Once in Will Smith's Movie of The Hancock, mbak Charlize Theron said that every Thursday is Spaghetti Meatballs day for her family. This not only refer to how great and recommended the food is, but also how the homemade food - makanan buatan rumah - can be effective yet important for a very family bonding.
It is not only about the food, I think, but also about the story behind. Kids may ask and learn about the food they eat and recognize the process of cooking and baking. Despite the less time that possessed by today's parents, still parenthood can be interesting through cooking for and with them.
That plate of my spaghetti meatballs consist of some information to my kid. During 60 minutes in kitchen she has learnt whether the use of garlic is essential so the pasta will not be plain, how to cook that spaghetti in al dente texture, and finally ended bay a critical question posed by her about Indonesian food. It came to a conversation about national beef production to supply the whole demand so we don't have to import it from other countries anymore. Oh dear.
The fun and playful kitchen conversation turns into a completely serious discussion in political economy perspective. Haha. I have to explain her about the whole production-consumption data, with all mechanism of beef production and food import policy. But I guess I should wait for a couple year so she will understand the case better. For now on, at least I can prepare my article for her to read.