Ok, these are the ones we bought. I wasn’t 100% confident about them until they got here and they are AMAZING. I put force into it and tried to cut myself and I couldn’t. However they cut right through a carrot, tomato, potato, etc. It is seriously magic. Whenever B is getting annoying in the kitchen I give her a chunk of whatever I’m cutting up and let her go to town cutting it up. Lately she is in charge of cutting up all grapes and grape tomatoes for snack times. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07HSWJHXT/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&th=1
6 Likes
Same idea, we have this set
Tovla Jr. Knives for Kids 3-Piece Nylon Kitchen Baking Knife Set: Children’s Cooking Knives in 3 Sizes & Colors/Firm Grip, Serrated Edges, BPA-Free Kids’ Knives (colors vary for each size knife) https://a.co/d/gey9LmM
We also have a wavy chop we like
3 Likes
@AllHat, I love you, your philosophy, your posts and your food, and you raise many valid points, but I think we should be careful about being reductive in people’s motivations.
BJ and E have already highlighted how young kids can interfere with the zen of cooking (or zen in anything!), and I know you know all about physical limitations!
I personally have found time and mental energy to be a big blocker to cooking more interesting meals in the past 2 years, which has led to a decrease in cooking generally since its not a creative outlet anymore. Despite my job being mostly a healthy 40hrs/week with overtime being the exception, not the rule, I am not a morning person and with occasional commute and lunch break (for sanity) I end up working late enough that I’m choosing between cooking and exercise before dinner. In the past (when money was a bigger concern) I would prioritize cooking, but these days I’m making an effort to prioritize myself, and if we end up with prepared/convenience foods or fast casual that’s fine right now; we’re outsourcing food prep to focus on other priorities (even if one of them is rest).
I know someone will say something like “batch cook on the weekend/one night a week” and I’m aware, I have said it, too! And sometimes I do this! Other weekends we also have other priorities (socializing, traveling, Mountain of Laundry, being a groggy mess, etc) so it doesn’t happen. I’m also not a huge fan of many good batch foods (soups, stews) though I will assemble grain bowls, pasta or potato salads, and bulk grains or proteins for like 3 days ahead.
All of that a long winded way to say, yes, 100% everyone should have skills to feed themselves like cook an egg, make rice or pasta, prep a protein of choice 1-2 ways (grill, poach, braise, pan fry, stew, whatever), chop a salad. But I would not assume that skill or enjoyment/mindfulness is the main thing stopping most people or everyone… It’s just at some point cooking is one more thing on a long to do list, it has a lot of mental overhead (ingredients, scheduling, expiration, leftovers, etc), and it’s so easy to fully or partially outsource. It’s kind of a no brainer easy win to get rid of when you’re trying to make some breathing room.
9 Likes
Addendum one thing that was annoying about MMM was the endless and overwhelming emphasis on DIY everything and it’s like… we’re all different. Some people enjoy DIYing car maintenance, renovating their own bathroom, painting their house, sewing quilts, making/tailoring clothing, organizing, etc.
I see a need for basic skills and sufficiency in these areas, like sew a button or small rip, clean your apartmemt to avoid biohazards or damages, check fluids, change a tire, know when to take a vehicle to a mechanic. But beyond that if you don’t have an interest or gain satisfaction from a task… A pro can probably do it twice as fast and twice as well as you can.
I don’t see cooking as inherently different except you’re doing it 15-20 times a week so any choices do add up pretty fast!
8 Likes
I apologize to everyone here if I seemed prescriptive at all! I was truly just trying to share my own joy and excitement on the topic and how I see it. I wasn’t at all trying to imply that all people should do things exactly as I do or that people don’t have different obstacles. I was more so attempting to further open the door for people who would like to do it but feel like it’s too elite/hard/expensive/complex/demanding. I often hear “I wish I could do that” or “it’s too intimidating to start” or things like that, so I was speaking moreso to that type of person who would electively choose to watch or attend my hypothetical cooking class, which again is purely hypothetical. I think it’s something some people might like and that some people might be inspired by.
I also didn’t assume that mindfulness was the only thing keeping people from doing it. I think fear is much bigger, time commitment, and perceived complexity, again, for the set of people who want to do it. People who don’t cook and never want to cook tend not to lament their lack of cooking skills! With mindfulness, again, I was simply saying that if you are not able to enjoy cooking and would like to enjoy it that one way, just one not the only way, is to focus on mindfulness and your own joy rather than the fanciest meals, etc.
I’m really sorry if this came across judgmental! I was honestly just really happy and sharing it in an unadulterated way. I think so many people want to cook and see it as aspirational and something not for people like them. And I’ve also seen people like that suddenly try things and find all this joy! I was attempting to highlight the joyful part specifically rather than all the potential negatives, social pressures, obstacles, etc.
10 Likes
I don’t think you were being mean or judgemental and I hope I wasn’t a wet blanket on your joy!
I meant what I said, that we should just be careful what assumptions are being made (I guess effectively, who our subject or audience is). It’s also a colloquial language limitation, that we(everyone) will use “people” interchangeably to mean basically everyone or a subset without really defining the subset (as I acknowledge you did in your response! ).
I think my experience has been different than yours in that I haven’t met many people without basic cooking skills (or they weren’t memorable 
). But I have had friends express that they don’t care to cook any more than their body/health and budget strictly requires.
5 Likes
Popping in to agree with this, this has been my experience too. I am a decent turning random pantry ingredients into food person and I don’t enjoy it one bit, haha. I do like folding laundry though!
@AllHat do you think you enjoy food more than other people? I feel like part of your perspective is that you enjoy food so much.
4 Likes
No worries! I’ll be more careful about assumptions in the future @galliver I should have included a more specific caveat on exactly who I was talking about, why, what their motivations might be, etc. and that I understood that some people have no interest, time, ability, around food.
@Bernadette I think it’s part of it but not all of it! I’ve used a similar method for learning to enjoy things I really used to hate, like cleaning, organizing things, technology, core workouts, waking up early, etc. It’s a pretty primary part of my practice in general, but I do think I love food with a lot of passion. When I lost a lot of other hobbies I was still able to explore the world through food and cooking and I just fell totally in love. I love reading about food history more than any other subject and was literally in a group of food historians, so yeah I like everything about food. That’s why I think I’d be good at spreading the enthusiasm! Again, just to those who would be seeking out a class, not to unwilling subjects!
I’ll leave the subject as it is for now. Sorry again all. I seem to keep doing this inadvertently when I think I’m being uplifting! It’s frustrating! My basic thesis was: people will do and make time for things that give them joy. Lots of people want to cook more but also have huge stress around cooking. So if you make cooking joyful maybe they will achieve their goals with more ease! Rather than overcomplicating it, gatekeeping what real cooking is, insisting on gourmet meals, etc.
11 Likes
I think mundane things bringing one joy is a good topic - I recently realized that I - well let’s be real, my housekeeping skills aren’t the best but I’m better at cleaning my whole dang house than I ever was at cleaning just my room. And that’s not because I’m an adult now and I have to, it’s because all the stuff is this house is mine (or Mr. Meer’s and therefore reminds me of my favorite person). Seeing those things makes me happy. This shelf has books on it, that shelf has tchochkies that reminds me of that trip we took, that table has a framed photo on it of the con we went to years ago. At my parents house when I was a kid, it was just things.
That said my house could still use a good dusting and general cleaning right now.
But the concept was a cool “a ha!” moment.
6 Likes
That’s how I learned to enjoy cleaning too! It’s a wonderful gratitude practice and it can be really calming and satisfying. And I used to really hate it, lol, like I dreaded doing it to the point that I just wouldn’t. Organizing things also used to really stress me out which was partly outlook but also partly bad strategy which I learned and got better at (mostly through online resources but also via Mr. AllHat who is a gifted cleaner). I really like organizing now! Also a good way to not want to buy more stuff, haha, cleaning what you have already.
ETA: And just to clarify it’s also ok if you have a housekeeper! I’m not saying you have to enjoy cleaning or clean things yourself or that most people do or don’t feel any particular way or that outsourcing doesn’t make sense for some people. I personally didn’t want to hate something I do so much of, so I chose to find a new way of approaching it. Different strokes! And now I really am out for the count, lol.
7 Likes
@AllHat I feel like I ended up shutting you down and I really, really didn’t mean to and don’t think you need to apologize or qualify every statement! I had a response to the food waste/people not cooking topic that seemed somewhat at odds with your take so I responded, for conversation, that’s all. I wasn’t offended and I hope no one else was…
I love your philosophy of finding the good and learning to enjoy the day to day in your life with gratitude and presence. I think there are places that every person can apply that. I’ve definitely moved my needle on enjoying some things by doing them more or learning how.
6 Likes
I love how much you love food and how you described the joy you take at cooking. I am actually pretty good at risotto but my experience making it is much more hectic than your delightful description and I’m sorry that I also shut you down when I was trying to explain the differences in our experiences (and in hindsight, sort through why my cooking experience was fun and sometimes very satisfying but not delightful and calming like yours).
4 Likes
I really enjoyed the whole food & cooking discussion. I really liked your food service idea @allhat ! I also do much better with doing-things mindfulness rather than quiet sitting meditation mindfulness. I agree some people dont know that its even an option to cook food they like for themselves!
4 Likes
When I was raising the kids cooking was a daily chore and we rarely ate out. Now I only cook if I want to. I enjoy cooking for friends and family now. Also if I cook for myself I eat it 3 days in a row and freeze the rest. If I don’t feel like cooking I keep easy things in the freezer or eat a sandwich.
I have always been good about not wasting food but if there’s any doubt about something being safe I throw it out. BJ, if I was your mom no way would I have allowed my kids to eat spoiled food. Sorry you experienced that. Ugh!
I have Maltese that need yearly dentals because little dogs tend to have bad teeth. The vets have now officially lost their minds. I took max for his blood work because his dental is Tuesday.
They give you a low and high estimate because after looking at their teeth they try to guess how many teeth might need to be removed. Last year the low was 500 and the high was 1k and I ended up paying 800 because they pulled a few teeth. The low estimate was 1k and the high is 1900 and that’s if they pull 3 teeth. There’s no way I can afford to do this yearly for 2 dogs.
6 Likes
Oh gosh no worries everyone! I’m glad I wasn’t upsetting people <3 I left to do something non computer-y that you’ll never guess…
14 Likes
I am incredibly surprised! Did not expect! Astonished!
Ok now I am trying to not wake the baby from laughter
7 Likes
Given the economy and our recent insanely high expenses (car, dental, pt, etc.) coupled with being single income I feel like it’s time to do a full reckoning and reset with our money. We’ve had to dip into savings a lot to pay for all this stuff which I know is why we have savings but we only have about $10k in our savings account now and that makes me nervous. We also upped my husband’s 401(k) contribution and HSA contribution so the paychecks are smaller.
I don’t track exactly what we spend every month. Usually I just see if we’re hitting savings goals and then call it a day but lately we are not so I went through our credit card statements and the amount of wasteful spending I see is totally out of control. I mean our medical and dental and stuff have also been absurdly high, like $2k a month (no advice/questions on this item plz), BUT I have to focus on what I can control.
Food spending. Y’all. What happened to me? I used to spend $200 a month. We spent over $900 last month and if you include delivery that comes to a little over $1k. That is fucking insane. I’ve also been testing eating lots of things and now I’m also very confused about food sensitivity stuff because lots of stuff I thought was bad is suddenly fine so who fucking knows what’s going on there. Anyway I’m just going to eat everything and see how it is, the only thing I haven’t had are beans because I’m a little afraid to try but I guess I should eventually. SO.
I want to do a few things:
I want to cancel amazon prime because I think it’s making us spend way more than we would otherwise. In it’s place I want to have a centralized list that both dh and I can add to for random “stuff” we need and then once a month we’ll go to Walmart or the Dollar Store to get it. This should eliminate a lot of spending.
Groceries I want to immediately cut down to $450 a month with the goal of doing some weeks that are much lower (like $50) which I kind of wanted to do anyway. I also canceled Butcher Box because I can get cheaper meat.
I want to eliminate the use of Instacart and delivery food because it’s just not wise right now. Instead I’ll do in person shopping (or dh will) and I’m going to keep a small stock of “fast food” at home (i.e. breaded chicken tenders, etc.) to hit the spot of wanting fast junk food.
Another high shopping category is “home” stuff and I’m not exactly sure what to do about it. This includes things like decor (unnecessary) but also cleaning items (necessary). I’m thinking just lowering it and seeing if we can hit the new number will work. Last month I spent nearly $500 in this category (
) which is…wild. I think $200 feels more reasonable and not tooooo restrictive so that’s a start.
Dates I’m keeping where they are at $150, and I’m keeping my gym and train pass, netflix. I thought I’d have to cut my skincare because it’s super fancy but it’s actually only $36 a month so I’m keeping it.
I haven’t totally figured out every other category but these seemed to be the main offenders so that’s where I’m starting! Anyone else doing a BUDGET RECKONING?
16 Likes
Not a reckoning but household stuff can definitely be a black hole for us. (I think I’ve talked about this recently but I don’t remember which thread it was in so apologies if this is redundant.) I try to itemize it out at the end of the month so at the end of the year I can look back and see the things, the decisions, instead of just one pot of however many dollars that seemed to disappear into the ether. Online ordering is helpful because I can look back easily, shopping in person requires that I remember to put the receipts at my desk for input later which can be hit and miss.
I’ve never paid for Amazon Prime, usually I have a running list of stuff or a cart with a few items in it but waiting for more things to meet the minimum for free shipping. It helps me put things off and reconsider if we really need X thing or if we can get it cheaper (I like your idea of having a list and then going to the Dollar Store). Alternately, it gives me time to consider if for this particular item I want to do a “buy it for life” tactic instead of getting something cheap.
3 Likes
food stuff
I can probably at least give you some light on the food sensitivity stuff based on what happened to Husband and I. Between gut inflammation, and bacterial colony is shifting, I’ve definitely found that. When you eliminate things you’re sensitive to for a while, you can often add them back in at a lower level and be fine with them. Up until you reach a critical mass, and then it’s not fine anymore (for us anyway). I don’t know if that helps? Like, I can tolerate some corn. As long as I’m not also doing too much soy and too much simple sugars. Etc.
And yes, I’m definitely in for the budget reckoning. I’ll type more later.
7 Likes
Oh wow, that’s very helpful thank you!
4 Likes