So I joined this site when the old CH lost its way. Have become more active since the pandemic oddly enough. I get the sense from reading recent threads that the average age is a bit higher than I thought. My impression is that many or most are of the boomer generation. Not that I’m a youngster but I’m an X. Boomer, X, Z or millennial?
Old-ish Gen-Xer, here.
3 Likes
I Dunno. I am in my early 60’s. I came here from “Discuss Cooking” as their site had lousy software that was polluted with ads (along with some pretty weird rules). Folks there were great, but seemed older than the folks here.
Prior to DC I was on CH, but wasn’t there long because of what I felt was a decidedly pedantic feel. Maybe that was due to a younger audience, or maybe not. I just don’t know.
Members here are great… knowledgeable, thankful, helpful, and understanding. IMHO it is the best food/cooking site I have come across, but have no way of knowing (nor do I really care) what the average age of the user base is.
May I ask why this matters to you?
5 Likes
I’m ancient, turning 70 this year.
I don’t think I’m typical, but who knows?
5 Likes
Never would have known.
3 Likes
So two boomers and an x so far.
The reason I ask is curiosity. There seems to be a cohort that use primarily PC to post. There are those who use mobile devices. I’m guessing it’s based on what tech you started with. I’m in between in that I rarely use my PC and mostly use my phone (like now) or iPad.
My sense is that the older posters are less likely to be dining out. I’ve been eating out whenever it’s been allowed for the last two years. Try to post reviews too. But I don’t see a lot of activity. There are some people who do get out and post but it looks like a minority of people. I’m wondering if the lack of restaurant discussion is related to age and not getting out as much. In the heyday at CH there would be all sorts of discussions about the pluses and minuses of any place you wrote about. I’m going to Saga next week and will post but I suspect there won’t be any back and forth like we used to have about EMP.
1 Like
I think it’s less a function of age than pandemic. You and I are, I think, pretty close in age, and the last time I ate in a restaurant was December 18th. Ordinarily, I would be going out once or twice a week. And Chowhound lost its regional discussions because - as you know - the redesign made it impossible to sort by your chosen categories and “latest” is the least inefficient way to see what you haven’t read. I also miss restaurant discussions, but the critical mass to support them is mostly gone.
2 Likes
Not in my case. I use all of them, but a laptop keyboard is way more convenient to use than an Android or iOS device.
I think geography is way more relevant than age when it comes to dining out. When I lived in SoCal, we went out all the time. Now that I live in a small town, there is simply nothing that compares to that experience.
3 Likes
Gen X
CH during its heyday had, I believe, many more users than HO does. There was a reason to post on regional boards because they had traffic. Our current HO PNW regional board is quiet as a mouse. The few times I’ve posted, it’s been mostly crickets. All the traffic in HO seems to be on the cooking threads and in Jersey.
3 Likes
I’m 71.
And British, living in Britain. So definitely not typical for this forum.
As for the technology, I use a PC. I don’t own a phone or an iPad.
And, as for the dining out, when it’s been permitted by law and it’s felt safe, we have visited restaurants. That was during the autumn of 2020 and the summer and autumn last year. Omicron drove us back into the house in mid December and it looks like it’ll be some while yet before it feels OK again.
2 Likes
Gen X here.
1 Like
Old enough to know better 
Often typing on a mobile device from a parked truck/bus/car.
Never knew about Chowhound until I read about it on HO.
Really bad at restaurant write ups, so I don’t do much of it.
Fair question…fwiw, means little to me…
6 Likes
Ditto.
I post pictures from my phone but if I’m writing more than a paragraph I finish the post on my laptop.
1 Like
I’m entirely phone/iPad. I don’t own a (working) stand alone computer these days. No need.
Early 70s, whatever that makes me. Used to be on CH, moved to HO. Central NJ. I use an iMac, an Amazon Fire Tablet, and a smartphone, but for longer replies, links, etc., I prefer the iMac.
1 Like
I’m in the boomer group. I’m a faithful reader of HO but seldom post. I know I should participate more often but it’s rare any of my dishes are photo worthy and I don’t have the foggiest idea of how to include the if they were.
Two of us at home ate out on average 6 times a month. That stopped with the pandemic. Take out hasn’t been a success except for curbside pizza delivery.
We order two large pies, eat half of one, refrigerate the rest of that pie and freeze the second one in slices. I’ve done the supermarket delivery/curbside bit. Hasn’t been great lately as too many basis are out of stock.
3 Likes
Now THAT’S something that might deserve a separate topic. I’m sure your life is a lot more simple and peaceful because of it, but I’m older than you and have had a cellphone since they were made only by Motorola and were as big as a brick.
Is ‘no phone’ a development of recent years? A function of where you live? A lifestyle decision? I really enjoy your perspectives here, and am probably just jealous, but I’m really interested.
2 Likes
Another Boomer here. I loved CH and was so sad when the community feeling was destroyed. Found HO and really enjoy it.
Pre-pandemic we ate out occasionally, but have basically stopped. The area where we live (Marin County SFBA) has mainly overpriced and uninteresting restaurants, and we probably won’t be eating out much even post-pandemic (in the event that ever occurs…).
I use a MacBook Air and have a very simple cell phone for emergencies and placing the occasional takeout food order!
2 Likes
Xennial, and basically the only person my age I know who uses forums anymore. What can I say, I just can’t quit you HOs!
3 Likes
One year I was the same age as Michael Jackson! I think that makes me a boomer.
I started with MS DOS on Zork on an Apple II c. And a Compuserve list serve. I used it for building PC’s and outside of one work phone, haven’t used an Apple since.
I have had “pagers”!
I do a lot of MS Teams and Zoom meetings, and most often hook up my Surface to a larger screen so I can share lots of stuff.
Next meeting in about an hour.
2 Likes
