The question “Why bake bread?” leads to a larger question, “Why cook at all or even learn to cook?”

Years ago during another economic crisis, employees of a large corporation I worked for donated many tons of food, for the hard pressed. These foods included large bags of beans, rice, potatoes, flour, onions, raw vegetables, and boxes of bulk cereal, powdered milk, cheese, canned goods including meats and fish, etc. The staples we had grown up with. One weekend we loaded up our private rigs and delivered it all. Within a week, we heard that many of the families we had delivered to were crying out for food again. We were confused because that food should have lasted for a long time. I was assigned with a few others to find out what was wrong. It turned out that young families did not know how to cook and were starving next to stacks of food we had delivered. They had been spoon fed via fast food franchises since childhood and expected fast food deliveries daily. One older, mid- forties, single parent did not know how to operate the oven in her long-time home. She said her mother had come over for years until her recent death to cook all the meals. The older families and first and second generation immigrant families were more than pleased with the food and knew how to stretch what they had for at least a month or more. I know food banks do not have a problem with this now because current families buy food in grocery stores that cater to eating microwave, instant, and frozen meals. This is how most families eat. This is what stores donate to food banks. Some people think this is extreme, but I know that some kids will not eat food unless it has a wrapper with their favorite fast food logo on it.

Why bake bread? Your well being may depend on it. Knowing how to cook and bake, and how to improvise, may influence your future. I would hate to see someone starve surrounded by food, but it has happened before. Check the history on some of our northern explorers.