There might be hope for Millennials after all!

[Ratman_tf]

Thanks!

You will do in this house as I say and you must not question me because whatever I ask you to do is motivated by love.

I'm happy for my son to question me - I ought to be able to justify my decisions. He still has to do what I tell him, there is no bargaining unless I say so ("£10 to clean the bathroom/kitchen/back yard" - I don't give out free pocket money); but I think it's good for him to appreciate the reasoning behind it.

I think, and this is a personal intuition, so don't ask for some kind of technical sourcing on this, that children, in the end, want to know that their parents are in charge. While it's good to discuss the whys of things with kids, especially as they get older, they still rely on their parents for support. And that includes emotional support, and the reliance on the fact that the parents have got things under control. (Even if it's only perception)

[S'mon]

I think, and this is a personal intuition, so don't ask for some kind of technical sourcing on this, that children, in the end, want to know that their parents are in charge. While it's good to discuss the whys of things with kids, especially as they get older, they still rely on their parents for support. And that includes emotional support, and the reliance on the fact that the parents have got things under control. (Even if it's only perception)

Yup, I definitely agree. I think being able to explain my reasons actually helps with that - with authoritativeness.

[RPGPundit]

Maybe it's a product of the class I was brought up in, but I've never been keen on potlucks, they seem somehow distasteful to me (even though on those occasions I'm actually at one, there's obviously often delicious things brought there). Also, almost certainly a product of the class I was brought up in, the discussion of politics, religion, world events, or culture were always a part of conversation at the dinner table.

[HappyDaze]

Also, almost certainly a product of the class I was brought up in, the discussion of politics, religion, world events, or culture were always a part of conversation at the dinner table.

I've never had a problem with such subjects either, but that's because I don't tend to eat with strangers. On the few times someone has gotten heated and won't let it go, my wife and I, both being nurses, can always "go nuclear" by delving into terribly disgusting topics. It's really quite enjoyable to push them to the point where they get up and leave the table. Again, we only do this if they've shown that they're going to be disrespectful asses.

[CarlD.]

An organization called MealTribes is teaching Millennials how to have pot-luck dinners without iPhones or political discussion.
https://www.washingtoncitypaper.com/food/article/20862171/i-tried-a-potluck-dinner-platform-for-millennials-that-prohibits-political-talk
http://dcrefined.com/eat-drink/this-potluck-meal-club-is-bringing-dinner-table-conversations-back

Yeah...discussing politics is nuked at the dinner table. [just as it should be nuked at the game table]

And before you eyeroll yourself into a brain aneurysm, think back on how the TV dominated dinner time for many families, silencing conversation with sitcoms and commercials, and then the rise of iPhones giving us a personalized escape for everyone at the table.

I can only hope MealTribes helps encourage a trend.

Potlucks are cool. I highly recommend them for gaming groups too.

I wonder what they will serve to avoid evil Baby Boomer food?

[Spinachcat]

my wife and I, both being nurses, can always "go nuclear" by delving into terribly disgusting topics.

Start a thread!!! RN story time!!!

I'm a big fan of nurses and people need to hear more from them about healthcare.

[Spike]

I wonder what they will serve to avoid evil Baby Boomer food?

The living fuck?  They hate toast?  

Jesus, what the hell did Toast do to them? I'd ask if it killed their parents, but apparently they hate their parents, so I'm at a loss.

I feel stupider for having clicked through a good dozen or so pages of that slideshow.  And what a weird mix it is too... half that shit I've never seen, even if I've heard of it. Aspic? Seriously?  That's a 'Food that won't die" ?   Nope, pretty sure its either dead, or never was, outside of some weirdo enclave that has little to do with boomers and everythign to do with 'crazy people'.

[CarlD.]

There are some funny goofs such as when she rants against 'savory jello-o' then aspic. Savory jell-o is aspic. Jell-o is a brand name for a dessert product as far as I've learned not the generic name for all jelled/gelatin foods. Toast made me scratch my head too and where the Hell did she run across "Tomato poptarts?" The problem with lists like these is just end of the day, they're just some smug asshole listing things they don't like and why for that reason no one else should or can enjoy them or they are bad people.

[moonsweeper]

I feel stupider for having clicked through a good dozen or so pages of that slideshow.  And what a weird mix it is too... half that shit I've never seen, even if I've heard of it. Aspic? Seriously?  That's a 'Food that won't die" ?   Nope, pretty sure its either dead, or never was, outside of some weirdo enclave that has little to do with boomers and everythign to do with 'crazy people'.

I actually went through the whole list to see just how ignorant about food the author actually was...it was bad.

I firmly believe that everything she knows about food must have come from skimming 'Bon Appetit' magazines and Whole Foods flyers.
Carl is right in that it was a list of foods she 'hates' but couldn't be bothered to actually know anything about.

I did laugh at some of the really stupid mistakes that she was so vitriolic about though...It felt kind of like watching AOC talk about economics.

What can I say...I'm just a bad person.

Thanks for posting it Carl, I needed a good laugh.

[Thornhammer]

I feel stupider for having clicked through a good dozen or so pages of that slideshow.  And what a weird mix it is too... half that shit I've never seen, even if I've heard of it. Aspic? Seriously?  That's a 'Food that won't die" ?   Nope, pretty sure its either dead, or never was, outside of some weirdo enclave that has little to do with boomers and everythign to do with 'crazy people'.

The "weird" shit I saw on that slideshow that I had heard of, I had heard of because I saw them - and some of the same pictures - on articles elsewhere, where someone had grabbed Ye Olde Cookebooke Of Anciente Dayes and decided to make something friggin' weird for weird's sake.  I want to say Cracked, or maybe the food part of Kotaku.  I dunno.  So I suspect some of it was "borrowed."   I was really expecting the final entry to be "Capitalism, because GROSS rite?!?!"  

Fun facts:

There are 71 entries, not 25.

Paper napkins are not a food.

[CarlD.]

I actually went through the whole list to see just how ignorant about food the author actually was...it was bad.

I firmly believe that everything she knows about food must have come from skimming 'Bon Appetit' magazines and Whole Foods flyers.
Carl is right in that it was a list of foods she 'hates' but couldn't be bothered to actually know anything about.

I did laugh at some of the really stupid mistakes that she was so vitriolic about though...It felt kind of like watching AOC talk about economics.

What can I say...I'm just a bad person.

Thanks for posting it Carl, I needed a good laugh.

It is something isn't it? The ignorance and, frankly privilege on display is impressive, But at its base I don't get the attitude that I don't like something so it must be eliminated so bad people that do like it can't have it....about subjective things like food or entertainment. Don't like something, don't consume it.

[Zirunel]

Yeah well I'm old enough remember the ol Kraft recipes. Mix yer yummy Velveeta with your tasty softee toffees and boom! Dinner and dessert all in one, the family will love it. The recipes were real and widely advertised on TV.

Only thing is, they were also widely seen to be transparent cross-marketing and widely, widely ridiculed, even at the time. Don't imagine many people actually made and ate those dishes.

[Zirunel]

BTW I'll agree that the compiler didn't have the historical understanding to make sense of the foods she was talking about. Probably too young. Savoury aspic dishes were a big Victorian thing that got a boost in the 50s when refrigerators became widespread. I don't remember much of that in the 70s though. And she can't recognize recipes that existed more in advertising than in the real world. But still, I found the slideshow more enjoyable than most of those things usually are. Brought back a lot of memories. Wonder bread, boiled vegetables, weird processed foods. Maybe elitist to say this but although I enjoyed remembering them, I don't miss them.

[Lynn]

The living fuck?  They hate toast?  

Jesus, what the hell did Toast do to them? I'd ask if it killed their parents, but apparently they hate their parents, so I'm at a loss.

I feel stupider for having clicked through a good dozen or so pages of that slideshow.  And what a weird mix it is too... half that shit I've never seen, even if I've heard of it. Aspic? Seriously?  That's a 'Food that won't die" ?   Nope, pretty sure its either dead, or never was, outside of some weirdo enclave that has little to do with boomers and everythign to do with 'crazy people'.

Very weak and uninformed list. Aspic is WWII generation, and I don't know any Baby Boomers that embraced that except under threat. The rest of it seems like a list created by Portland hipster raised, helicopter parented violet post-millennials.

[Haffrung]

I'm Gen X. When I have dinner (etc) with my son certainly no electronics (inc video) are allowed. We talk - politics certainly allowed though. My parents (Silent Gen) are the same.

Same here.

But again: my bigger complaint is the nigh universal idea that 'talking politics and god' is somehow impolite and should only be done in specific circumstances with people you already know you agree with. I understand its current necessity, but that sort of twisted 'etiquette' rule is one reason people have such a poor grasp on politics (the infamous, yet relatively recent, Phenomenon of the Low Information Voter).

Of course, this is heavily acerbated by the unrelated inability of so many people to express basic empathy or tolerate any disagreement. That I chalk up to a surfeit of 'only children' and mollycoddling 'friend instead of parent' "parental" Figures.  Khan Noonian Singh, of all motherfucking people has a wonderfully written open letter to his own son about why he is a parent and not a friend... too bad more people couldn't figure it out.

Agreed. We should be teaching people to talk about politics rationally and with tolerance and nuance, not avoid it as a subject altogether.

Maybe it's a product of the class I was brought up in, but I've never been keen on potlucks, they seem somehow distasteful to me (even though on those occasions I'm actually at one, there's obviously often delicious things brought there). Also, almost certainly a product of the class I was brought up in, the discussion of politics, religion, world events, or culture were always a part of conversation at the dinner table.

I'm not sure what class you were brought up in, but as a middle-class Canadian potlucks have always been a part of my life. The Best of Bridge series of cookbooks were in every household when I grew up. They hearken to a time when entertaining, whether it was for a bridge club, a Christmas Party, or a neighbourhood get-together, was part of the fabric of middle-class life.

Ultimately, it's a social thing. If you're accustomed to having 6-10 friends (and their kids) over for meals with any regularity, as my parents did and my wife and I do today, then you learn how to make dishes that can be shared and how to organize potlucks. Because it's not fair to expect a host to prepare food for that many people. In our circle the host makes the main and an appetizer or two, the guests bring salads, sides, and deserts. We either host or attend a half-dozen of these sorts of gatherings a year.

If these sorts of gatherings are becoming less common, I'd guess it's because:

A) Fewer people are learning how to cook and have come to rely on restaurants and takeouts for communal meals.

B) Social circles are shrinking, with groups of more than six or so gathering in a home increasingly rare.

As an aside, my city has several public parks with fire pits and picnic tables. These days, those sites are used almost exclusively by large groups of new Canadians, 12-30 people gathering and sharing food. That was not the case 30 years ago, when those parks were full of white families, baseball teams, etc. having barbeques. So it seems this sort of extended social network and communal meals is still a thing in many cultures, but has become less common among middle-class whites, who are presumably at home in small groups using Skip the Dishes.