Great Depression Cooking

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Originally Posted by KickHimWhenHe'sDown

I didn't learn how to preheat an oven until I was probably 11-12. I'm one of the sad people who needs instruction on cooking. Well, I don't necessarily need it, but I feel much more confident with instruction, especially from old people. :D
I'm not supporting anything Melyssa says (nor am I attacking anything she says), I just thought I'd chip in my two cents, or two bits (I'm holding onto my pennies).

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I really don't understand, haha - how can anyone NOT know how to cook? That's like not knowing how to tie your shoes or ride a bike :P

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Originally Posted by "Melyssa K" Kennedy

What surprises me is that you think that everyone who watches that video knows nothing about budget meals and is learning for the first time, heh heh. Half of the video is learning about what that brave woman went through and hearing the stories she tells. Shame you are too above that to appreciate it. That's so disrespectful of you. Then again, that's really no surprise...

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Except I didn't say that, but you really like to put words in my mouth - this is nothing new ;) I didn't bash on the woman or the video; I was talking about particular people who watch the video to learn about very basic cooking, as that's the idea bighead posted it under.

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Originally Posted by Harleyquiiinn

Obviously, I know how to boil lentils and rice. I never thought about doing it at the same time :D

As someone said, it's not about the cooking lessons, it's about the ideas.

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But what ideas? The woman was sweet, and it's crazy that they had to live on ONLY foods like that during the depression, but I don't know what ideas there are to get from there :P

Everyone has to learn somewhere...

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Originally Posted by WebDudette

Everyone has to learn somewhere...

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Yes, but as I said, reaching adult age without understanding how to cook is like reaching adult age without knowing how to tie your shoes or ride a bike. It's so incredibly basic and simple, it's just dumbfounding.

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Originally Posted by Llamas

Yes, but as I said, reaching adult age without understanding how to cook is like reaching adult age without knowing how to tie your shoes or ride a bike. It's so incredibly basic and simple, it's just dumbfounding.

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For some of the videos, I can at least see where you're coming from. Like the "Baked Bread" one. But then again, I never thought to do that or knew anyone who does that dish.

Why do you think the series has been successful?

CLARA EXPOSED: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lGX8m8lAzOs
At 1:30 in this video, she claims that here family grew everything and "ate pretty good" during the depression. But in her other video "Pasta with Peas", she recalls the monotony of having to eat pasta and a vegetable almost every night.

I'm a relatively competent cook and never thought to fry meat in lemon juice, I don't even know what the fuck lentils are, and can't cook rice properly to save my life.

Then again, I was just thinking about how ridiculous it is that adults can't make boxed macaroni or do laundry the other day.

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Originally Posted by WebDudette

never thought to fry meat in lemon juice, I don't even know what the fuck lentils are, and can't cook rice properly to save my life.

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o_O so what *do* you cook??

Tonight I made angel hair pasta with a sauce made of onions, red peppers, and tomatoes sauteed in white wine, butter, a little lemon juice, and some assorted spices. As an after thought, I put some cut up pepperoni and some shredded roast beef into the sauce.

Llamas has been defeated, and so changes the subject.

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Originally Posted by WebDudette

Tonight I made angel hair pasta with a sauce made of onions, red peppers, and tomatoes sauteed in white wine, butter, a little lemon juice, and some assorted spices. As an after thought, I put some cut up pepperoni and some shredded roast beef into the sauce.

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Interesting. I guess it's fair enough, but:

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Originally Posted by bighead384

Llamas has been defeated, and so changes the subject.

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Not at all; I'm still flabbergasted that someone wouldn't know to cook a lot of lentils and rice when needing to save money, the salad she described is the most basic, fundamental salad one can make (and still quite tasty), and I did figure it was very common to fry meats in lemon juice as a cheap method of cooking while still adding flavor. I am also still shocked at someone not knowing what lentils are, or how to boil rice.

I had a discussion with a friend last weekend when we were making homemade burritos about what constitutes "difficult" things to cook. I came to the conclusion that I can cook easy to high-medium things (I basically just expect everyone to be able to cook easy things - I don't think those are high expectations), but difficult things I'm no good at (lack of practice), such as steak. I also can't bake sweet things, because I don't eat sweet food and thus only ever bake that stuff for parties/gatherings. I've messed up a couple cakes and totally bombed with some pastries. But when it comes to the basics, I still don't get it. Maybe it's a lack of home economics education in the US? Not that I learned how to cook from someone else, but I feel like it would help a lot.

I have a friend who can literally only make sweet pastries, she's almost incapable of making anything else, but cupcakes are her jam, not so much my thing. I've never actually prepared any beans, I've never even looked at lentils before. I can make rice, it just never comes out the way I'd like, and I find steak pretty easy. It's basically just salt, pepper, and heat. I make killer chili and pulled pork, but the few times I've made chicken, it wasn't too great.

I haven't actually watched the video, and don't really care too, but I'm not at all surprised people would learn something new from them. Cooking chicken liver is crazy easy, but I expect a lot of people with moderate cooking knowledge would be reasonably lost. I never thought to use oil to stop water from boiling over until it was mentioned on That 70's Show. I told my boss, a professional chef, about how I sometimes add sour cream to macaroni and cheese and it's awesome.

I agree that at least some sort of basic cooking skills are important, and that some people are so helpless that it's baffling, but what you find essentials, obvious, or simple may have never even occured to someone else for countless reasons.

I forget to grease brownie pans to this day and my first attempt at a beer based crockpot stew failed so miserably, I haven't tried it again. I make some crazy awesome quesadillas, grilled cheese sandwhiches, and can make miracles with a ramen packet though. I don't even know what I'm going on about anymore, I just love food and it's way passed my bedtime.