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11.10.2010

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Hartman Diet: Millennial Eats

We present the first in a recurring series on how and what generations are eating. Representing more than 75 million consumers, Millennials are the largest generation in U.S. history - outnumbering Boomers by over a million. We followed three Millennials to find out what they've been noshing on lately.

Nick is a full-time grad student working in a pharmacology lab. In his spare time he breaks out the grill and brews his own beer.

Wednesday, November 3rd

I woke up early to get ready for a long day at the lab. I had a bowl of Cheerios for breakfast at my desk while checking email and reading baseball scores. Breakfast is pretty routine. I’ll eat cereal or yogurt. Dinner is where I can get creative, mainly because my girlfriend and I will cook together.

I packed a turkey and cheese sandwich for lunch because I knew I wouldn’t get a break that day. I ate it quickly outside of my lab with an apple because I had an experiment running. Nothing too memorable.

I grew up in small-town Minnesota where every dinner included meat and every breakfast included sugar cereal. Thai & Indian food were unheard of. Basically anything outside of a Chinese buffet here and there. Now that I live in the city, I seek out more diverse flavors. Don’t get me wrong, I still eat a lot of meat. On my way home from the lab I stopped at Ken’s Market, a little grocery store in my old neighborhood. They have this flank steak in a Korean marinade that’s really good.

We moved into a duplex with a big backyard recently, so I just bought a grill. This being Seattle, people tend to do things in spite of the weather. We grill even on the rainy days. My girlfriend was home so we made a salad together and pulled some other ingredients from the fridge. I tossed some asparagus on the grill as well.

I’m a home brewer so I love trying beers from around the world to get ideas of what I can do on my own. My girlfriend got me a subscription to a rare beer club that sends a few bottles of interesting stuff every month. When we brew beer my friends and I make a big production of it, getting the recipe just right, hanging out and having a good time. While I was waiting for the steak to grill I opened a bottle of homemade oatmeal stout. I also had a bottle of Ranger IPA later. It’s a good weeknight beer. We ate while watching a movie on Netflix and then both finished up some work before bed.

Kelley is a freelance writer in New York, covering fashion and events for a variety of online publications. Let’s see how her diet fared as she transitioned from the life of a telecommuting nomad to regular office hours.

Thursday, October 14th

This week I was in super intense stress mode. I was diving into a new job and was really busy. Most days I was glued to my desk with deadlines, constantly being “on” and then attending events in the evening. I live in Brooklyn, so I’m surrounded by great food, but honestly that was more of an afterthought than anything else this week.

Early in the morning I downed a Zico coconut water and also sipped on a black & blueberry Naked smoothie when I got to the office.

Later in the day I took a brief break and had a little black coffee on my way to the yogurt shop across from my office. I love mochi topping almost more than the tangy yogurt itself. I also added kiwi and blueberries.

I rarely cook at home so I usually get something from The Garden, a great little store around the corner from my apartment. Their prepared foods are delicious, a great place to stop by and pick up whatever I’m in the mood for. I wind up there almost every day. I’ll wander around until I land on something that sounds appealing. My favorite meal from the deli is The Harvest Bowl: a scoop of brown rice, beans, sea vegetables, steamed veggies, tahini, and sweet potatoes. I don’t usually eat meat unless it’s a special occasion, so I added some steamed tofu. It’s super healthy and super filling, like I know I've done something really good for myself. They also have a bunch of tasty soups.

Later that night I went to a party for a magazine with friends. I had a glass of champagne and a few macaroons. I think they were from Sweet Melissa. It was a sweet end to a crazy day.

I’m so happy for this week to be over.

Mona is a married mom of two with a full time job. She is a photographer and blogger, having maintained her own website since 1999. We found her drinking lattes, wrangling kids and dreaming of Spam.

Tuesday, October 28

I try to experiment as much as possible while on a budget. We constantly look for deals with the two kids. Price is important. Flavor first, price second, nutrition wherever I can slide it in.

I get the kids ready and out the door in the morning, so I make whatever is fastest for breakfast. Some days, if I have more time, I'll saute a bunch of spinach and add some eggs. Monday morning I had a little more time for myself so I made eggs, spinach and toast. That’s pretty unique. My youngest son is six months old, so he needs a lot of attention. My four year old needs to be dressed and have his teeth brushed. We have this ritual where I brush his teeth for him and then he rinses under the bathtub faucet. It's cute, but you can understand how I might not be making eggs every morning. Monday was definitely an exception.

My ideal breakfast would be fried rice with Spam in the morning at home. My four year old eating waffles, my husband eating cereal. But the fried rice - a staple of my island upbringing (I was raised on Saipan) - is all mine.

After dropping the kids off I went and grabbed a vanilla latte at work. I just thought “oh man, it’s Tuesday. I totally deserve this.” Anything to justify a treat. Sometimes I kick myself for not planning meals in advance, but if I’m having a rough day I like a nice reward. For lunch I picked up my favorite sandwich at Agua Verde, a cafe near my work. It was delicious. Carne asada, pita bread, chipotle mayo. It’s one of my favorite items on the menu.

Time wise, I get home around 5:30 or six and only have a few hours before everyone has to be in bed. That night, my husband and I picked up teriyaki chicken from Toshi’s, a local chain near my house. Toshi’s has been around forever. Word on the street is that they practically invented teriyaki sauce. After dinner, I nursed the baby and put him down, then gave my older son a bath and got him to bed. My husband and I watched TV for a bit while I updated my blog. I crashed shortly after that.

It's been said that for Millennials, it's more about personal style than any particular brand. In spite of their busy schedules and daily routines, the Millennials we followed pursued a broad range of food choices with stories behind each of them. While no particular emphasis was placed on brands, local haunts and flavors emerged as key ingredients in everyday life.

Join us as we continue to explore generational eating in our new feature, Hartman Diet.

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