Urban myths and truths get mixed up in stories of fantasy and realism when we decide to talk about our relationships with cooking food, from exaggerations like "I cook at least three different meals a day for the kids and us because no one eats the same as everyone else" to aphoristic statements like "I have too many jobs to waste time in the kitchen", the journey is long, and it often surprises us.
Quite simply because the truth most often lies somewhere in the middle, and the extremes exist to add charm to our daily lives. Therefore, seeking to outline our daily eating habits, we created a questionnaire, which we made available to our readers online through www.olivemagazine.gr. We received 500 responses in less than one week and presented you with the survey results.
How often do we cook at home?
57.7% declare that they cook daily, while a large percentage, exceeding 30%, reported that they cook 2-3 times a week. A very small percentage of those who answered either cook very rarely or never (6.5% and 2.4% respectively).
Where do we usually eat?
Respondents were asked to answer where they mainly consume their meals. 82%, i.e. the vast majority, told us that they usually eat at home, while only 16.2% eat the principal meal of the day at their office. Almost no one (only 0.6%) eats outside the home, while those who answered "other" added that they eat both at home and in the office or sometimes outside.
How much time do we spend cooking?
41.98% spend about 1 hour daily on cooking, while a large percentage of readers (24.68%) state it takes about 2 hours daily. In third place, with a rate of 27%, we have those who only have 20 per day, obviously to make something easy. Then, 13.08% answered that 30' is enough for their daily cooking. In smaller percentages, we have those who spend at least 3 hours (4.74%), 10-20' (2.1%) and 40-50' (3.79%). There is also a tiny percentage (2.2%) who only cook a little every day.
How many meals do we have per day?
31.78% eat three meals a day, while 30.77% eat two. Percentages that refer to the three main ones (breakfast, lunch, dinner) or 2 of them, as some people either don't eat breakfast or don't eat one of the other two, essentially ending up with two main meals a day. The five meals (i.e. the three main meals and two snacks in between, as some have already explained) collected only 11.01%, and the four meals moved similarly (10.37%).
What we buy for our home cooking
89.5% The vast majority buy fresh products to cook, only 5% cook frozen, while the rest cook both, depending on the occasion, the day and the time they have.
What do we choose when we cook at home?
90% are usually superior to stews. Here, respondents were asked to make more than one choice. Stewed foods are excellent by state in a percentage that approaches 90% (88.7%), while immediately after, in their preferences, grilled foods are preferred (47.5%). Fried foods are pretty low in their choices, as only some seem to want to cook or eat them (5.7%). Beyond that, 8.9% prefer ready-made meals or products that do not require cooking, and 9.9% eat mainly through delivery.
How would we describe our diet?
Most respondents report that they eat everything, at a rate of 61.2%, while 26.1% describe their diet as "healthy". 3.6% declare themselves pescatarian, as they choose to eat more fish and vegetables, while 2.6% follow a vegetarian diet. A 3.2% state that they have an unhealthy diet. The rest of the information we have obtained from this question concerns a percentage who chose "other", with answers of the type: "I don't eat meat", "I eat meat very often", "I eat healthier on weekdays and more unhealthy on the weekend", "I don't consume gluten", "I follow a ketogenic diet", "I limit carbohydrates, especially in the evening".
How we cook more often
66.2% Pot came in first place
24.7% The oven comes in second place, with a much lower percentage
2.4% In the pan
1.6% Steamed
0.8% In the air fryer
0.7% Nowhere
Those who answered "other" gave options such as bbq, toaster, grill, kettle or wok.
How much do we spend on food per week?
It was a question that made it quite difficult for the respondents, as we received many different answers, challenging to code, and even a percentage, which reached 5%, stated that they could not calculate the amount. 27.10% leans towards 100 euros per week, which is also the majority. Next is 50 euros with 25.10%. In third place are those who spend 150-200 euros per week (18.62%) and 60-80 euros (18.42%). Lower percentages are collected by those who calculate for food 30-40 euros per week (9.1%) and those who exceed 200 euros per week (4.04%).
How often do we go out to eat?
Respondents answered that they go out to eat 2-3 times a month at a rate of 37.7%, while 26.3% report that they go out only once a month. The rest state either that they go out to eat less often than once a month or more often than 2-3 times a month (at a rate that in both cases reaches 18%).
What are our favorite cuisines?
Here, respondents were asked to make more than one choice, and the results were as follows:
- 94.3% Greek Cuisine
- 57.1% Italian Cuisine
- 27.3% Mexican Cuisine
- 23.1% Asian Cuisine
- 14.2% Ethnic Cuisine
- 1.94% all
The profile of readers who participated
32.8% of the participants belong to the age group of 36-45. In the survey, mainly women participated, at a rate of 81%, compared to men who reached only 19%. In terms of age, most belonged to the categories 36-45 (32.8%) or 46-55 (31.2%), but also 56-64 (16%) and 65+ (7%), while the younger ages (18 -35) did not exceed a total of 14.6%. Most respondents were couples without children (30.4%) or with one child (27.5%), while with two or more were 23.1% and 3.6% respectively. As for their income, the highest percentage of respondents have a family income of 10,000-20,000 euros (39.9%), 27% collect 20,000-30,000, while 24.1% have an income of more than 30,000 and 8.9% of the world under 10,000 euros. In terms of educational level, most of them are graduates of a higher or higher school at a rate of almost 50% (49.5% to be exact), while 25.9% also hold a master's degree (and 8.9% also have a doctorate ), while 20.9% are high school graduates.
READ MORE: Greek teenagers are the most obese in Europe.
