Twosday Taste-Off: Olden-Day Cooking vs. Now — Who Wins the Kitchen Crown?

Twosday is here and today, we’re stirring the pot (literally)! Let’s take a fun walk down kitchen memory lane and compare cooking back in the day to the “Instagram-chef” era we live in now.

Back then, cooking wasn’t a performance, it was pure survival art. Our grandmas didn’t need fancy recipes; they had instinct and vibes. A pinch of this, a handful of that and boom, the soup tasted like heaven. No blenders, no air fryers just mortar, pestle and inside eyes. Pepper was pounded with rhythm, onions chopped with wisdom and the firewood smoke? That was the secret seasoning.

Now? Cooking has become a full-blown production. Ring lights, tripods, matching aprons, kitchen aesthetics on 100. We’re no longer just cooking we’re creating content even subconsciously. “Wait, let me take a picture before I stir the jollof!” Every meal has to pass the camera test before the taste test.

Not forgetting the health game. Back then, it was straight from the farm to the pot, organic before it became a trend. Garden eggs from the backyard, palm oil freshly pressed, vegetables that still had morning dew. The only “preservative” they knew was the harmattan breeze. These days, we’re decoding ingredient lists that look like chemistry exams “contains E215, stabilizer and natural flavoring (whatever that means).” Inventing recipes and ingredients.

The menu variety too has gone through a glow-up. Olden-day meals were simple but sacred — yam porridge, efo riro, ofada, beans and garri (the unbreakable love story). Now, we have “stir-fried vegetables, shrimp, coconut fried rice with basil toppings” just say fried rice nau! But let’s give it to this generation: creativity and fusion are top-tier — suya tacos, akara burgers, puff-puff with chocolate drizzle. Who would’ve thought?

Now, to the family experience, that’s where the real magic lived. Once the food hit the table, it was an event. Everyone gathered, no TV, no phones, just gist, laughter and small fights over the biggest piece of meat. The cookware added to the vibe too — the Ajase dish set sitting like royalty on the table or the good old stainless tray that carried rice, stew, meat and plantain all in one shiny glory. Plates were enamel, cups were metal and if you didn’t hear the clink-clink of spoons on trays, was it even dinner?

Today, dinner is a different story. “You guys go ahead, I’m still on a Zoom call.” “I’ll eat when I’m done watching Netflix.” Food gets microwaved more than it gets prayed over. And even when we eat together, half the family is online scrolling through reels instead of real gist.

Even the cookware tells how times have changed. Before: clay pots, coal pots, wooden ladles, Ajase dish sets and stainless trays that shone like trophies. Now: non-stick pots, air fryers, induction stoves and dishwashers that do the scrubbing for you. The food might taste different but nothing beats the nostalgia of hearing, “Go and bring that small Ajase plate on top of the fridge!” or watching stew bubble in a blackened pot on open fire.

Olden-day cooking was warmth, rhythm and real connection. Modern cooking is sleek, creative and stylish. Both have their spice — one reminds us of home, the other makes us dream of restaurants and Pinterest boards.

So, which side are you on, the smoky jollof generation or the stainless-steel squad? Either way, make sure your kitchen stays filled with laughter, aroma and gist — because that’s what keeps the flavour alive.

Happy Twosday, people, whether you’re pounding yam the old way or blending smoothie bowls, may your meals bring joy, laughter, and that good kind of “food coma” we all love. ENJOYYY