You guys, men like to cook just as much as ladies do! If you weren't convinced by the rising numbers of burly hipster lumberjacks pouring all of their energy and live savings into artisan pickles and chocolate, here's data from an official ongoing study on Gen Xers and food:
The data collected as part of the Longitudinal Study of American Youth found that Generation X adults spend more time shopping and cooking food, watching cooking shows on TV and talking to their friends about food or cooking.
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Gen X men are more involved in all aspects of meal preparation - from grocery shopping to cooking - than their fathers were. These men spend more time in the kitchen than their dads did, cooking about eight meals a week and buying groceries more than one a week."Men have fun in the kitchen," says [study author Jon] Miller. "I was surprised by how often they shop and cook. If men just happened to wander into the kitchen and make something, that makes more sense, but when you buy into the whole process, then you're into it. Clearly they are into it."
Gen X men also watch a lot of cooking shows and read magazine articles about cooking. Miller thinks that's because they're still learning basic skills, but maybe it's also because there are way more male celebrity chefs than female ones. Who doesn't want to be Anthony Bourdain or Jamie Oliver?
It's hardly breaking news that men today are cooking more than their fathers did. But in case you've never seen Mad Men/interacted with dudes who aren't stuck in the 1950s, here's what's happening:
The shifting roles in the kitchen is also likely a sign of modern household dynamics. In many Gen X couples, both partners have full-time jobs outside the home and share household responsibilities. "In previous generations, there was often a disparity, and the husband's job brought in more money or was more time consuming. That's not the case anymore," says Miller. "Now there is much more parity between genders and in many cases, the woman makes more. That means there is a reallocation of time and duties for these people."
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More intriguing is the data on Generation Xers and healthy eating: only 9% of the surveyed adults said they preferred to buy organic foods when available, and most have limited genetically modified food knowledge."There is this perception that Generation X people are passionate organic buyers and it is not necessarily true," says Miller. "I think they also take into account price, availability and other factors and don't feel the need to always buy organic. Those who are really devoted are a much smaller group than we would've guessed." Also maybe more broke than they would've guessed?
Also interesting/kind of a funny disparity: "Generation Xers cook meals for guests about once a month and talk to friends about food or cooking about six times a month." Wonder how many times we Instagram/Pinterest photos of food per month?
Generation X Report: Men Spend More Time in the Kitchen [Time]
Image via wavebreakmedia ltd/Shutterstock.