Take a cold, hard look at your kitchen. If it’s actually cold and hard, it could be messing up your kids’ relationship with food and cooking, according to new research.
But if it has a well-used kitchen table in it, you’re on the right track, says Jordan LeBel, a professor at Cornell University’s school of hotel administration in Ithaca, N.Y.
Dr. LeBel and colleague Rhona Richman Kenneally, a professor of design and computation arts at Concordia University in Montreal, asked 53 undergraduate students at Cornell to draw pictures of their childhood kitchens and describe mealtime in their homes. Subjects also completed two surveys about their involvement in cooking and their attitudes toward food.
Dr. LeBel and Dr. Richman Kenneally presented their findings at Domestic Foodscapes, an academic foodie conference they organized in Montreal last month.
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Study participants were asked to sketch their childhood ktichens in details. Researchers found that those who ate regularly with their families at a kitchen table had a more positive relationship with food.
Students with the most vivid drawings, rich with details such as where Grandma used to sit, or the location of the rice cooker, typically scored higher on food involvement and positive eating behaviour scales, he said. Students who drew less detailed images were more likely to see food as convenience or food as fuel.
The research is still in its early stages, but Dr. LeBel suggests we can reverse-engineer our environments to dial back mindless eating. Are there things we can do on the home front, design-wise, layout-wise, decor-wise, that can promote greater awareness of the greater pleasures food can bring?
He offers a few preliminary pointers.
Have a kitchen table
The strongest single finding of the study was that students who drew a kitchen table tended to report a higher involvement with and interest in food. The table acts as a focal and rallying point, Dr. LeBel said. Sit down for a meal at least once a day as a family.
Banish sharp corners and hard surfaces
Think of the approachability and conviviality of surfaces and textures, he said. A lived-in kitchen with soul and a table that invites exchange and socialization will probably give you more pleasure and happiness than a cold stainless-steel one. If you do have those finishes, mix them with warmer textures and colours.
Rethink the island
They’re fine for cooking, but don’t make them the location of all your meals, Dr. LeBel said. In addition to creating a barrier between you and your kids, it also promotes a stand-up, hurried mode of consumption - not to mention a captive market for the single-portion packaged foods taking over grocery store shelves. It’s not a meal any more, it’s grazing, he said. The home is almost a tapas bar.
Be more formal about dinner - set the table
Make dinner an event, if not every night of the week, then at least a few times, Dr. LeBel said. A number of the most detailed drawings included students’ regular seats at their childhood kitchen tables. Show kids they have their place at the table.
Turn the TV off
Or better yet, don’t have one in the kitchen at all. Such distractions take away from the mindfulness that can transform any meal into an occasion to learn and grow.
Involve kids in food prep - not just cleanup
Look at what stands in their way and consider how these barriers may be removed. It can be as easy as making space for a stool or chair.
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