When our oldest child left for college last fall, I knew I would miss him terribly. But would he miss or even think about home? We’re really close, but Solomon is an independent guy and had spent plenty of time away, so I was pretty sure he wouldn’t be homesick. I was happy to call him weekly, but I wasn’t sure what might prompt him to initiate a call or text.
The answer? A cooking question: “How do I make that chicken? How much lime do I use in that dressing? What salad should I bring to a party?” Even without a kitchen in his freshman dorm, Solomon found plenty of opportunities to cook at friends’ houses and on team trips.
When he left for college, Solomon was among the more kitchen-savvy (and enthusiastic) boys in his crowd, but some of my friends worry that their kids don’t have even the most basic cooking skills they might need in their next phase of life. My friend Betsy is pretty sure her son Alex, who leaves for college in August, doesn’t know what “saut?” means, let alone how to do it. And despite Alex’s facility at making no-cook dipping sauces, she can’t recall him ever boiling water to make pasta (though she suspects he could figure it out).
College students tell me they cook, or at least aspire to, for a number of reasons. Some of the biggest are wanting healthier or tastier food than what is available on campus, saving money, being creative, managing food allergies, or just craving something homemade when they’re hungry.