Recetas: The Big Picture

Readers of this blog know that we enjoy cooking and that we cook often. Our kitchens are full of cooking tools and staples; when we shop for food, it is ingredients that we buy. Because most people do not have a blog on "making food" (as it is called), we already knew that we were outliers.

But today's rebroadcast of the Future of Food Shopping story on The Innovation Hub suggests that we -- and people who use this blog -- are becoming quite scarce. Industry analyst Eddie Yoon found than only 15 percent of adults in the United States both enjoy cooking and do so regularly.

He replicated that research more recently -- in a time with more cooking shows on television than ever before are reaching record audiences -- and found that the number had dropped. Only 10 percent of us enjoy cooking and do it regularly. His discussion with Boston-based journalist Kara Miller examines both the decline in interest in cooking and the fact that those who do enjoy cooking are doing so less. They move on to discuss how the food industry might respond to these trends, and none of what they suggest is very encouraging!

As we discuss often with our friends in the Equal Exchange Action Forum, industrial food systems already prioritize convenience at the expense of environmental health, economic fairness, and community development. We hope that some of the hundreds of cooking stories in this blog can help readers find their way to a greater interest in -- perhaps even a passion for -- the preparation of their own food. And whether you cook more or not, please consider joining the Forum.

Lagniappe

The discussion with Eddie Yoon is one of three segments in an hour-long episode entitled Watch What You Eat. One is about the growing importance of cooking on television; the other is about the role of the car in making restaurants the leading source of food for people in the United States.