This Quarantine time people are doing the cooking as a necessity, instead of fun. People in this lockdown mode invented and shared recipes with the ingredients through social media platforms.
Since most of them are forcefully working or studying from home. They have no access to outside food. Thus, they suddenly have little choice but to learn, nay master, this surviving skill. Luckily, they get help from not just parents and grandparents through phone and video chat, but from social media, chefs, celebrities, as quarantine cooking trends from worldwide. Also, husbands and kids join mothers as they want to explore, and they have no other work on their table.
Opportunity to bond
Many people view this time as a rare opportunity to stay close to their families. This has made the husband and wife relationship strong, and they find time to discuss the future of the family, kids, life, etc.
This time also made parents learn about their kids, love them, and made them calm towards the kids’ attitude. Corona had made mothers stop yelling at kids and become friendly to them, giving suggestions and guidance.
Many families are cherishing this moment, and they are grateful for this extended period to spend with their families despite making them drag and sluggish.
Taking part in flexible cooking
Being home together during quarantine forced the families to be more flexible in their cooking rhythms. Whether it is baking cake or preparing meals together, it is fun to do at home.
This occasion also has made mothers to think about healthy recipes for kids in a more fun way. Sure, making memories together in the kitchen will be cherishable for a lifetime.
There is also the fact that cooking with kids will take a longer time than expected. So, it is manageable by starting to cook ridiculously early than usual. By this, the food will be at the usual time at the table. Now, it’s an activity rather than just a task to cross off the list.
Education taught in the kitchen
The added advantage while cooking with kids, is we can listen to songs together, while the older kids can put their maths skills to use when they measure the ingredients. Another useful task in this is moms can easily solve the dilemma of thinking on what to cook that day by asking kids about the menu.
As leisure options change, so have the systems around work. When both parents are working, kids don’t get time to sit with their parents, as either they are busy with work or exhausted from work. Now they are happy to see their parents at home 24/7 and really couldn’t believe that they are home, that from time to time they check if it is real.
It is a known fact that kids eat well when they have had a hand in bringing their food to the table. So, letting the kids choose their recipes they had liked to make, or the ingredients they had liked to cook with, is an empowering and positive way to engage them.
Kids being part in behaviour learning
If the kids are preschoolers, then they can help pick breakfast ideas for the entire week, or choose something they like to prepare for snack time. Simple recipes are the key to success here.
If the kids are older than they can be in charge of one meal each week. Make them pick a night for their dinner. They have to set the menu, pick the recipes, and cook the meal. Also, they have to check whether the ingredients are sufficient for their menu, and cleaning work that day. If it gives them more freedom in this process, the experience can be more rewarding for them.
Math and Science lessons are nestled inside every recipe, and this brings joy if they seek them out together. For preschoolers, measuring ingredients can turn into a game of simple arithmetic. Middle schoolers can scale up or scale down a recipe, using a bit of simple division or multiplication.
As for Chemistry, the low sugar recipes in Half the Sugar, Baking, can inspire conversations on a favorite topic: food science. They can also learn, why does the texture of banana bread change when they take out the sugar? This can be fun when researching together with kids. Thus, bringing great conversations together to life.
Altogether this situation is a blessing in disguise, as it has brought a chance to turn a challenging time into positive memories for the families.
