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Cover Story - How to be a stay-at-home Dad Working with plants at home - Baron Wilson.
Avia Ustanny, Freelance Writer
TWENTY minutes around the stove and you begin to smell burnt steak, soggy rice and see dishes towering towards the ceiling. Guess who's in the kitchen? No insult intended, but a daddy doing dinner is often a disaster waiting to happen. Or so says a recent report from Reuters out of London. The report reads: "A leading supermarket has discovered what long-suffering women have known for years - the kitchen is foreign territory to most men who remain unrepentantly unreconstructed. "The survey of 800 British men by supermarket chain Safeway found that nearly half of them spent less than half an hour a week in the kitchen, and then usually only to boil the kettle. "For those who did not describe cooking as women's work and actually tried their hands at knocking up a meal the result was more often than not a somewhat unappetising plate of baked beans on toast. "Despite the national popularity of Italian food, so scant was the average British male's knowledge of cooking ingredients that 20 per cent thought the dry Italian wine Frascati was a form of pasta." Is it the situation the same here? Director of Father's Incorporated, and social researcher at the University of the West Indies, Dr. Barry Chevannes, says dads who live at home with their children, and even those who only have a visiting relationship, are getting more involved in their lives. Are they also getting into the kitchen? Economic realities (wives who work), or the death of a spouse has forced some into it. But, by and large, they appear not to be becoming more domesticated creatures. There is no research to show this, he said. This week, for all the newly-weds, and for the men who, long married but still have too few house-keeping clues, this one's for you. We present the how-to of housework for men who would rather run five miles than make a meal. You will find that, with our handy tips, it's not so hard, after all. Guidelines come from Heather Little-White and Associates who offer a course in cooking and home management for men, as well as for a "handyman" who just loves to clean and decorate around the home.
"I IRONED my children's (two daughters) clothes until they left high school," says father of three, Otis Carlton. "And, before I got the washing machine, I would set the tub before me and sit and wash. I buy and change the curtains. I go to the market. I buy clothes for my wife and daughters sometimes too." The 47-year-old man says that doing all of this is just a matter of working on what needs to be done around the home. For those who think that doing their fair share of house chores is unattainable, here is a directory to help you along:
Basic menus
Each meal should have something from the five food groups - proteins, carbohydrates, fats and oils, legumes, and fibre. Portions will vary according to the age of the persons you are feeding and the physical activities they pursue during the day. Here's an example: Breakfast Liver Plantains 2-4 slices brown bread Butter 1 fruit Hot beverage/juice Lunch Sandwich of cheese/meat, with lettuce, tomato slices. Drink Dinner 4 to 6 ounces of meat Creamed potatoes Carrots Fragrant rice Drink Dessert optional (ice-cream/cake) Reduce the use of oil and fat as much as possible (that's what ovens are for - bake food instead of frying it). Vegetable and fruit portions can never be too much. They, along with other fibre-type foods, provide roughage and are a good source of vitamins. Do not feed your family heavy meals just before bedtime. Dinner should be had no later than 6:30 in the evening.
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