3 ms·
Time. Two working parents or one working single parent. Ideally just 40 hours a week, but could be more than that, depending on career field. School for kids.
by Loughla 7y ago
Time. Two working parents or one working single parent. Ideally just 40 hours a week, but could be more than that, depending on career field.
School for kids. After school if grades are struggling. Or after school if you're in an 'at-risk' category (see single parent or low income)
Formalized, scheduled, regimented sports/activities after school.
Formalized 'family bonding' events at schools or community centers that are, for all intents and purposes, required by societal pressures.
All of these things take time. Pre-made meals are an easy, convenient way to save time.
- StavrosK 7y agoWe do all of that as well, except the "family bonding" events, so I don't think that's it...
- Loughla 7y agoSample Size: 1 Not meant to be snarky, but honestly, the one thing I've learned in life is that just because I can do it, doesn't mean everyone else's life is the same.
- StavrosK 7y agoOne is not equal to zero, though. One data point is way, way more indicative of something than zero data points.
- Loughla 7y agoOkay? Again, this is not intended to be snarky - if we're flexing anecdotal data, I personally know 40 families for who (whom?) my statements are true.
- StavrosK 7y agoI don't understand what you mean. I'm saying your statements are true for Greeks as well, so it doesn't explain why Greeks cook and Americans don't.
- Loughla 7y agoOh baby did I read that wrong. I read that to mean my family instead of all of Greece. I do wonder what the difference is.
- StavrosK 7y agoOh, I see. I think maybe the boomers switched because of the convenience and didn't mind the cost, and then society forgot how to cook? Whereas here eating out a lot is very expensive, so we just didn't do it.
- lqet 7y agoMy parents both worked full-time (40h per week) when I was a kid in Germany. My mother cooked fresh daily, she just dropped by the supermarket on her way home from work, in and out in 10 minutes max. We went out to eat maybe twice a year. This was in the 90ies, but it is still very much the norm in Europe to cook at home, daily, especially if you have kids. To be honest, with the expection of frozen pizza, I wouldn't even know how to cook processed / pre-prepared food, we don't have a microwave oven in the kitchen (my parents had one in the 80ies and 90ies and only used it to heat milk).
- simonsarris 7y agoIn the US poorer families have more free time (leisure time) than richer families. Examples abound: https://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2016/09/the-free-time-paradox-in-america/499826/ https://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2016/09/the-fre... "Time" as an excuse seems unlikely as the breaking thing here. Even just mass cultural amnesia is more plausible.