A hot meal

My Singaporean SiL (20 years younger than me) firmly believes that it’s not a ‘proper’ meal if it’s not cooked.

It was many decades ago, but I still remember queueing at some fairly cheap eatery for lunch, with an elderly couple next to me in the queue. There was cold food as well as hot. The old chap just wanted a sandwich, but his wife wasn’t having it! ‘That’s not a PROPER DINNER! You’ve got to have a PROPER DINNER!’
‘But I only want a sandwich!’
‘No, you’ve got to have a PROPER DINNER!’

Poor old bloke! But maybe his Mrs had been brought up like an aunt of dh, who I swear thought you’d sicken and die if you didn’t have Proper Meals, absolutely on the dot, every day.

What you’re describing is not very varied and probably not good for you long term. My understanding is you stay warmer in winter when to eat hot food , obviously you don’t have to do it every day if you don’t want to but surely it’s more interesting at least some of the time

Warm food is easier for the body to digest because the digestive system doesn't have to expend energy warming it up.

Also, heat from cooking breaks down tough fibers and cell walls in foods (especially in vegetables, grains, and meats), making the nutrients—like certain vitamins and minerals—easier for the body to absorb.

​But really, warm meals are often more satisfying and comforting to eat - particularly in the winter.
And the heat seems to enhance both the aroma and taste of the food.

Obviously boiling hot meals/drinks aren't good for your digestive tract!

Life with no variety would be fairly dull I think...

Just made a huge pasta. Beef, peppers, garlic, onions, tomatoes, italian herbs, cheese, lashings of parmesan and black pepper on top. For me a sandwich is a substitute for a meal, or a light lunch.

No food does not have to be cooked but I would not want to live on a diet of sandwiches, cakes, salad and fruits. I do enjoy cooking and in this weather much prefer a hot meal. Each to their own!

When it gets cold, then personally I think you do need a hot meal. There's nothing more comforting than coming in on a cold day to a lovely hot bowl of soup or something like stew, macaroni cheese, shepherd's pie or haggis, neeps and tatties!

My mother was convinced we'd die of malnutrition if we didn't have at least one hot meal a day.

I love food. Always have, always will. the thought of subsisting on a diet of^ sandwiches, cake, salad and fruit.^ fills me with horror. I am not a cake eater so that would reduce me to three items anyway.

I also prefer my food to be warm at least. So I will be continuing to cook my meals, eat a wide variety of foods and collect recipes to try out.

I know there are many people who feel like watermeadow, but I am absolutely not one of them.

In summer I can quite happily eat salads and sandwiches in order not to cook in the hot temps we now get. But in this weather it is soups and casseroles and just beans on toast if I can’t be bothered.

Gotta have soup once in a while - the hot variety that is.

Every time I make some I think "Why don't I do this more often?" Obviously things like potatoes and rice have to be cooked.

Yep.....hot food sometimes is necessary imo - even if there was a little bit of "raw food" experimenting way back when.

Yes, salads in the summer and sandwiches are fine for lunch but we do look forward to having a hot meal in the evening in the colder months.

Leftover watercress soup for lunch today, fairly quick and easy to make yesterday, and, apart from the cooking time, it didn't take any longer to prepare than a sandwich.

If you batch cook then freeze, it means less effort on days you can't be bothered to cook. Or an occasional ready meal.
Interesting post, NotSpaghetti 🙂

I had a horrible mother who didn’t care about food or how she fed us, every meal was served with a big dollop of resentment.
To her a sandwich was a meal.

I love to cook, to feed and share food with friends and family is so important to me.

I need a hot meal every day. I don't always manage to have one but I feel so much better for it. I didn't know there was a scientific reason for this but I'm not surprised.

A hot meal is one of the joys of Autumn for me, having eaten salads and all things cold for the Summer.
Then Winter stews and slow-cooked meals are wonderful. Lighter, fresher tasting food in the Spring and then back to Summer, looking forward to finding out how the tomatoes taste this year etc.

Just one main meal a day which changes with the seasons. I have several cookery books which are organised by month and enjoy using seasonal produce.
Bread, apple and cheese for lunch pretty much every day though!

Witzend

My Singaporean SiL (20 years younger than me) firmly believes that it’s not a ‘proper’ meal if it’s not cooked.

It was many decades ago, but I still remember queueing at some fairly cheap eatery for lunch, with an elderly couple next to me in the queue. There was cold food as well as hot. The old chap just wanted a sandwich, but his wife wasn’t having it! ‘That’s not a PROPER DINNER! You’ve got to have a PROPER DINNER!’
‘But I only want a sandwich!’
‘No, you’ve got to have a PROPER DINNER!’

Poor old bloke! But maybe his Mrs had been brought up like an aunt of dh, who I swear thought you’d sicken and die if you didn’t have Proper Meals, absolutely on the dot, every day.

That would be me!

What it actually translates to is 'now is the only opportunity for you to have a proper hot cooked meal today" Once home the kitchen is closed for hot meals

Power cuts are so rare now for us and I’ve never had a delayed journey cause me consternation about a meal.
If that diet suits you watermeadow then great.