Teens read, cook and eat
February 15, 2010
If you’re looking to engage your teenager in family meals, check out the new teen cookbooks. Often written by or with adolescents, these tell-it-like-it-is volumes are high-spirited and adventurous – much like the kids themselves. The books often include photos – of kitchen messes, of very real teens.
One offering has categories that include snacks, meals for one, and family meals. The latter range from meatloaf with scalloped potatoes to ratatouille with chickpeas and couscous, illustrating how kids can be open to new experiences, if presented correctly.
“We began helping in the kitchen when we each turned three years old,” says one young author. “We’re sure we were more of a hindrance than help, but our mom tolerated all of the mess we made because she thought cooking was a good learning tool. Of course we didn’t care about any of that learning stuff, we just thought it was fun, and we still do.”
“They want it to be fun,” agrees Rozanne Gold, an adult author. “They are looking for intense flavors. Many teens these days are fearless eaters.” She also sees cooking as something to do together, “a social connector.”
And we know where those connections naturally take place – in the kitchen and around the table.
Mealtimes Matter Video
from Miriam Weinstein
About Miriam
Miriam Weinstein is an award-winning documentary filmmaker. As a journalist, she has won several awards from the New England Press Association. Her work has appeared in Boston Magazine, the Boston Globe magazine, Hope, and ParentSource. A former staff member for North Shore Weeklies and freelancer for Essex County Newspapers, she writes restaurant reviews and food columns as well as features on a wide variety of subjects. She lives in Gloucester, Massachusetts, with her husband and has two grown children.
The Surprising Power of Family Meals
In her book, The Surprising Power of Family Meals, Miriam Weinstein shows how this basic human institution helps nourish and strengthen our families today.