Bring Back the Home-Cooked Meal
by Rachel Masters, February 2007
Why is it important to cook at home, or to eat together as a family? I will refrain from boring you with all the research that COULD be used to support the view that eating home-cooked meals together as a family will change the world. If you don't already feel that these things are important, then I doubt that I can convince you otherwise in a few short paragraphs. Nevertheless I will attempt to explain why it has become important to me.
I've been married for almost 14 years now, and so I guess I've been the home-maker in our family for that long as well. In the beginning of our marriage, I wanted us to share all the domestic responsibilities, which meant that I thought Darren should cook and clean up the kitchen just as much as I did. Of course, it didn't happen, and as my "turn" in the kitchen seemed never-ending, I started to get resentful. After all, if we were both eating, then why were all the eating-related chores MINE?
These attitudes carried on for years, not helping our marriage at all either, mind you. But I remember one day when I read Philippians 2 (from the Holy Bible) in a new light. The passage is obviously referring to the deity of Christ and of his death and resurrection, but what struck me most was the verse just before that section -- the one that said that my attitude was to be like His. When I started looking at all that Christ did as a servant to those around him, I was convicted about my lack of a servant heart to those who lived in my home with me.
From then on (and it has been a gradual, up-hill battle), I have ceased looking at the kitchen chores with resentment. Instead, I look at it as one way that I can contribute to the health and well-being of my entire family. By purposefully choosing nutritious foods in advance and taking the time to make them myself, I am helping our family eat "good" food. By taking the initiative to prepare regular meals, I am encouraging our family to eat together at the same table at the same time. I am hoping that despite the bad manners and questionable conversation topics that come with having young children, there is emerging an atmosphere of love and togetherness that will keep our family bonded for years to come.
Since this message of eating together as a family is one of the basic premises behind Supper's on the Table, Come Home, I have also included a few pages inside the cookbook about my philosophy of cooking, and "The Family Table," including tips on getting your kids to (usually) eat what you fix. My hope is that you will be encouraged to continue on as the "servant" in your home as well.
