Putting onus on vegetables

I would say that it does come back to money. My brother and sister in law both work. They don't go on fancy holidays or have snazzy cars....they are out long hours. My niece can cook a brilliant cake / but won't eat a vegetable. Tea - It's often something on toast ( quick meals) bread - they make their own dough but all she wants on it is cheese.
It's nit just the cooking time -
It's having the food in the house or the need to go to the shops more frequently if using fresh food?

There are many things that children don't get taught now, and not just at school, as adults we are responsible for failing to ensure that children know where their food comes from, and sadly it is not the present generation of parents who are responsible for that, but my generation, we were seduced into thinking we needed 24 hr entertainment and as we couldn't pause or record the quick ready meal was ideal which then became a habit and now the norm. how many of us sit at a table with the family for an evening meal, I know my son does but not my daughter, before anyone thinks this has nothing to do with gardening, when we as a family sat at the table for a meal occasionally the type of veg would be discussed and possibly where/how it was grown, just a little bit of knowledge passed on in conversation, I think these things make a difference so just to finish, rather than charging higher prices for sugar and salt, cut back the hours of TV that would make a difference to peoples health :rolleyes:

I haven't had a kitchen for months. My whole world has changed no kitchen table!! The dining room table is now the cooking zone so we have been eating on our laps - or the garden table when weather permits. My son is home and he is really lost without the kitchen table - he refuses to eat with food on his lap.

I love that he thinks it's weird not to eat at the table together - and I think those conversations are very important -I agree most people don't do that. We really tried to eat together most nights - though when they were younger clubs and sports did mess it up a lot. Kids are carted around more to activities etc with food on the go....we didn't do that much when we were kids.

There's lots of fast foods out there too - my boys hated that I was "mean" and wouldn't buy takeaways I'm always ill from the too much salt Chinese takeaways. I can always remember my son saying - I'm the only one in my class that hasn't had a Subway - who buys a sandwich to take home???!

I can't wait to get my kitchen back! It's definitely the hub of my home.

Always have had breakfast and main meals at a table even when the lad was home. He's become a great cook, probably better than I, although veg aren't a staple. Although when he and his wife were short of money through unfortunate circumstances he found many ways to economise using root veg and pulses. I was really proud of the way he adapted. I sent him off to uni with several basic recipes, I understand he was in great demand. Funny enough you think you've prepared your kids for life, but I was shamed when after a few weeks at uni he rang to ask 'Mum, what is a sort code?' I felt a right failure!

OK JJB, what is a sort code

Because my children and their families live some miles away from each other and I live alone now, we tend to communicate through Whatsapp.
We discus and swap photographs of recently cooked meals. I am glad to see that my two Sons and Daughter are good cooks and their  families are fed on nutritious and varied meals.
In the past I must confess to surviving on ready meals, but now I have seen the error of my ways I always enjoy cooking and eating my one meal a day which is usually heavy on the vegetables 
Even the dog has a home cooked meal each day.

When I was working I had half an hour to prepare,cook and eat my mid day meal. Invariably this was a microwaved ready meal or sarnies 

Retirement does have it's virtues and Sunday lunch can sometimes take  four hours to prepare and cook, with the majority of my meals taking one hour to prepare!

For this reason I refuse to be to hard on people with busy lifestyles.

OK JJB, what is a sort code

People who keep their money under the mattress don't need to know.

As a joke engagement prezzie I was given very basic cook book, real basic like how to boil/scramble eggs, cook/bake/fry potatoes, trim and cook sprouts, the books been passed around all the kids in our family when they left home.

OK JJB, what is a sort code

If you're serious Spec, look on that book thingy the bank sent you called a cheque book.  You've probably never bothered to open it

OK what's a cheque book