This brought me back to the relentlessness of feeding a child in the pandemic. That feeling of just having finished cleaning up from one meal or snack and having to go straight into the next. *shudder* This has given me lots to think about though in terms of gender roles, but also who determines the ideal mealtime, and do the people being held to these standards value the same things, and just what more communal/community meal provision looks like. 🤯
Wow. Thank you so much for writing this. ALL of this has been on my mind lately. I wrote something sort of similar for Epicurious not that long ago, but I don’t think I captured what you did here, which is my rage that this work isn’t valued and the pressure to cook and offer the meal in a way that’s actually completely unattainable. The eternal frustration. The dread. The way this is a systemic issue and not something we’re all “just not getting right” or for the love of god, A PHASE. Thank you thank you for saying all of this.
Thank you for your excellent article. This is such an important topic! While working for the Oregon Food Bank, I had the opportunity to participate in our cooking program. I believe the program was sponsored by Share Our Strength. It seemed like a great program that helped folks learn how to shop and prep meals with what they had on hand. I still have the vegetable peeler that they gave to participants. I continue to value programming that meets people where they are, without judgement and creates honest, thoughtful ways to help folks deal with meal prep. Ultimately, however, I wish I could be part of an effort to create more community kitchens where folks with time could prepare food for those in their neighborhoods that need nutritious, culturally appropriate food. I do believe that many Feeding America programs are helping with that effort. Some locally where I live in Florida.
When I worked in New York City in finance, the company cafeteria provided hot (or cold) delicious, subsidized meals for a fraction of the cost of eating fast food in midtown. They did it because eating in the cafeteria was an extension of work time, and got employees back to their desks faster, just like the gym in the building and the clothing shop selling company branded clothes on the first floor. It was, really, a company town in all but name.
It has never occurred to me to translate that idea to the broader community, in part because I am suspicious of the company’s motives. But as a government program, it is extremely smart.
This reminds me of “How the Other Half Eats” by Priya Fielding-Singh. It’s about 4 mothers from varying backgrounds and socioeconomic circumstances, all struggling in different ways to feed their children. Thank you for writing about this!
This brought me back to the relentlessness of feeding a child in the pandemic. That feeling of just having finished cleaning up from one meal or snack and having to go straight into the next. *shudder* This has given me lots to think about though in terms of gender roles, but also who determines the ideal mealtime, and do the people being held to these standards value the same things, and just what more communal/community meal provision looks like. 🤯
Wow. Thank you so much for writing this. ALL of this has been on my mind lately. I wrote something sort of similar for Epicurious not that long ago, but I don’t think I captured what you did here, which is my rage that this work isn’t valued and the pressure to cook and offer the meal in a way that’s actually completely unattainable. The eternal frustration. The dread. The way this is a systemic issue and not something we’re all “just not getting right” or for the love of god, A PHASE. Thank you thank you for saying all of this.
Thank you for your excellent article. This is such an important topic! While working for the Oregon Food Bank, I had the opportunity to participate in our cooking program. I believe the program was sponsored by Share Our Strength. It seemed like a great program that helped folks learn how to shop and prep meals with what they had on hand. I still have the vegetable peeler that they gave to participants. I continue to value programming that meets people where they are, without judgement and creates honest, thoughtful ways to help folks deal with meal prep. Ultimately, however, I wish I could be part of an effort to create more community kitchens where folks with time could prepare food for those in their neighborhoods that need nutritious, culturally appropriate food. I do believe that many Feeding America programs are helping with that effort. Some locally where I live in Florida.
Perfect! This is really the larger question. I think you have some tee-shirt-worthy quotes in this article! Bravo!
When I worked in New York City in finance, the company cafeteria provided hot (or cold) delicious, subsidized meals for a fraction of the cost of eating fast food in midtown. They did it because eating in the cafeteria was an extension of work time, and got employees back to their desks faster, just like the gym in the building and the clothing shop selling company branded clothes on the first floor. It was, really, a company town in all but name.
It has never occurred to me to translate that idea to the broader community, in part because I am suspicious of the company’s motives. But as a government program, it is extremely smart.
This reminds me of “How the Other Half Eats” by Priya Fielding-Singh. It’s about 4 mothers from varying backgrounds and socioeconomic circumstances, all struggling in different ways to feed their children. Thank you for writing about this!