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January 28, 2010

Lee Ward — 01/31/10: Difference by age in eating habits observed

Anonymous The Daily Independent Thu Jan 28, 2010, 01:13 PM EST

Every day, the vast differences between my age people and young people grow more apparent.

Lately, I’ve noticed those differences in the area of food.

The town I grew up in had no fast-food restaurants until I was a sophomore in high school; even then, it was not a burger joint. The food was almost the kind you’d find at home.

One of my favorite memories of high school was, after class, to walk downtown and spend an hour or more browsing in the record store with friends and then walk across the bridge into Pike County where we got fish and fries at the only fast-food restaurant within miles.

I didn’t eat a fast-food burger until I was old enough to drive. I don’t think I had a taco until I was 17.

As a teen and young adult, fast food was different and exciting. I thought that was because there was no such thing in the town I grew up in. However, my late husband, a sophicated city boy from Huntington, had fond memories of sandwiches and fries from the local BBF. Sometimes, he asked me to plan not to cook dinner and to bring home burgers and fries instead.

I never experienced the BBF, except through television commercials. I remember watching Mr. Cartoon and seeing their commericals and thinking, “Wow, I wish I could go to a BBF. It must be the most fun place in the world.”

We did have pizza when I was growing up, but the women in charge of feeding the family usually served it with salad and green beans on the side and we used a knife and fork. The setting made it too much like real food.

Today, young people routinely eat pizza and fast food as the staples of their diets and consider a homecooked dinner a treat. I’ve had guests at my house who were thrilled to discover I was more than happy to share my leftover meatloaf, scallopped potatoes and peas.

This is a fortunate development for me. When I cook a meal, and it’s just for me, there are leftovers that will last a week. I certainly don’t want to eat leftover meatloaf for a week, so if I have a few people raid my fridge now and then, delighted with a meal I rolled my eyes at when I was their age, then good for them and good for me.

However, don’t try to plan to cook a meal for a young person. Don’t invite them over for dinner at 7. They are too spontaneous for such restrictions as times and dates. At my house, they are more likely to show up, hungry, and ask if you have anything to eat. They know I always do.

LEE WARD can be reached at lward@dailyindependent.com or (606) 326-2661.

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