Recipe Books

On Earth, as food supplies diminished and people began to ration, reserve, and depend on artificial foods, family and cultural recipes began to disappear. People no longer cooked, rather they ate prepared meal kits, or blocks of protein packs. A bag of junk food chips became coveted. Candy bars were a once-a-month splurge for middle class folks. Fresh produce was a distant memory for older generations, and a abstract concept for the growing generation.
  In just one generation, ss people went hungry and focused on day-to-day survival, the idea of cooking a recipe became a foreign concept, and ancient ritual or tradition no longer applicable to modern Earth life, a luxury. A few restaurants remained open, but they were so exclusive that only the wealthiest individuals could attend and be served. Only a handful of people in each country served as chefs, catering to politicians and the rich elite.
As the last generation of cooks began to die off, due to disease and famine, which greatly impacted the older generation, they began to quickly write out recipe books, wanting to preserve culture and tradition, and also hopeful that some day Earth would return to a somewhat “normal” state when cooking at home happened again. They added stories and commentary to each recipe, building connections between food, family, and culture.
Most families have these books, but put them away, unsure of what to do with them. Then the Tolana invaded, Earth surrendered, and Mech factories started opening up. Protein packs became more advanced, but the economy began to recover. The Tolana, in need of fresh food, exported some to Earth, then assisted a few communities in restarting agriculture systems. The recipe books became highly coveted in mech communities as one restaurant in a community reopened and families found themselves staring at fresh produce, not knowing what to do with it.