willing to drive you where you need to go, you're SOL.

Fortunately, Peapod delivers my groceries and when I need to go to my doctor's appointments, my sister is willing to take me.

[niagarahauls]

Still fascinated by this thread, it has debunked quite a few misconceptions I have had. I was always very jealous thinking that the US supermarket would be bursting full of all this beautiful produce I have to pay more for. There are very few fresh ingredients I cannot get for anything, granted for speciality I may need to travel. I live in a rural area 5 miles from a small town and 15 from all 5 major supermarkets but only 40 odd miles from a large city. Any of these are accessible by public transport although to my shame I drive everywhere. My nearest convenience store is 1.5 miles away.

Another query regarding the changes in convenience versus basic skills. Is Home Ec a standard subject in schools? When I was at school we had it twice a week and there I learnt the joys of roux, making your own flaky pastry (why would you, see you next week) Making mayonnaise, Swiss roll (without the cracks :lol: ) Just basic cooking skills, sauces, pastry (I can still hear that teacher shouting LIGHT FINGERS we use LIGHT FINGERS for pastry.)

We made everything from scrambled eggs to Christmas fruitcake.

I'm 36yo and had Home Ec in school. It's where I learned the basics of cooking (baking only though really no main courses) and sewing. Sadly it seems to have disappeared from the schools as neither of my step-daughters who are 21 and 16 had it.

[LadyBlue]

Can someone direct me to easy and fast meals that are healthy and full of flavor? Preferably anything I can cook in large batches to freeze, and things I can give a 7 month old baby either straight or by blending.

I look online and everything I find just tastes blah.

Are you doing purees or baby led solids/weaning?

onceamonthmom.com has a huge selection of recipes for freezer cooking with a variety of menus for different needs. The recipes are all free, but they charge now for the prepared shopping lists/one day cooking order.

39, here. Everyone in my junior high had a half year of home ec & shop each year. It was very basic & project based, though. My mother has a Home Ec *degree*

[August]

Perhaps my reading comprehension isn't the best. However, implying that "poor people just shouldn't have so many damn kids" would have gotten a noose around your neck pretty fast in yesteryear. Not everybody has the same idea of what adequately providing for a child looks like. I think most can agree on food, clothing and shelter, but beyond that the standards vary greatly.

Except I didn't.

[yewchapel]

Classism and exploitation of the poor still exists, news at 11. And it happens in all countries, UK as well as US (as an example).

[August]

See? I was talking about the clusterfuck of extreme poverty. Go and watch a doula story on netflix and tell me which of those girls decided she was ready to expand her family rather than it just happening because her situation is fucked.

The poverty and deprivation here are more extreme in addition to the cultural non-cooking. There's not only a very low minimum wage, but there's no social safety net. You get food stamps, plus a few patchy aids here and there. So there's no education or health care to keep you from having tons of kids, care for them is expensive and substandard and not subsidised.

On the non-cooking, does this sound right? Scenario: mother makes box cake mix cake for child's birthday cake.

American mother thinks :Woot! Home made cake!

Australian mother thinks: Fuck, next year I'll have time and energy to make a proper cake.

Scottish mother thinks: I wonder if I have time to batter and deep fry it? :D