A recent study led by Alex McIntosh, a professor of sociology at Texas A&M University in College Station, suggested that dads have much more influence over their children’s eating habits than previously thought.  This was right up my alley since I am new dad who stopped eating fast food primarily for this very reason.

You can read much more about the study here:  http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/06/110609122931.htm

Basically the study found fathers have a tremendous impact on how children eat, perhaps even more so than mom, especially when it comes to dining outside the home.  As stunning as that might sound, consider how much our society and families have changed over the years.  Mom and Dad now share many of the traditional domestic duties and working professional moms are the norm, so Dad is often left responsible for providing meals.  If Dad isn’t much of a cook, or doesn’t enjoy shopping and cooking, the options could seem limited and he may rely heavily on fast food to get the job done.

Because that’s what dads are about, getting the job done, preferably fast.  Then there is the added pressure to make this a family event; to be fun for the kids, because (unfortunately) it may be one of the only family outings for the week.  That idea aligns with another study finding that dad is often the ‘softy’ when it comes to food choices or may not be as educated on the nutritional facts.

Me and Dad, circa 1975

It got me to thinking about my family, particularly my dad and the influence he had over my fast food habit later on in life.  Blaming him for my fast food crutch would be pretty silly and I’m not here to do that.  After all adults are free to make choices, informed or not, and my choices are my own.  At the same time, to say he had no influence would be the clearest form of denial on my part.

I was more fortunate than most kids growing up today because my dad loved to cook and he was pretty good at it.  What he lacked in cooking adventure he made up for in creativity and enthusiasm.  He never used recipes and his edge-of-the-seat style led to dishes with slight variations that were surprisingly consistent.  He was resourceful.  Dad developed a knack for making something out of nothing in his youth, because he was left to cook for himself and his sister probably with few available ingredients.

Back at home, a typical week involved preparing a meal or two on the weekend with enough for leftovers during the week.  The leftovers lasted until they ran out or we just couldn’t stand to eat the same thing one more time.  By Wednesday, the menu was up in the air and fast food was on my mind.  All I had to do was ask for it and he was game (‘softy’?).  We always went to McDonald’s, opting for the drive-thru and eating the meal while sitting in the car in the parking lot.  This resembled a family meal at the dinner table in one way – we weren’t distracted by the moving vehicle and could actually have a conversation, listen to talk radio, or just enjoy our meal together.

My mind has since consolidated these many trips into one very clear, lasting memory.

I can picture the inside of my dad’s car.  I remember how the car smelled, the fabric, the windows, the colors.  I remember which McDonald’s we visited and I can tell you exactly where we parked.  I remember what direction the car faced.  I can feel the presence of my dad and remember the things we talked about.

Home to a few meals with my dad (picture not his actual car)

I also remember the food.

Big Mac (or two!) and fries for me.  Quarter pounder with cheese (“royale with cheese”) and fries for him.  Two large cokes (unless Dad snuck a beer with him)

It all tasted so good to me.  I don’t remember if Dad liked the food although he would always say the McDonald’s had the ‘best’ fries.  My hunch is that he was in it more for the experience than the food.  For me, was it the food or the quiet time with Dad that made the food taste better than it really was?    A psychologist might tell me that every time I ate a Big Mac as an adult or sat in my car eating a drive-thru meal represented my attempt to re-live those moments with Dad.  I wouldn’t disagree.

I didn’t need the study to tell me that I have hold this power of influence over my daughter’s choices later in life, but reading it extracted the feelings held by a distant memory.

I do my best to create a backdrop to my daughter’s memories that includes good food – real food -  hopefully with the same warm memories attached to it.  I won’t be perfect or succeed every time, but it’s worth the effort.

Thanks for reading,

Chris