It does more than connect us with our past. Sometimes I think that the taste gets imprinted on the genes after several generations. Some would say we like the foods we are accustomed to and associate with our childhoods. But we all know many Americans whose second-generation mothers fed them meat loaf and canned peas for dinner, but who long for and remember their grandmother's chicken soup. Times have changed.
Most mothers now work.
Convenience and fast foods are cheaper and more readily available. In more and more homes, hot dogs or frozen pizza or pasta with ketchup pass for dinner. Studies show our kids are fatter than ever and more prone to all the risks of obesity, including diabetes and heart disease. I know we can't turn back the clock, but we can make an effort to give our kids some of what we had. Think back to your favorite dishes as a child.