>>It's amazing sometimes to look at ancient Rome, and the similarites >>to modern cities. Not only did they eat "fast food" (and by that I >>mean pizza), the vast majority lived in four-storey tall apartment >>buildings.
> However I can remember when almost all women could and did cook on
> a regular basis *in cities*.
The invention of the cooking stove (around the time of industrialisation) removed much of the fire hazards an open hearth fire or brazier would cause, while simultaneously creating greater heat which would be conducted better through metal pots. That's all a question of technology... (and possibly would be better placed on the Gloranthan Cooking list.)
> And these aren't rural people who
> moved to the city but those whose families have lived there for
> generations. Sure there was takeaway food but it was a weekly treat
> not a daily practice. After getting paid on Friday night the family
> went to the local chippy. The rest of the week the mother or
> grandmother prepared meals for the family. The reason for this is
> cost, pre-prepared food is expensive. You are paying five quid for
> a meal which costs less than a pound to make yourself with a minimum
> of time, effort and skills. For the urban poor that's rarely a
> practical option.
Assuming you have access to a secure fire place, affordable fuel, and suitable hardware to prepare your own food. Oh, and affordable raw food items, too.
And a good light source - daylight hours are work hours. Possibly regulated by religious services defining day breaks.
> As for the time issue, without modern labour saving devices housework
> and child care is a full time job. Not always for the wife, but
> usually some woman in the extended family. It is only the growth
> in women's wages and mass production techniques which has made
> pre-prepared food a viable option in recent decades.
Or, put the other way around, it was the decrease in women's wages that led to the "male nurturer" situation. Rural women managed garden, children, and some cottage industry. Urban women worked in manufacturies, as house-servants, or as small peddlars, if they had learned no craft. I read that some crafts in medieval Paris had as many craft-mistresses as it had masters.
City life can be intriguing when you start exploring a bit.
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