The Age for Learning Kitchen Skills?
May 19, 2008
I am trying to remember how old I was when my mother first phoned us from work, said she was running late, and asked my sister and me to get our father's dinner on the table so he could make his evening office hours. I am guessing that I was about ten, my sister twelve.
Those suppers were not elaborate – grapefruit, broiled chops, canned vegetables. My sister and I were happy to do a job that was obviously important. And my father was always appreciative. (Why was a grown man not capable of broiling his own chops, you might ask? In those prehistoric times, no one thought to ask. In his defense, I will say that he was really, really busy, and I know he enjoyed seeing us learn to produce a meal.)
Decades later, after my parents retired, on those nights when my mother wasn't home, my father actually entered the kitchen. Once, when I was visiting, he proudly demonstrated how he could not only cut his own grapefruit, but even sprinkle some sweetener on it and put it under the broiler. I had a really good laugh. I guess it is possible to learn kitchen skills at any age.
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. You can buy this book from our friends at Smucker's® Online Store.
