Do the words “what’s for dinner” fill you with dread? We’re here to help. I mean, we don't have any idea either. We used to know... It was takeout. Or elaborate six course dinners served to friends at 10:30 pm. Or a bowl of cereal. Or crackers and cheese and half an apple from the back of the fridge. But then children happened to us and somehow the question of what to serve for the evening meal (frankly for any of the meals) became fraught. Was it nutritious enough? Ethically sourced? Eaten together around the table while modeling healthy family communication? When someone at the table expressed their trepidation (“This is gross. I hate it!”), did we respond with words that both validated their nascent independence and sense of self, their big feelings about the pressures of mealtime, but also communicated that they were being ungrateful little shits for rejecting the carefully prepared $20 salmon that was in no way touching the rice on their plate?
What we're trying to say is, you're not alone — and neither are we, and somehow that makes us feel better. We're here to acknowledge all the hand-wringing and hang-ups, to celebrate the way food nurtures and conveys love. We’re here to commiserate, to let you off the hook, and help us all back to a bit of food-related joy.
— Elizabeth Angell, Editor-in-Chief
The Way To Solve Family Dinner Is To Embrace Kid Food
Instead of training our kids to eat more like adults, let’s train ourselves to eat more like kids.
The Food Our Parents Fed Us
Cans of Cream of Something and frozen vegetables and rice plus more rice made for dinners that tasted like love. (And sanity.)
Cooking From Memory
Preparing food for my daughter has become an act of passing on our dreams and desires.
