Families and Food are important. I am writing this blog post while cruising along the highway towards Kyoto, Japan – this is a place where I am really looking forward to visiting, because of the history behind this city. I will share the cultural experiences in Japan in a later post. For this blog post, I would like to talk about food – my favourite topic. However, it is not just about food, but taking the time to prepare the food and sharing it with your family.
Wewere in Malaysia before we flew to Japan, and we spent a few hours with one of my relatives with young children before we left for the airport. It was a great opportunity to get to know them better.
I followed the mum to collect her daughter from school. In the short time together, we shared several parenting topics and her family’s daily activities etc. We discussed about where and how often they purchased their daily grocery, as I am always interested about the local markets. We talked about how often they shop, the price comparison between shopping markets and the local markets how often, how does she find the freshness about the food etc.
Somehow through the conversation I gathered that the family eats out more often than cookin at home. I believe that most families in Malaysia eat out very often as restaurant food is easily available. It is not overly expensive to eat out, and for those families with both parents working, would find it more convenient to eat out.
I have to admit, I am not totally taken with the idea of eating out more often than cookin at home; howeverr, I am not against eating out. I personally enjoy exploring the local eateries with my family once or twice a week.
I have always encouraged parents to use the opportunity to cook with their children, and to use that time to connect and have fun with them. Consider cooking and having a meal together as part of your daily routine to connect with your family. Home cooked meals mean saving on the family budget and enhance the nourishment of your family.
Here are three examples of the benefits of cooking at home with your family.
Family connections
Families are busy; we often struggle to find enough time for our families, especially when children are older and have their school activities and their social activities etc.
However, your family have to eat right? Wouldn’t it be a wonderful opportunity for you to involve them with the food preparation, deciding on what to eat, researching recipes together while sharing your experiences about your day. Encourage your children to do so. When you are relaxed and sharing something in common, the conversations will flow.
Family Budget
Have you ever compared your home food bills to restaurant or food court bills? The ready cooked meal will generallycost higher, as you are paying for labour costs, the rentals, as well as the raw ingredients.
On the other hand, depending on the quality of the food you purchase, on average, your weekly grocery food bill will be much lower when compared to eating out.
When shopping, it is a fun and creative to get your children involved so they can spot sale items and use those items to create a dish.
On top of that, get somethings that are in season and so prices are low, as that help with your family budget as well.
Nutrition
When we cook our own meals, we put more care and love in the preparation. We make a conscious decision to add more fresh and balanced ingredients to the dishes. We also tend to use better quality oils, seasoning and fresher produce as well. Thus your cooking means better nutrition for your family.
As they always say, food is prepared through love, thus there is nothing better than sharing something that is prepared through love with your family, right?
Happy cooking!
