To those of you who got into cooking later in life, consider your experience if you [ever] have kids. You will enrich the rest of their lives if you involve th

To those of you who got into cooking later in life, consider your experience if you [ever] have kids. You will enrich the rest of their lives if you involve them in the kitchen and teach them some of what you know. I learned how to cook by helping my mother and father for as long as I can remember. I don't honestly know when I started but it was definitely before 10, and likely around 7 or 8 when I could make meaningful contributions and not just get in the way. It has benefited me greatly and I should really make a point of thanking them more often for it. Sure, I might have groaned when being tasked with preparing my own school lunch, or being asked to help peel potatoes, but through the years I picked up lots of valuable experience without even realizing it. I learned these patterns that the author talks about, even if I didn't have a word for them. Cooking is one of my greatest pleasures and, to be honest, I feel sad that some people see it as only a means to an end.