Cooking vs. Eating Out
June 18, 2019
I have recently put a lot more thought into my eating habits – specifically the choice of eating out versus cooking at home. It’s common knowledge that a home-cooked meal is cheaper than eating at a restaurant. I also have more control over my meal. I can use ingredients that keep my meal healthy, I can choose the exact portions I want, and as someone with a peanut/tree nut allergy, I can rest assured knowing the meals I cook are nut free! In my opinion, cooking your own meals is the overall better choice when it comes to deciding to cook or eat out.
Our generation is being looked at by leaders in the restaurant world. David Stillman, an accredited generation expert, says that our generation is becoming the “authority figure”, and we will mold the future of the restaurant industry. A large reason for the attention our generation receives is that we LOVE to cook. According to The Hartman Group, 53% of us enjoy cooking and 71% would love to learn how to cook. Learning to cook is the easiest it has been with so many resources online now. You can find recipes, cooking classes, and cooking shows. YouTube is filled with people cooking and sharing their methods to their viewers. Social media plays a large role in our diverse palates as well. “Food Navigator”, a leader in news and the analysis of North American food development, reports that 62% of young adults ages 18-22 are cooking international cuisines from social media.
It’s not surprising we’re so eager to get into the kitchen. We’re one of the healthiest generations and have grown up with a huge emphasis on eating healthy. Yale states that Millennials have been labeled the most “health conscious generation ever, partly due to their unprecedented access to the incredible compendium of health information now readily available online via the internet.” Also, The NPD Group, a leading global information company, reports that younger consumers have increased the annual eating per capita of fresh vegetables by 52% and frozen vegetables by 59% over the last decade.
Don’t get me wrong, I still enjoy going out to eat. Restaurants turn a meal into a fun and social event. Eating out also requires less effort than cooking your own meal. You can enjoy people’s company without worrying about having to cook for yourself or stress over making a meal for others. Restaurants can also help expand someone’s palate so that they can learn about new foods, flavors, and creative combinations. But let’s face the truth, we’re college students, and the cheaper route is obviously preferred. I love being able to both save money and eat healthy by cooking for myself.
Food is a huge part of our culture and understanding this aspect of culture is important to how we interact with one another. Whether homemade or at a restaurant, a meal is grounds for building and strengthening relationships. Trying new food and experimenting at home in the kitchen will turn your usual meal into something to anticipate, and even though you may fail when experimenting, that’s okay! It’s part of learning how to cook, and everyone has done something wrong when cooking. I encourage you to step out of your comfort zone the next time you and some friends are wanting to share a meal. If you always go out to eat with them, try making them a meal yourself or have everyone come and help make it! Or if you do go out to eat, try a dish different from your usual order.
Sources
https://www.foodabletv.com/blog/how-gen-z-cooks-and-eats
https://genguru.com/who-we-are
https://store.hartman-group.com/content/Gen-Z-2018-Report-Overview.pdf
https://campuspress.yale.edu/perspective/are-millennials-healthier-than-the-baby-boomers/
Written by: Andrew Reynolds
Andrew is a Junior Project Management Major, and enjoys writing for the blog because of the opportunity it gives him to grow as a writer and to challenge himself to see current topics and discussions from a view point he may not have otherwise thought about.