So what's the average Chowhound's age?

[beccabones]

I was just wondering what the age range was on Chowhound. I'm a 20 year old student, & I thought I was rather young to be such a foodie. When I first started checking out CH I assumed everyone was older, but as I keep checking out the site I keep seeing a bunch of young people.

So c'mon hounds, how old are you?

[BobB]

I've still got that spreadsheet stashed away, so if we want to add some more votes to this (or maybe start over, given that all those of us who voted last time are now four years older), I'm up for it.

[FriedClamFanatic]

Older than Yesterday; younger than tomorrow

[Kholvaitar]

48 BMI:19

[BobB]

Voting seems to have stopped, so here's a (for now, at least) final update.

The last batch included a number of 20-somethings, so the average and median have both dropped to 43. Youngest 15, most distinguished 75. Most common age still 59 (eight Hounds). By decade: three teens, twenty-five 20s, fourteen 30s, eighteen 40s, eighteen 50s, thirteen 60s, five 70s.

Finito! Now, what's for dinner?

[Servorg]

Dry aged prime NY steak with aged cheddar cheese and a nice 20 year old Cabernet.

[FriedClamFanatic]

I'm glad (I think) to see the word Cabernet on the second line. Otherwise that sentence read totally differently!

Happy Easter Everyone!

[Servorg]

If my wife caught me with a 20 year old she would crack me upside my head and recommend intensive therapy and a good optometrist to the girl. ;-D>

Happy Easter/Passover to you and the greater Hound community too.

[Caroline1]

Distinguished? Bless you, my son, for you are blind!

And I just wanted to grab the opportunity to get others to scroll down this far... Hi, there! '-)

Happy Holiday Foods to all who pass here, whatever your custom!

[c oliver]

I always scroll for you, Caroline1. Especially today - wink, wink :)

[Caroline1]

LOL! Hoppin' down the bunny trail!

[FriedClamFanatic]

Scroling...and bowing.....down in from of Caroline. At almost 460 posts in less than a month, this thread may be headed for a new record. Nice work, beccabones!

[alanbarnes]

Whoopee! I'm average!

[Servorg]

Lucky dog! I'm overage. ;-D>

[cuccubear]

Three cheers for the average! Huzzah, Huzzah, Huzzah!

[Scylla]

I'll be 40 in June, but I've been a chowhound pretty much all my life. :-) Only a member on this site for about a year, though.

[The Epicurean Pig]

29 in a few weeks. Looking forward to that one- a day of wine tasting and hopefully some killer food.

[ntvandehey]

I'm 27... only had an interest in this type of stuff for about 1-2 years.

[nvcook]

Doing my part to bring the median age up - 53 on Saturday.

[alkapal]

my average age is 24.

age before beauty? beauty before age? i got it covered.... LOL!

[Caroline1]

My average age depends entirely on what number I divide my current age by.... Two or three aren't bad! '-)

[Sam Fujisaka]

The OP didn't ask for your average age (mine would be 27) but the age of an average Chowhound. We need some way to figure out who are average here and figure out their ages.

[c oliver]

I am SO not average --- in any way :)

[Gio]

I guess it's time for me to fess up and get the average average up where it belongs. I'll be 74 the last week in October, but I still have my own brown hair/no grey so I look a lot younger. So they tell me......LOL If I didn't have to take the wheelchair everwhere, I'd be about 35. Yeah, 35 was a Very good age!

[FriedClamFanatic]

Congratulations!

[Passadumkeg]

How many annual clam growth rings do you have or did I miss it?

[c oliver]

Tnanks for getting the average up and giving Caroline1 some more company. Almost 62 and I think 40 was an excellent age!

[wolfe]

Pick your year. Not sure if this belongs here or the Wine Board.
It was a Very Good Year
When I was seventeen it was a very good year.
It was a very good year for small town girls,
And soft summer nights. We'd hide from the lights,
On the village green, when I was seventeen.

When I was twenty-one it was a very good year.
It was a very good year for city girls,
Who lived up the stair, with all that perfumed hair,
And it came undone, when I was twenty-one.

When I was thirty-five it was a very good year.
It was a very good year for blue-blooded girls,
Of independent means. We'd ride in limousines.
Their chauffeurs would drive, when I was thirty-five.

But now the days are short, I'm in the autumn of the year.
And now I think of my life as vintage wine from fine old kegs.
From the brim to the dregs, it poured sweet and clear.
It was a very good year.
Written by: Ervin Drake

[Passadumkeg]

Made popular by the Kingston Trio, Nick, Dave and...
Answer and give your true age away.

[c oliver]

Bob

[limster]

It might fit if you were born in '65 or '69. For a '65 birthday, '82, '86 and '00 were good for Bordeaux among others (have tasted a bunch of enjoyable '82s and '00s, but not '86s); while for a '69 birthday, '86, '90 and '04 were good years for Rhones (well, the '04 appears to be overshadowed by '03, but apparently wasn't bad, although I can only speak for the '90s from personal experience).

[Caroline1]

YAY! We can grab Berkshire Tsarina and go play Ring Around a Rosie, then strike a pose as the Three Muses! Surely somebody will peel us some grapes! '-)

[Gio]

Hips, Hips, and Chins, Hooray!!!

[kattyeyes]

Gio, you share your natal year with my mom. She'll be 74 in August and she doesn't look her age, either. It's those good Italian genes--I'm convinced (even though she's only 1/2). ;) I call her Sophia Loren. She's a sun worshipper...and was even out this weekend (in CT!) catching rays in the yard.

[Passadumkeg]

Hey, me mum looked 60's at 90. Then she fell and hit her head. Her last words to my bro and me were, "Boys get me a BLT and a glass of wine." From her hospital bed. I should be so lucky. She did the NYT's crossword puzzle until the end. Yaught me to cook and took me to my first French restaurant in the 50's where I propmtly ordered frog's legs and calf's brains.

[Budget Palate]

I love this little story about your mum.

To answer the original question: turned 33 last week.

[FriedClamFanatic]

>>>>>Boys get me a BLT and a glass of wine." From her hospital bed. I should be so lucky.<<<<<<

Great line, even if she had her priorities backward! But we will forgive her and wish her Godspeed, upon her age

[Sam Fujisaka]

Joe! I indeed always think of you as a (wise and experienced) 35 year old. What is misleading is your sense of humor - not at all the crotchety geezette! Of course, now that I think about it, its the geezer / geezette group on CH that has the sense of humor.

[Demented]

Have to joke once you're in over time.

[Passadumkeg]

Sam, same for me. Is she joshing?

[Sam Fujisaka]

Dum, you old goat, all this time your twisted imagination had Joe being a lithe 30? Shame!!! [But good on you, Joe! And I'm sure you're still a lithe 31].

[Passadumkeg]

I imagine that Gio is a suave and svelt 30 something just like her avatar. Nothing will change me until we meet!

[Gio]

Well.... why do you think I'm hiding behind those dark glasses in my avatar? I fluctuate between Granny Ghoulie and Methuslah's Greatgrandmother. however, I'm neither a grandmother nor a ......But, underneath it all beats the heart and soul of someone who wants to experience everything this old world has to offer before the inevitable. I really wish I could say, "pick me up at the airport....."

But here's the thing:
I have a really wonderful group of friends whose ages range from 35-ish to me, the oldest. They keep me current and refuse to let me "grow old." That's key.

EDIT: Oh and lest I forget.... That avatar????
That be me. If you actually met me, you'd be surprised.

[Passadumkeg]

Art keeps one young.

[alanbarnes]

Who's Art, and does your wife know about him?

[Passadumkeg]

Art has no arms or legs, so hangs on a wall. Great head, though.

[Gio]

(~_^)

[Sam Fujisaka]

I'm with you! At 59 I'm in great shape and am accompanied half the time with a beautiful, bubbly, bright, bouncing 5 1/2 year old daugthter and most all of the time with younger working colleagues. Love you, Joe!

[Gio]

Back at you, Sam..... Life Can be beautiful!

[umbushi plum]

you remind me of my dad Sam, he's as fit as fiddle and runs 12-15k with me five times a week, his name is name is Sam too but he's 56 so pretty close ;-)

[FriedClamFanatic]

Sam......you perhaps are one of the most fortunate men alive!

a 5.5 daughter will keep you young for another 10 years at least.

And your years of travels and friends made, should keep you happy in your dotage - if and when THAT ever arrives!

[Sam Fujisaka]

And all the best to you, Clam, especially since you are a member of our shared age cohort.

[Passadumkeg]

You will, however, have to wait a bit longer for that special title of Abuelo (grandfather). Two more months and I get to see my Grandkeg in Korea.

[danhole]

When I turned 25 I was boo-hooing because I was a stay at home mom with 2 little girls under 5 years, and felt like I hadn't accomplished any of my dreams. One of my dearest friend was in her 70's and she laughed at me. She told me that she was 25, too. Her body wasn't but she was, so relax and enjoy. You have plenty of time to achieve your goals. You will always be 25! We used to share books and some of the authors she turned me on to, well she was 25 at heart! Mercy!

[Passadumkeg]

Most men are stuck for ever at sixteen.

Never grow up!

Peter

[Gio]

Lucky for me I can reinvent myself just about every 10 years or so. I just begin all over again in a new adventure. So I guess that's what keeps my brain, at least, young at heart. That and a couple of classic gin martinis before dinner....

[limster]

I doubt that there would be such a person as an "average" chowhound. I've been to large gatherings and met tens if not hundreds of hounds, and the diversity is vast. We may share common traits, like the constant urge to go hunt for undiscovered deliciousness, but that's pretty much it.

[alkapal]

gee, sam, i *thought* i was being funny.

and good luck with your ciphering.....

[mlukan]

26

[Cinemaverite1]

I'm turning 21 this summer and looking forward to getting acquainted with and educated by the regular hounds on the wine and spirits board :)

[LBeater]

I'm 23 and love food.

[k80k]

I'm 25, soon to be 26

[BobB]

With 11 ages added since the last update, I re-crunched the numbers and.. no change, average age still 44, median still 43.

No more updates for a bit, I'm leaving tomorrow for vacation sans laptop.

[kattyeyes]

Enjoy your break! Hope you're going somewhere warm that includes, of course, fab food! :)

[BobB]

Absolutely - the island of Vieques, home of the most unspoiled and uncrowded beaches in the Caribbean, as well as one of my favorite restaurants on the planet, El Quenepo. They do a churrasco that has me drooling just thinking about it - skirt steak quick-seared on a lava rock, served on a bed of cheesy black beans, and topped with pico de gallo, a drizzle of lime cream, and a mound of crispy shoestring onion rings! I'll be eating that tomorrow night, I am SO psyched!

[FriedClamFanatic]

Hush! Don't tell people about this marvelous area! Otherwise in 3 years time it will be covered with Condos and Cruise Ships!

Seriously.and wonderful area, still unspoiled. Go now!

[wolfe]

Not so fast.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/29794882/

[Amuse Bouches]

Thirty and a half next week. I've been posting on Chowhound since I was 22 (under a different name originally -- I even have a profile page in the Chowhound Guide to New York!). And I've stuck around through ALL the changes. And my posts getting deleted multiple times.

http://www.savour-fare.com

[danhole]

That would be an interesting thread - How long have you been posting on Chowhound? I am a fairly new person, only a couple years, but I know there are many who have been here for many years. Which seasoned elder is going to start it?

[BobB]

I honestly can't remember when I started or even what first led me to the site. I think it was roughly five years ago. I probably saw a reference to Chowhound in a food article somewhere.

[LindaWhit]

Same here - I know I was doing a search and came upon the site - I'm *thinking* back in 2001 or 2002?

I do wish I could find posts of mine from the Wayback Machine. Haven't fiddled around with it enough to see if I can.

[JoanN]

I tried to do that just the other day an couldn't figure out how. The only posts I could find of mine were since the redesign. I remember, very early on, posters just used their real first names. At some point Jim asked us to please use a unique identifier, such as a last initial, and I did so, so even the Wayback Machine probably wouldn't be able to find posts that I signed as Joan. But I'd love to be able to read some of those old posts. If anyone knows how to access them, I hope they'll either jump in or start a new thread and tell us how.

[Rubee]

Chris VR posted this link from the Wayback Machine in an earlier discussion (Boston board) - ahh...the old days; the old format brings back good memories.

http://web.archive.org/web/20011204221109/chowhound.com/newengland/boards/boston/boston.html

and here's the Manhattan board in 2000 that might have some of your old posts:
http://web.archive.org/web/2000082301...

[JoanN]

Thanks, Rubee. Had no idea how that worked. This gives me some good leads, but it also looks as though it might be rather time-consuming looking for specific posts. Should be a fun thing to play with when I'm in major avoidance mode.

[LindaWhit]

YOU are brilliant, Rubee. Well, Chris VR is, too. You are for saving the post. <vbg>

I found several posts of mine (then posting as Linda W.) going back to mid-November, 2001, including my first query about La Campania in Waltham (to which I've been since then, and LOVE). So it looks like I was right - 2001 is when I started here.

I'd have to figure out how the Wayback Machine brings up long threads like that to continue to look at 2002 and going forward just so I could see what I might have posted.

And wow on seeing the old threading format of the site. :-) I remember so many people saying how unwieldy it was, but I kinda liked it for the ability to see what you'd already read and what was new.

[Rubee]

I seem to remember someone starting that discussion a couple of years ago - I'll try to find it.

I found it by googling a restaurant, and started posting in 2000.

[junebug]

I'm 62 and I love this age. It's better than the alternative!

[kattyeyes]

My mom says that all the time (that however you feel about "your number," it beats the alternative). She's right. And she's 73 (will be 74 in August)...and we rode a tandem bike together two weekends ago. And she will rollerblade with me come spring. She can literally skate circles around some of my 40-something friends. You and the other 60-somethin's are still young'uns. ;)

[c oliver]

You betcha, girlfriend!

[roadfoodie]

53, female, live in the New Mexico for the past 3 years but miss dining and eating in living in California! We both LOVE to cook and eat and everytime my hubby and I make a roadtrip, I go to this website for advice on places to eat. We all have the same thing in common.....we are foodies!!!

[alanbarnes]

Las Cruces! Welcome!

There are a few of us around here who have lived in your neck of the woods, at least for a while. Trust me, if you leave NM you'll miss the food you got there, too.

Next time you're at Blake's pick one up for me. I'll return the favor at In'N'Out.

[Passadumkeg]

A Lottaburger with double green chile! I'll suffer w/ a lobster roll. Moving to Nm form Ca is not as bad as a shock to one's system as from New Mex to Northern Maine. We still have snow and the threat of another blizzard.

[PamB]

Hi I am 48 and proud to be here and alive and hope to meet new people from all over

[CindyJ]

Welcome, PamB! If you scan through these hundreds of posts, you'll see that not only will you be meeting "new" people, you'll be meeting some older ones, as well. :-)

[c oliver]

With you and me being two of 'em, huh???

[andieb]

I'm 44, but still trying to have fun like a 21 yo!! It's funny though, the body knows I'm not 21...

[cockadoodlewe]

It seems that when you're young everyone seems older and when you're older everyone else is young. Age is meaningless since the group shares a common interest.

[wolfe]

Are you surprised that you were still only 61 when you got to the end of the thread?

[arugala]

still representing the twenties for another couple weeks! (29)

[cockadoodlewe]

If if keeps going a little longer I'll be 62!

[c oliver]

June 9 is my 62 - don't count me again, BobB

[danhole]

Don't count me again yet, BobB, but if this thread keeps going until May 23 then I will be 52! But I am still sticking with 51 until the last bloody minute.

[cockadoodlewe]

May 23rd is my 62 wanna switch years?

[danhole]

No thanks, but I'll be thinking of you on our b'day!

[BobB]

OK, update time. Lots of posts since the last tally, but not an awful lot of them included ages. Still, the numbers have nudged a bit downward. Average reported age is now 44 (down from 45), median is 43 (down from 44). Youngest 15, reigning empress still 75.

Most common age is still 59, by a two-to-one margin - eight 59-year olds out here, no other single age was reported by more than four Hounds.

By decade: three teens, fifteen 20s, twelve 30s, fourteen 40s, sixteen 50s, ten 60s, three 70s. No octogenarians or above - yet!

Now back to work.

[Passadumkeg]

Double check on the class of '47.

[BobB]

How so? I found two 61s and two 62s, that should cover the year. If there are any more than that I apologize - I just scanned all 300+ posts for actual numbers (lazy bugger that I am), so if you coded your age in a riddle, an anecdote, or anything requiring me to use math you did not get included in the count.

[cockadoodlewe]

By the time I scrolled to the last post I got the courage to come clean about my age: 61! Yikes, it's really scary to see that in print. Anyhow it does not diminish my addiction to all things culinary.

[Crepe Suzette]

I'm 26....one more member of the 20s! :)

[FriedClamFanatic]

To all that have posted.....especially those of you who are somewhat concerned about your age, just remember:

Inside of each of us beats the heart and mind of an 18 year old. We just have trouble getting the outer parts to perform at that level!

[AhRoi]

I'm a 21 year old student.

[Passadumkeg]

Take the number of posts by retirees w/ too much time on their hands, subtract the number of posts by people bored w/ their jobs, multiply by pi and we might get a rough age equivelent, but how do we factor in insomnia?

[billieboy]

I'll have to sleep on that one.

[Servorg]

Sounds like Junk Food Science to me... ;-D>

[FriedClamFanatic]

LOL....in an different thread, I was listening to someone complain about a nice place, but too many stairs, especially to the bathroom, for her age! I chimed in on noise levels.

It''s a B$tch getting old, but at least we have all these wonderful tastes to remember - or does your sense of taste also change over time???????? Who knows - I might be able to apply for a government grant to chart tastebuds over time. After all, how many times have we heard that XXXXX is an acquired taste?

[Passadumkeg]

Not fried clams; love at first bite. Jordens Snack Bar just opened last Wed.; the clams are as juicy, tender and lightly breaded as always. Ruth & Whimpies, home of the $9.95 lobster special opens this weekend. Can summer be far behind?

[FriedClamFanatic]

OWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWwww You're killing me!

[Scargod]

I can remember being introduced to my first fried clams when about 20. I don't think there were too many places in Dallas serving them in 1967. My boss had me try them. They quickly became a favorite food, right along with oysters.

[FriedClamFanatic]

Fried Clams in Dallas must be a rarity! They are non-existent in the Philly area (alas)

[KTinNYC]

Weren't there Howard Johnson's in Philly? That's where I first had fried clams. In retrospect they were pretty bad but I thought they were delicious at the time. Actually, now that I think of it White Castle had fried clams also, I wounder if they still carry them.

[FriedClamFanatic]

There are two types of clams.....Ipswich, or clams with bellies.......and clam strips. The latter comes from a totally different type of clam. That is what HOJO's sold.

I'm in the group who loves Ipswich type.........and never had a liking for the strips.

[KTinNYC]

i Know the difference now but when I first ate them at HOJO's I thought they were wonderful. We still have a hard time getting whole bellies in Manhattan.

[CindyJ]

Count me "up there" at 61. Or is THAT just about average? Is anyone doing the math, here?

[Sam Fujisaka]

Not the average, but close to the median. The distribution is strongly skewed by a number of evenly spaced younger hounds, the relatively large number of 56 - 62 year olds, and just a smattering of people over the median.

[CindyJ]

Thanks, Sam! Is that a new statistician's toque you're wearing?

[Sam Fujisaka]

Nah, statistics are a daily part of a researcher's life (and much more compex ones at that).

[CindyJ]

I suppose that's true... except for researchers like myself, who focus on qualitative matters rather than quantitative.

[Sam Fujisaka]

Not even non-parametric statistics and all the statistical methods used for qualitative analysis? Chi-square? Geeky of me, I know.

[CindyJ]

It's all that statistical mumbo-jumbo that drove me to the other (qualitative) side. I'm much more interested in how the chef feels as he presents his perfectly pouffed souffle to his guests, than how many times in the past his souffle has deflated before ever reaching the table. :-)

[BobB]

Statistician's toque, I like that! Something to wear when cooking the books?

[Gio]

You can add me into the "smattering of people over the median", but I'm not committing......

[BobB]

I did the math a few days ago: http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/6030...

Time for an update - but I'm pretty busy this morning, I'll try to get to it later today.

[c oliver]

Would you please tell your boss that we find it annoying when your professional life interferes with our oh-so-important personal lives. Priorities, my man; priorities.

[c oliver]

I'm 61 also and I've been told that that's VERY young indeed. Here's to 1947!

[CindyJ]

Cheers!

[cassoulady]

C Oliver- 60 is the new 21 from what I hear... I hope you threw a big 60th. My sister is turning 50 this year and insists that she is "too old" for a party. I said that the older you are, the bigger more extravagant party you deserve... she didnt agree.

[LindaWhit]

I'm with your sister on this one, cassoulady. Not my style to have a big party thrown for me, first off, but for other varying reasons, I chose not to do *anything* for the 50th. My sister only insisted on dinner out (just the 2 of us) on that particular night, and I was fine with that.

[c oliver]

We threw a big party for my 50th!!! I'm VERY big into celebrating "my special day." For my 60th we were actually more than half way through a 3-1/2 month stay in Rio so that was a party in itself :) To each his/her own. I'm an extreme extrovert so the more I'm the center of attention the better I like it :)

[FriedClamFanatic]

Alas, Cindy, I'm afraid you, Sam and I are in the "older but wiser" crowd. A cple of "young whipper-snappers" skew the average down to early mid 40's, I believe, but as Sam says, the median is in favor of us

[cuccubear]

I can pass for 36 and, if I shave my beard, even younger – but, I’ll be 43 in April and I’m a Taurus.

I don’t know what else to say...except *that I like long walks on the beach and reading poetry in the rain*...oops, wrong site. LOL, couldn’t resist.

I love food and am glad to be here with all you fine folks!!!

(BTW, Servorg, the weight thread you linked to above has been deleted.)

[wolfe]

43 is acceptable, even young, as Gilbert and Sullivan said "she could very well pass for 43 in the dusk with the night behind her."

[Servorg]

(BTW, Servorg, the weight thread you linked to above has been deleted.)

Heavy news... ;-D>

You have to realized that in cyber space things are never really gone - they just exist in another dimension:

http://209.85.173.132/search?q=cache:...

[austinchowdude]

How old do you want me to be? :-)

[Passadumkeg]

As old as Kinky Friedman or The Austin Lounge Lizards?

Shallow End of the Gene Pool

[Scargod]

If we could all be so lucky as to be so shallow.

Austin Lizard is son

[Passadumkeg]

Maria's tacos al pastor, here we come! Look out SoCo. Tex, should we notify the Austin authorities, that 2 old fart, food deranged, New England exiles are about to descend on their fair city during the Bob Marley Festival? Whoooo Weeee! Buffalo Soldiers!

[wolfe]

Line that struck me as appropriate in the permalink about good places in Austin.

I reason to myself that it isn't Nam,it is a nice sunny day and I need to get a grip on myself.

http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/5841...

[alkapal]

scargod, you have a lizard as a son? you leprechauns are wilder than i thought!

[lcool]

I will be 64 on May 11

[Caroline1]

Hey! You're thinking very young. It's usually kids who tell you how old they'll be on their NEXT birthday! Keep it up!

[lcool]

the answer to the trick question I posted above,V-E DAY allies,maybe that is a history stretch for the young crowd

[Caroline1]

Ah, the crowd that doesn't give a Google for facts! '-)

[Emmmily]

Hey now, I like facts. In fact, they usually come from google! :-)

[Caroline1]

Goggle can be good, but don't believe everything you read there! '-)

[Servorg]

"Goggle can be good, but don't believe everything you read there!"

If you strike the first 5 words and the last word of this sentence and then add "or hear or see" to it I believe we will have achieved agreement.

[Caroline1]

The first word should have been stricken and corrected before posting! Back in the 70s, I couldn't figure out why an academic friend always printed his mss out from the computer to proof read. What a waste of paper, I would rant. Then a few years late, I got a computer and understood. Proofreading on a monitor is a very "iffy" thing!

But yes. We are in total agreement. Question EVERYTHING! It's the ONLY way to fly!

[enbell]

That's my b-day too :) I'll be 28, but I thought Victory in Europe Day to be May 8th. Huh...
Feliz cumpleanos either way! By the way, this year for the first time, I have noticed my metabolism slow down....bummer because I have always been able to eat without much restraint. Now I actually have to be more mindful.

[linguafood]

You betcha will! Wait till ya hit 30. And then 35. You be hatin' that metabolizzle in no time.

[umbushi plum]

my metabolism is crazy but because i'm really small boned (half vietnamese) i can easily get away with 12 (see aabove i'm 17) and although i'm 5'5 i'm only 95 pounds and i can eat more than the rest of my family but mostly i just eat huge and i mean huge amounts of healthy food because my parents are very health contious but my brother is 27 and still has a really good metabolism so crossing my fingers it stays high for a little longer

[lcool]

bon compleano enbell

Victory in Europe Day "Soviets" 8 or 9 May depending on the time line of publication

Victory in Europe Day "Allied Forces" 11 May 1945..the Soviets were in Berlin 2 days before the Allied Forces
ERGO 2 legitimate "official" dates ,why I called it a trick question with a qualifier above somewhere

[enbell]

Man, I really need to read more carefully!

[Passadumkeg]

One thing the boomers haven't mentioned is weight. Smell a beer and I gain 5 lbs. Always been a skinny kid, even at 40 or even 50, but w/ the approach of 60 the metab slowed down and the pounds speed up, Never worried about calories, but I do now, not that it stops me. This has been a rough winter up here and that has slowed me down. Not really fat, but when's the baby due? As they say, if you have something to protect, build a roof over it.
Liquid grain storage bin?
Passagutkeg

[moh]

EEK! For goodness sakes, Passadumkeg, please don't start a "what is the average CH's weight"....

Fortunately spring is just around the corner, and the bike will come out soon. I hope to start shedding some of the winter weight soon. Perhaps start the thread in the fall when weight is at a minimum?

[Servorg]

Ha ha. Too Late! http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/287549

[vvvindaloo]

That is the most unappetizing thread I have ever seen here on CH, and that's saying something.

[Caroline1]

LOL! I suspect THAT thread would have one hell of a lot more lies in it than this one does!

[moh]

Gulp - I plead the fifth.

[lcool]

tasty ferments are a sign god loves us,BEER,WINE,CHOCOLATE,COFFEE,SOY SAUCE,MISO,ANCHOVIES and so on 100 years ago too few lived long enough to worry about weight gain at any age.

[FriedClamFanatic]

When visiting my son in Barbados, I went for a swim and floated a while on my back. Planes landing were reporting a new island off the South coast

[Servorg]

lol I am so pale that, if that had been me floating there, the US Coast Guard and the NOAA would have scrambled more than a few tracker aircraft assuming that B-15 had somehow migrated to that area of the world.

http://www.atsr.rl.ac.uk/images/sampl...

[Rmis32]

I am so pale, even white people call me "honky".

[kattyeyes]

LOLOLOL!!!

[Veggo]

When I'm sunning on the beach, the Greenpeace volunteers try to drag me back into the water.

[moh]

LMAO!!!! Good to know they care!

[alkapal]

veggo, that *is* funny. maybe it is due to the two huge bumps in your long digestive tract. nessie, look out! ;-). http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/5529...

[enbell]

Late to the thread, but I'll chime in at 27. I don't know what 27 _should_ feel like, but I don't feel 27 (at least I don't tink so)!

[mcsheridan]

57 and unwilling to act my age. :)

[Passadumkeg]

Peter Pan is my hero!

[thew]

48 and peter pan

[c oliver]

Good boy re PP

[clamscasino]

Well, just to wiggle the weights on the scale back to the mean: I'm also 48 and married to peter pan...does that make me Tinkerbell? People always say I still look like a teenager.

[c oliver]

Or Wendy?

[clamscasino]

Naa, I'm too fiesty. Darn your own socks.

[c oliver]

I just always wanted to be Peter. That darned Mary Martin started that androgynous stuff, didn't she?

[MacTAC]

Impostor! The real McCoy...

http://rriderlausd.org/blog2/wp-conte...

[AndrewK512]

I'm 15, I guess that makes me the youngest...

[Caroline1]

YAY! And may you get to taste as many great and wonderful things in your next 60 years as I have tasted in my last 60! Welcome, Andrew! '-)

[MacTAC]

Driving our median age down, Andrew. I'll have to balance you out. Not to be coy, but FriedClamFanatic was born on my third birthday...

[Caroline1]

Gosh, you don't LOOK 62! '-)

[MacTAC]

LOL. My 15 yo keeps me young...

[Scargod]

You don't look a day over 50.. Is that (avatar) you? And you look so sweet; like you wouldn't hurt a fly.

[Caroline1]

Yeah, the avatar is me a bout ten years ago. At least for me, I don't change much from decade to decade. Well, I did consider using the attached photo as an avatar, but I have changed a bit since then! And don't kid yourself... Looking sweet only helps you get closer to the flies before you swat! '-)

[Scargod]

Same eyes! Yur flirtin with disaster, showin yursef nakid! Boy is that not about food!

[Caroline1]

Sure it's about food. It's illustrating how NOT to dress when you're deep fat frying!

[FriedClamFanatic]

And you were born on Ben Franklin's 241st!

[MacTAC]

And you on Muhammad Ali's eighth. Michelle Obama on my seventeenth. We're in good company, I would say...

[kirinraj]

damn, i've been thwarted. i though that I was the youngest one (16) haha

[MacTAC]

Check Andrew's proof of age before you concede, kirinraj!

[lcool]

maybe your activity here will encourage my grand son and great niece and nephew to join in.So far all they do is read,rather than participate.

[Passadumkeg]

It seems truly hard to believe that forty-one years ago I was 19, recently wounded in Viet Nam and in a veteran's hospital. Five kids later, life has been good.

[c oliver]

Thank you for both serving us then and for raising what sound like good kids.

[Passadumkeg]

Drafted

[c oliver]

Into having five kids????

[Passadumkeg]

Funny, my oldest kids were born in Scandinavia. Too bad I didn't go there instead of Nam, I might be asleep now.

[Caroline1]

And you think that would be better than this? HAH!

[Passadumkeg]

What do you mean?

[Caroline1]

I'm questioning your (apparent) inference that you'd rather be sleeping that talking to us here on Chow. '-)

[wolfe]

Any time on Repose?

[Passadumkeg]

She was a beautiful lady, but nope, never made it onto a ship, flown out of Danang.
S0ome swabbie I was. Jarheads buy me beers, though.

[Sam Fujisaka]

Funny, keg, you and I are about the same age. I ended up spending more time in Vietnam than you, but not at a time when someone was shooting at my ass trying to KILL me!!! Glad I wasn't there with you; wish you could have been with me later (and we were the first to go there after the war).

[Passadumkeg]

Wouldn't mind going back; some very beautiful mtns. around the DMZ.

[Sam Fujisaka]

Other than that Hamburger Hill - now all covered with Imperata, like an old bald guy with a wig.

[Passadumkeg]

And old land mines.

[Passadumkeg]

Funny, Sam, we are both about the same age and both went to Nam at about the same time on medical missions; yours agricultural, mine, medical. What different experiences. Ever need a tracheotomy give me a call.
"Pho"ey on it all.

[Glencora]

I'm 43. My SO and I met when we were 15 and now our son is 15. Often when we look at each other, we feel that no time has passed -- then we look at this guy looming next to us, taller than we are...!

But if we feel as though we haven't changed, our eating habits certainly have. When we lived together in college it was canned tamales and frozen burritos. Our meals have improved so much in 25 years, I can't imagine what we'll be eating in another 25.

[liveloveat34]

just turned 24 TODAY! can't believe how fast it is going post college...

[goodhealthgourmet]

happy birthday! hope you're celebrating with a Chow-worthy meal ;)

[Caroline1]

The thing poor old Einstein completely overlooked in his theory of relativity is that the older you get, the faster time passes! Strap on your seat belt. '-)

[c oliver]

Ain't it the truth? And our children can't possibly be 30 and 32. Because that would make us older than we can possibly be :)

[FriedClamFanatic]

Hippo Birdy, Two Ewes!

[hannaone]

LoL!!

Following this thread is fun.

Um ....
Let's see .
School plus two retirements and working towards my third adds up to about 52.

My wife keeps asking when I am going to grow up - My answer "Never".

[c oliver]

My husband doesn't bother asking. He knows the answer. Favorite story: Peter Pan.

[wolfe]

Second star to the right and straight on to E Bulli.
http://www.elbulli.info/

[c oliver]

Oh wow. Thanks for sharing that. Those photos are wonderful, aren't they?

[Caroline1]

Unless you happen to be Captain Hook, in which case you would prefer a big fat dish of crocodile etouffee! '-)

[wolfe]

Actually the croc would prefer another serving of finger food.

[c oliver]

Booooo!

And in reverence for elbulli, I'd like some foam on that etouuffee por favor.

[FriedClamFanatic]

No matter your age, just remember:

For some of us,

Inside beats the heart and mind of an 18 yr old...........we just have trouble getting the outer parts to perfom at that level!

[limster]

Age is irrelevant; the ability to independently and critically seek out new delicious food and to share those find here is paramount.

[Servorg]

It may not be as irrelevant as we might think, depending on what age does to our ability to discern the "taste" of things to come.

[CocoaNut]

56. I once was stuck on 26 for several years. Finally, I caught up to myself, only to now be stuck on 54. Age isn't particularly bothersome to me - my brain just hasn't caught up to the chronological number yet. Prior to it happening for the first time, I'd never given any thought to calling someone "ma'am". Then one day, someone called me "ma'am". Definitely an attention getter! :}

I discovered the adventures of "food" during my mid-40's and one thing's for certain - no matter your age, in the world of food, you'll never reach the horizon.

[vvvindaloo]

I'm 33. But I've learned so much on these boards over the past few years that I feel more like 45. Or 25? Yeah, that's it. 25. It's the new 13 :)

[Sam Fujisaka]

You'ere the same age as my last ex wife. That must have been the problem: I was married to a 13 year old.

[Candy]

60

[invinotheresverde]

I'm truthfully 31 but usually 27.

[BobB]

So, for anyone interested: tallying up those who have given a straightforward answer to the question thus far, the average age is......45. Median age 44. Youngest 16, most distinguished 75. Most common answer: 59 (five Hounds). Breakdown by decade: two teens, seven 20s, six 30s, thirteen 40s, ten 50s, four 60s, three 70s.

What a motley crowd we are! And yes, I'm bored at work today.

[Caroline1]

75 is distinguished? Bless you, my son! '-)

[c oliver]

And guess what, BobB? I think I can speak for all of us when I say that you are now our statistician on this project. We WILL expect updates :) I'm only surprised that the median age isn't higher. Maybe it will creep up. Thanks and we won't tell your boss. Or are you your own boss?

[BobB]

I saved the data file, so updates will be no problem. I work from a home office and do have a boss, but he's about 1000 miles away and I only see him 3 - 4 times a year. Life is good.

And keep in mind, this is of necessity based only on the responses of those who admitted their age. I'm guessing that in general, those who won't tell are likely to be older than those who will.

[c oliver]

I don't know; for some reason I sense it might be those 40 y.o.'s who are holding back. I feel like we old farts are bragging about our age. But that's just a feeling. I do think this is fun

[JoanN]

All right, c oliver. That did it. Here's another old fart bragging. 65. Gotta get that median up there where it belongs!

[Demented]

We're looking at combined age of what, a little over 2,000 years so far?

[billieboy]

I'm 70 but am young as a Chowhound. I never really cooked at all until after my wife died. I soon got sick of Kraft Dinner and greasy spoons. Learn to cook, I said to myself, or you're gonna starve to death.
Once I made a few decent meals it was like I was a 16yr old who just discovered sex. :-)
Never stop experimenting with new flavours and new cuisines. On a Chinese kick right now. Love the stuff.
Even doing canning. Have enough homemade stock, salsa, pickeled beets etc. to keep an army happy.

[kattyeyes]

<<Once I made a few decent meals it was like I was a 16yr old who just discovered sex. :-)>>

What a great analogy! Apparently, you really can teach an old hound new tricks! ;)

Always brings to mind "We are always the same age inside." (Gertrude Stein)

[c oliver]

Good for you!!!!!!!!! And I'm sure the ladies in your crowd are quite smitten with you and the good food :)

[Caroline1]

Dunno how things are working out for you, BillieBoy, but for me, being seventy five is a real blast! I just wish there was some way I didn't have to do it in a seventy five year old body! '-)

[vvvindaloo]

:)

[cayjohan]

Caroline, my Dad said the same thing to me today! Then he went on to talk about all the food he wants to taste when he next visits. My thought? "I want to be you when I grow up."

Then he talked about indigestion. I guess some other things know no age boundaries!

Cheers,

Cay

[c oliver]

I've never understood people who don't eat something (just) because it gives them indigestion. If it's something I love, it's a small price to pay. But raw green peppers or canteloupe? Nope. Don't like 'em well enough.

[Passadumkeg]

What's indegestion?

[c oliver]

There's an old ditty where you can change the word to "burp" :

"It's better to fart and bear the shame than not to fart and bear the pain."

[cayjohan]

Sadly, our household cleaves to that ditty all too well!

Grins,
Cay

[Sam Fujisaka]

And my daughter learned the "Pull my finger" bit from me. Sign of good child rearing.

[Servorg]

I wonder if this is the corollary to my 20 year old son's penchant for "yanking my chain"?

[OnkleWillie]

I’m 73.

Surviving on lots of capsicum, curries and pre Pearl Harbor music.

[c oliver]

Oh goody gumdrops! Caroline! is 75, you're 73. I'm "only" 62. I feel young again :)

[greygarious]

"Old" is a moving target, no? It's always 10 years more than my current age. My late mother was once riding on a senior shuttle bus with a diminutive and deeply-creased woman who looked very ancient to my then 84-yr old mom. When she asked the woman how old she was, the reply was 103. Mom then asked her where she lived. The woman's cheerful answer: "With my parents".....

[c oliver]

I love that!

[oakjoan]

I'm 67, somewhere between c.oliver and Onklewillie. I've waited all my life to scream "You damned kids get off my lawn!", but now we don't even HAVE a lawn. Sigh.

[iluvtennis]

I love pre-Pearl Harbor music, so maybe it will give me some extra years of good life :)

I'm 26.

[Rmis32]

20???? I've got suits older than you. Heck, I've got food in my freezer older than you!

[goodhealthgourmet]

i've discovered food in my mother's cupboards older than that as well. at least yours is in the freezer! ;)

[kattyeyes]

Exactly. I found "antique" Jell-O in my mom's cupboards years ago. It was marked with an ink stamp price tag of 15 cents. Oh, and the flavor was VEGETABLE! Definitely older than 20. ;)

[c oliver]

I found tuna in the family vacation cabin that was so old it didn't have the nutritional components printed on the label. Definitely older than 20 and probably lethal!!!

[Veggo]

It might have less mercury.

[c oliver]

Good point. I threw it out anyway --- along with the multiple bottles of salad dressings that were 5-10 years past their expiration date.

[greygarious]

I once discovered a can of caffeine-free diet cola that was over 5 years old (can't remember exactly). It still had some carbonation, but was colorless (and no, it wasn't back when they made it that way) and the artificial sweetness was gone, leaving nothing but a tinny, metallic taste. A rare exception to my "don't waste food" rule was made....or maybe not; it had little claim on that categorization even straight from the factory!

[Rmis32]

A couple of years ago, mom had an ulcer attack & spent 2 days in the hospital. My sister decided to do her a favor, while she was out of the house, & organize the section of the attached garage, that mom used as a 2nd pantry. When mom got home, sis informed mom...
You don't need to buy tuna for 3 years
tomato sauce, 4 years
paper towels, 5-6 yrs
and on and on and on.
Dear mom, she never missed a sale. If they ever drop an atom bomb on NY, rush over to mom's in Jersey. She can feed you 'til the radioactivity dies down.

[FriedClamFanatic]

Are we related? Not separated at birth, that's for sure, because we have the same Mom!

And don't forget those spices from when Truman was in office!

[Demented]

47, last month.

[Veggo]

Enjoy it; you won't live through another prime number for 6 years.

[FriedClamFanatic]

Oh, wow............then that means at 59, I'm still in my prime! Hooray!

[c oliver]

Better prime than sub-prime, right? At 62, I consider most of you children. Maybe that's why you outcook me most days!

[alwayscooking]

Prime v choice!
I'm always thinking food . . .

[JohnE O]

45, though my wife still whines that she's a single mother of 3 kids (I think she's implying I'm immature, but she's a poopy-head). Can't wait until summer when I can start yelling at the kids to get the hell off my lawn.

[greygarious]

59 and for the first time, thinking of skipping the next "turnover". The idea of SIXTY...uff dah! Apparently a lifetime of oily skin has paid off since people think I'm lot younger; I am considering not disabusing them of that notion...

Theferlyone, you don't know how lucky you are to live in a military environment, where "m'aam" is common usage. Out here in the general population, a gal's first "m'aam" is cause for diving into a stiff drink, pint of ice cream, or bottle of hair dye!
I sent an animated e-card to a friend who was turning 40. It showed a young woman in a Beetle, cheerfully cruising up to a drive-thru window. The kid hands over her order and says "Have a nice day, "m'aam". She says "M'aam?", scowls and guns the engine, driving off in a cloud of fumes. The card then reads "Get used to it. Happy Birthday!"

[capeanne]

My palate is an embryo for all the tastes I haven't experienced, my spirit is 21 so I can thankfully appreciate fine wine, my tummy is middle aged for some of the abuse it has taken in experimentation and this old body just turned 59 !

[alixium]

i too, am in the rather young segment of the age range... 20 years old.
but i guess it is easier to gain respect when one's features are hidden. unfortunately, discrimination based on sex, age, race... is still alive and well in our society, and forums such as these enable all to learn from one another without fast judgment. one is weighed through one's knowledge, input, and open-mindness, which is how things should be.
age must never be as relevant as one's wisdom and heart!

[c oliver]

They may be here but I've never seen any sign of bias here at all. Gender, age or race. It gets a little heated at times but not because of those things. I respect you just as much as I did before you gave your age :) Do I want to stand beside you in the class photo? Hell, no! All that dewy smooth skin, firm flesh. HA!

[kchurchill5]

I can definitely be the rebel at times and realize that, but won't back down. A little controversy can be good and stir new ideas. I just like to be vocal but hope that some hear me and I am sure some will object but all in all it is respected. No I think age has no basis here at all. I find it entertaining and educational

[alixium]

indeed, i meant that it was not the case here. sorry for the misunderstanding!
(please stand next to me! a smile has no age)

[kchurchill5]

I agree, age means nothing to me. Knowledge, experience and just overall willingness to learn and to apply it and being open minded is the key. Welcome all. Age means nothing to me.

[kchurchill5]

I think there is a great many of younger chowhounds that are wanting to learn ... And others that think or actually do know how. And there are some who are in between. Which in turn makes a good mix.

I think, on prior blogs that we learned that regardless of the food networks popularity or those of its stars it has created a "desire" to learn and want to cook. Regardless of cheap marketing or gimicks it has got those who haven't cooked or wanted to ... to become somewhat interested. Maybe the host, maybe the gimick or the name of the show. But it has sparked interested in those not interested before. So regardless. I think that maybe the age is so diverse. You may have middle aged that never cooked, young and inexperienced, or single parents just starting who happened upon Rachel and thought 30 minutes huh?

I love the diversity and think we should respect every age group and every level of skill and or their knowledge. We are here to share and offer information. Sharing is why we are here. Most people reading CHOW will realize it isn't sandra lee, but there are those out there who are sandra fans and are first timers trying to improve and learn from us. We need to remember that.

So, very thankful for the diversity and enjoy the controversy at times, j/k :)

[Veggo]

nicely spoken

[kchurchill5]

Thank you!

[Cebca]

I agree, I think that there is an excellent range of ages and experiences, teachers and learners (though of course we are all a bit of both) on this board. I would actually give CH a lot of credit for not being nearly as demographically driven as nearly every other site/bpard, certainly all of the ones I can think of.

[kchurchill5]

I couldn't agree more. I can be a bit outspoken and controversial at times siding with shortcuts, but being single, a mom working 12 hours days and 3 jobs ... I use every angle I can get, but truly appreciate good quality and cooking techniques. So sometimes I side on the lower end. But really appreciate those who strive and use only the best.

I love the difference and think it is great!

[cpw]

37 for now.

[FriedClamFanatic]

I have just entered my sixth decade on this planet (much better than the last one - planet, that is!) and still love to cook and create new things.

[pikawicca]

59

[Sam Fujisaka]

And raised by wolves!

[alwayscooking]

Oh Sam!
very very funny - and for a man your age!

[Sam Fujisaka]

pika and I are the same age and seem to agree about a lot of things. She made a "raised by wolves" crack the other night, after which our whole sub-thread got deleted.

[wolfe]

I wasn't going to join this thread but must find out what is wrong about being raised by wolves.

[Sam Fujisaka]

Good one, Wolfie!

[FriedClamFanatic]

Mama was never a B#tch, but there were some hairy legged creatures in my youth that could scare even you, old friend

[pikawicca]

I'm howling, as usual.

[CindyJ]

Does that mean you're in your early 50's? (...trying to figure out MY decades -- I think I'm into my 7th)

[Passadumkeg]

Therefore you 59 or are in your sixties.

Forties, fifties, sixties, seventies, eighties, nineties, zeros; seven decades.

[FriedClamFanatic]

I know I"m over the hill.....but I try and make sure that there aren't tombstones showing up on this side of the hill..at least for quite a while

[Passadumkeg]

Hey young pup! I think I was in Nam while you were a preppy.

[CindyJ]

I'm thinking that I entered my seventh decade on my 60th b'day... no?

[Passadumkeg]

If born in '49, still have seven decades.

[FriedClamFanatic]

Yes, Dear.I entered my 60th year this year as I turned 59. you get one year for every B-day, so on the 9th B-day, you enter the next year, but not the next decade. Or, do i have that worng? See what age does?

Anyway, you have lived for 6, so i guess the next one is in your 7th

[CindyJ]

Let's see... you begin your first decade on the day you're born. So if you're 59, you're nearing the end of 6th decade. On your 60th b'day you'll enter your 7th decade. ARRRGGGH!!! Numbers!!!

[Caroline1]

As the old saying goes, "Figures don't lie but liars can figure." I think Jack Benny had it right when he just let the subject go by claiming to be 29.... for decades! '-)

[BobB]

It was 39, actually, and my dad did the same thing. On his 78th we had a party for his 39th birthday of turning 39.

[Cebca]

23 for me.

[bayoucook]

I'm a pretty fit 56 but frequently told I look 10 years younger. That's the damned thing aboug aging. I turned 56 on 2/22 and on the inside I still feel...32? I exercise a LOT and try to eat healthy for the most part, take my vites/minerals/calcium, and am not yet a candidate for Botox even if I would actually go there. Love to cook. Love to eat. Love to live my life!!

[Servorg]

In the near neighborhood of one billion nine hundred twenty five million five hundred ten thousand four hundred seconds. After writing that down I now realize why I feel old some mornings. ;-D>

[Veggo]

Which is over 13 BILLION ticks on a Rolex. I wonder how the machine and our hearts stand up to the test of time !

[Servorg]

I often get the feeling that my self-winding mechanism is not as tightly wound as it used to be (losing time without a reset stem in sight!)...

[Veggo]

One morning I took my pulse and concluded that I must be dead. It turned out that my self-winding Rolex had unwound. I hadn't worn it for two days.

[Passadumkeg]

I found a Timex underwater on a streambed in about 1960 when trout fishing. Had it until about five years ago when I lost it. Chrome had worn off, saw a lot ot action, but still worked.

[CindyJ]

"...takes a a likin' and keeps on tickin' "

[Scargod]

Almost my age! Old fart! Hey...that's me!

[Miss Needle]

Well, what you're going to see are the ages of people who decide to post their age on this thread. But I believe I read somewhere that the average age demographic here was somewhere along the lines of 33 or 34.

[c oliver]

I wonder where they got that number since I don't remember having to give it when I signed up. Plus I think there's distinction between the general CH population and those who actively post and I'm guessing this thread might draw more of those in.

It's funny that we "old farts" seem quite willing --- even proud --- to give our ages. Some of the middle kidlets are more reluctant.

[KTinNYC]

Years ago, maybe (6-7?) chowhound did a study of some sort to get the demographics of their core audience. Age, income etc. was all measured and was posted somewhere. I'll try and find the data.

ETA: Here is some demograpic information but not from the survey. I haven't done traffic analysis for websites for a few years now so I really don't know how good quantcast is as a provider of information so take this for what you will.

http://www.quantcast.com/chowhound.com
http://www.quantcast.com/chow.com

[alwayscooking]

I'm a middle kidlet! No one can guess my age in the real world so why should I share here?

=)

[KTinNYC]

33.

[bubbles4me]

37

[Katie Nell]

Are you two guessing alwayscooking's age or replying?! ;-)

I'm 28, but some people still thinking I'm in high school when they meet me for the first time... people keep telling me that I'll appreciate it one day... I'm still waiting!

[beccabones]

Oh I know how you feel! Everyone keeps saying that I look like I'm 15, people even tell me that my ID is fake!

[c oliver]

I still remember the first time I didn't get "carded" and the drinking age was 18 then! I was a little depressed :)

[Katie Nell]

I actually don't get carded very often... my husband thinks they look at me and think, "no way would she even try that if she weren't 21!"

[CoryKatherine]

ugh i'm 23 and never get carded anymore. It's seriously depressing.

[harrison]

Funny, I just turned 43 and was carded last week. I was buying a friend a very nice (well, at least to me) bottle of wine - around $100. When the cashier carded me I was curious to know how many underage folks were making this type of purchase!

No reply...

[c oliver]

If you were paying with check or credit card, he might have been checking that you were who you say you were. Don't want to rain on your parade.... :)

[KTinNYC]

I'm guessing.

[Miss Needle]

Believe me, you will appreciate it. When I first started working, everybody thought I was a kid. It was kind of difficult to deal with at first because I'm in a profession where it's advantageous to be older. But as the years passed by, I got the "what school are you in" question less and less. Today, as lame as it may sound, it's a thrill when I'm carded or when people call me "miss" instead of the dreaded "ma'am."

[theferlyone]

LOL...I'm 24, and I get "ma'am"ed all the time. My husband's in the military, so it's pretty much unavoidable on base and at functions...but I still hate it, especially if someone "ma'am"s me from behind. :)

[Veggo]

33 or 34? That may be the wet dream for traditional advertising audiences, but the most significant C'hound contributors have more travels, experiences, and years than that (and probably more income). Plus, at that age I was so work-hard-play-hard I would not have had the time. I'll take all bets that the average is higher.

[c oliver]

I agree with you, Veggo. I had an email exchange last night with a CH and we both believe that. Some of the education, travel, jobs, experience call out that the most significant /active 'hounds may be older. A 33 y.o. (wet dream indeed!!!!) just couldn't have packed all that in in most cases. Caralien (late 30s?) is an exception but she's lived all over the world. Just my opinion. But I WILL be interested in seeing how this shakes out.

[Miss Needle]

There's a big difference between the age of the contributors and the audience. The figure of 33 or 34 was the average of the Chowhound audience. There are a lot more lurkers around than there are posters. While a lurker may not be considered a "Chowhound" in some people's eyes as they do not post, I'm sure they certainly take this wealth of info on this board and make use of it. I've read several food blogs of people who seem like they're in their 20s make reference of Chowhound. Yet I'm pretty sure they are not posting here -- probably because they're too busy blogging.

[Veggo]

MN, I am hopeful that in the silence there is a useful transfer of knowledge from the old guard to the newbees.

[Miss Needle]

Yes definitely! I know that there are some hounds here who feel a bit deflated if nobody posted a response to their 5,000 word essay of their meal at ______. But I know there are a lot of lurkers out there. So I'm sure their efforts are not in vain.

[Passadumkeg]

I met a lurker yesterday at the radio station. She's afraid of cookies and other komputer krap; 40ish.

[Caroline1]

LOL! You should have told her to set her computer so it rejects all chocolate chip cookies and she'll be fine 'cause all viruses look like chocolate chips! '-)

[vvvindaloo]

I have to agree with this. I am 33, and I know many people around my age who would be considered Chowhound 'lurkers', in that they really only use the site to read restaurant reviews.

[lcool]

I am with you about the age.Many are articulate in a very well educated and traveled
way.The tone of most "posters" is 40+ in my opinion.The info that came out when any of us responded to the 'remember your school lunch' thread said a lot about our age.
Now,how many lurkers should we count.If I am not mistaken it's sizable.
Ah and I was born on V-E DAY allies (different from Soviet) for those that need help with history the answer is below in another post;soon.

[alanbarnes]

If you're old enough to eat, you're old enough to be a Chowhound. Unless you're too old to eat, you're not too old to be a Chowhound.

This year I'll be celebrating my 29th birthday. For the 15th time.

[Scargod]

Try this jalapeño, son. It ain't hot!

[BobB]

57, well into a lifetime of fine eating and general hedonism.

[Mothership]

49. And boy how time flies. I feel 21 some days and 90 others. Lovely to chat with people of all ages and nice to know that young(er) people are so interested in good Chow...

[linguafood]

37 going on 29 '-D

I am in no hurry to "grow up" -- there's plenty of adult fun to be had, especially if you can relish it like a child.

[Veggo]

Great attitude. You are only young once. Old age is a *&^% eternity, then you croak.

[Miss Needle]

Good answer! Age is all in the head -- except when your body doesn't seem to agree with what your mind.

[Delucacheesemonger]

66, but have difficulty finding 40 yo that can keep up with me.

[Gio]

I'm older than Beccabones but younger than Caroline1.
Guess that makes me just average.... Age? Never.

[Veggo]

I'm 56, but I'm at equal ease breaking bread with ballerinas or retired narcotraffickers.

[Sam Fujisaka]

59 - and how that happened, I have no idea! Five-and-a-half year old daughter keeps me about 30.

[dklipscomb]

54. Chowhound is making feel younger in as much as it reminds me how little I know about foods and cooking. Sam-your posts in particular have me on google to find out what dishes are!! Love food and cooking-but so much to learn.

[JungMann]

When I was 5, I remember thinking my grandfather had been 72 forever, the months between his birthdays seemed to pass by so slowly!

And now time has sped up and I'm in my mid-20s teetering perilously close to my late-20s.

[adrienne156]

Moi aussi. I turned 25 this year and every other person said "Wow! 5 more years til 30!!" Boo on them. :)

[Sam Fujisaka]

JungMann, you are a young man!!

[alanbarnes]

Don't worry, Sam, it evens out - when she's 16 you'll feel like you're 100.

[c oliver]

Hell, he'll BE about 100, won't he???

[lcool]

maybe even 130,girls tend to do that to dads.

[chef chicklet]

Hey it's my separated from birth twin brother! June 27th? Am I the older twin?

[Sam Fujisaka]

Wow! Thats about five of us who are 59. 14 January 1950.

[c oliver]

Hmmm, what was going on in 1949 that made so many people amorous? When was the Korean War over? And were they hungry people also???

[Gio]

Well, Sam was born 6 days before President Truman's inaugural address January 20. In the speach he calls for "a bold new program for making the benefits of our scientific advances and industrial progress available for the improvement and growth of underprivileged areas."

Think Sam was thinking about his future even then?

[c oliver]

I want to laugh about that but...it's pretty amazing, isn't it?

[Gio]

It IS pretty amazing. President Truman must have been prophetic....

[Sam Fujisaka]

I was really fortunate: in my family, getting a good education was paramount. One grew up to be a doctor, engineer, scientist, or garbage man. There were no other alternatives. By the mid-50s the schools in California were great - good facilities, well staffed, and even good school lunches. I probably worked too hard at school from elementary through PhD, but looking back, it was all worth it. And we grew up in a family of good from scratch cooks, eating foods from all over the globe.

[chef chicklet]

Yes, that must of been the driving force back then.
At my house there was a daily pounding to go to college.

Sam you're right about the schools, I think about that all the time. I went to some excellent schools (we moved around a lot -Navy) in Southern Ca that offered so many programs. Eating lunch at school was a treat for me, I had to carry a lunch box most days. But on the days that they made cinnamon rolls and mac and cheese I would beg my mom for lunch money! Do you remember how we all dressed? How crisp and clean we were? Hair all combed, brushed, braided, or buzzed. We all looked so darling! NO one sent their kids to school like what you see now. Girls had dresses, and boys wore button down shirts WITH a belt. And we all polished our shoes! After school we changed into play clothes... what happened?
Sigh....back to food.
Although my brother and sister all enjoy good food, I am the only one that can cook.
By the way Sam, were you aware that we share Helen Keller's birthday?

[c oliver]

But remember when the Beatles' haircuts were considered - by my parents - to be too much?

[wolfe]

They had something against Arthur?
For the youngsters, from "A Hard Days Night."

Reporter: What would you call that hairstyle you're wearing?
George: Arthur.

[pikawicca]

My parents had an absolute cow when the Beatles appeared on Ed Sullivan. If they could have looked down the road a few years at men''s hair styles, they would've kept quiet.

[c oliver]

Quadruple ditto!!!!!!!!!! And they were SO cleancut :)

[thew]

i had a beatles wig when i was 5

[thew]

i'm not sure why making kids dress like miniature adults is something to be nostalgic for.

[c oliver]

Can I assume you're replying to chef chicklet and not me? Cause I agree with YOU. After 12 years of parochial school uniforms you can imagine how MUCH I agree with you :)

[Gio]

Now you see, I'm soooo old I went to parochial school before the advent of school uniforms. Clean, Boys: pressed, ties, jackets, Girls: dresses...
but - get this.... No Knee Socks!

And thew: I don't remember anyone of us complaining about what we had to wear to school. In those days everyone got "dressed up" to go anywhere, except the beach. And it wasn't so much about children dressing like adults. It was just the way we did things then. When my father went out to work in the garden, for instance, he wore suit pants no longer deemed good enough to wear to the office. I never saw him wear jeans; he didn't own a pair. Or dungarees as we called them back then.

[chef chicklet]

Well, It could be that maybe you misunderstood what I said. I don't recall feeling like a minature adult, but that would of been cool, I always wanted to look and dress like my mother who was very stylish and whom I admire very much. And my dad who was impeccable, looked sharp and handsome in his kakhis, or especially handsome in his dress whites. So where you got the feeling that we dressed like miniature little adults I can't imagine.

I went to parochial school when there was a Catholic school available, and was in uniform, which I actually didn't mind.

[billieboy]

I always wanted to look and dress like my mother too, but the other boys always laughed at me :-)

[Passadumkeg]

Not me, stop by the motel.
Allan Bates

[greygarious]

That would be Norman. Alan was a British actor.

[Passadumkeg]

Right! Just as long as it is not Master.

[billieboy]

I suppose I could use a shower.

[moh]

This is a twisted but highly amusing subthread.......

[thew]

when i got my BA they had us write the intro when we called up to get the diploma (was a small small division of NYU )

so i go introduced as the president of the "Norman Bates School of Motel Management"

[Sam Fujisaka]

Yup! Clean and perssed kids with funky hair eating good school lunches.

[wolfe]

Bologna, Beef
1 slice (4" dia x 1/8" thick)
Nutrition Facts
Serving Size 1 slice (4" dia x 1/8" thick)
Amount Per Serving Calories 72 Calories from Fat 59
Calories in Mayonnaise Serving Size 1 tbsp (14.6g) Amount Per Serving Calories 49 Calories from Fat 44
Nutritional value 1950 Wonder Bread (?) Zero

[BobB]

"Nutritional value 1950 Wonder Bread (?) Zero"

And yet it built strong bodies 12 ways!

[Caroline1]

Stop picking on Wonder Bread! You can mix it with a little Elmer's Glue, add a touch of food coloring, and model it into miniature roses and all sorts of stuff for jewelry or doll houses. Who needs nutritional value? '-)

[Emmmily]

Kids these days [grumble grumble].... We're not *that* bad. (23 years old and counting) Us young 'uns do appreciate the chance to take advantage of the accumulated wisdom of the more experienced posters. I hope you'll forgive our outfits :-P

[vvvindaloo]

Hey we have the same birthday! (I'm 1976). I knew there was something about you, Capricorn!

[Sam Fujisaka]

Next year we will celebate together even if apart.

[wolfe]

I guess to stay on this thread I have to give my age, 69, and Sam I still want to know what's wrong with being raised by wolves?

[pikawicca]

If we get into this here, we'll get deleted. Email [e-mail] and I'll explain.

[vvvindaloo]

Sounds great, Sam! It's a Chow date :)

[FriedClamFanatic]

See, Sam........I knew you were older and wiser! I have 17 January 1950! It was the day of the Brink's robbery.....not that I had anything to do with it!

[greygarious]

Any birthmates out there? Aug 17, 1949. Same day as Davy Crockett, Mae West, Maureen O'Hara, Robert DeNiro, and Sean Penn. How did I turn out shy?

[bayoucook]

And any for me? Feb. 22, 1953? George Washington's b'day.

[MMRuth]

I just turned 42.

[Davwud]

Ditto!! Last month.

DT

[vvvindaloo]

Happy (I hope not too belated) Birthday!

[Seth Chadwick]

I am 44 today. On Saturday, I will be 45.

I want a Kindle 2.

Thanks! :o)

[Rubee]

Happy Birthday Seth!

I turn 44 next month. Joint birthday celebration with one of my best friends visiting from Boston will be at Binkley's. Can't wait!

For some reason, I think of most of the Chowhounds as in their 30s (including myself!)

[moh]

Happy B-day Seth! I am sure you will have some good eats to celebrate.

[cayjohan]

Age: 44. Rank: Not today, I showered. Serial number:Tooo many numbers to count.

Now that I'm done being a smart-a$$, I have to say how lovely it is that 17 year olds and 70-something year olds can get together and talk about food. It's about passing it along.

Tonight was our Wednesday DD dinner with her friend, a frequent flier at our table. Hub and I talk with the 16 year olds about food, the history/geography/politics of the food (FYI, led by the girls), and general issues. Marvelous.

Earlier today I was a phone consultant for my 81 year old Dad, who was making a fish chowder and wanted to know what I did because he liked mine better. (His was fine before, I just suggested a couple of spices...) It was a gas. Really...phone cooking with Dad? Priceless!

So. I get to deal with teen-aged girls and octogenarian Dad in one day (along with fellow 40-something friend with a question on cheese that had my cell ringing). Satisfying. Gratifying. And pretty much the breadth of demographic we have on CH. That's what makes it interesting. We all eat. We all like to know our food. We all like to talk about it (obviously!). And we share.

I like the fact that CH has such a demographic stew. More sharing that way. Instead of the "average" age, I'm more interested in the age range.

Cheers,
Cay

[Caroline1]

Beautifully said!

[TampaAurora]

I'm in my 20s too.

[tracylee]

43 last October.

[LindaWhit]

Hello fellow Libra (if you were born in the first half of October!) I was 50 last October. A half century old. Lordy.

But.....ever-thankful for good genes on my Mom's side, I don't look it (nor act it!) I'd say that except for a few more creaks and cracks in the bones, I still feel like I'm 38 or so. I just don't SEE myself as 50yo!

And I have to agree with all that have said it's wonderful to have 16-75yo sharing their food stories here!

[tracylee]

Yep, Libra, my birthday's on the 4th!

[purple goddess]

44 last week.

[danhole]

I'm 51, today. Tomorrow I may be 25 and then again I might be 62. Who knows? Depends on my mood. Depends on what I ate, what I did, how I'm feeling, and if I saw the grandkids or not. Oh, did I mention I'm a Gemini? Yeah . . . that has something to do with it too.

Dani, or maybe not. Darn twins. Can't agree about anything!

[c oliver]

Ah, a sister Gemini! I tell people that they may not always like me but I will never bore them :) But my husband doesn't gag!!!!!!!!!!!!

[danhole]

Oh C! You aren't trying hard enough! C'mon - gimme a G . . . A . . .G! Go Girl!

[CoryKatherine]

I'm a Gemini as well. Will be 24 this June.

[FriedClamFanatic]

Hippo Birdy, Two Ewes
Hippo Birdy, Two Ewes
Deer Danhole!
Hippo Birdy, Two Ewes

[BobB]

Mmm, the birdy, deer and ewes sound tasty. Never tried hippo though - I imagine you'd need to cook it a LONG time! Then again, maybe beneath that tough exterior lurks a tender tri-tip.

[CindyJ]

HAHA!!! I've gotta tell you, FCF, years and years ago, someone in my family bought that b'day card and sent it to another family member. THAT person bought the card and sent it to someone else. It got to a point where the "Hippo Birdy, Two Ewes" card was the ONLY acceptable b'day card to send to another family member. And when someone couldn't find the card in the store, either they'd re-card or make one of their own to send. Even now, the traditional birthday greeting in my family is often "Hippo Birdy, Two Ewes."

[danhole]

Thanks for the serenade FCF! Hippo Birdy, Two Ewes, too! I'll remember that.

[Cebca]

I'm ashamed to even admit how many times I had to read that over to get it.

[CindyJ]

Don't feel so bad, Cebca. It loses something without visual cues.

[wolfe]

Practice on this.
http://easylistening.mickeysmidis.com...

[FriedClamFanatic]

Cindy - It was probably at least 20 years ago I got that card and laughed forever. We still use it in our family as well, often making it by hand (my daughter can draw - I do stick figures)

Dan - many happy returns!

Cebca - Sorry.......if they make an animal Dingbats font, maybe I can "translate it" someday!

[danhole]

For those of you still baffled by the Hippo birdy two ewe card look at this:

http://www.sandraboynton.com/sboynton...

[Cebca]

THANK YOU!!!!!

Apparently this is quite a classic . . . I had no idea (probably because, as this post has pointed out, I'm one of the younger ones).

[FriedClamFanatic]

thnks for the help-out on that one.....1975.Oh MY!

[danhole]

1975 . . . the year I graduated high school! Goodness!

[FriedClamFanatic]

LOL.I had already graduated college, got my MBA, and my first paychecks! And it wasn't too long after that that I think I got that card. Nice to know it is/was a staple!

And.belated Hippo Birdie!

[Passadumkeg]

Wharton? What an old faht you are!

[FriedClamFanatic]

My Gawd, Paasa, you are omniscient! Yes, the MABA was from there, but the undergraduate degree was from Brown, back when I was going to be the world's greatest archaeoligist (think Indiana Jones!). Then I relaized I'd never get rich...just get a great tan!

And though I learned to spell, I never did learn to type well!

[Passadumkeg]

Muhlenberg, Russian Studies and art (I started premed, but after Nam, no thanks.), UNM: and Harvard Principal's Institute held summers at the London School of Econimics. I cna't type or spel.

[wolfe]

You folks remind me of the saying on the UMichigan campus in the 50's. "last year I couldn't even spell engineer and now I are one." In your case I hope you're kidding.I, however, have been vetted by OSUDebbie.
http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/5957...

[Servorg]

Both my undergraduate and graduate degrees are in "Rocket Science" from Whassamatta U - so if you find me getting a little bit squirrely there is a perfectly logical and reasonable explanation for my behavior. If you think that's Bull just give me a wink and tell me to go to 'ell.

[wolfe]

As usual it's the spelling that trips up the pretenders.
http://www.tv.com/the-rocky-and-bullw...

[Servorg]

So it's not Chrissie Hind after all?

[kattyeyes]

Doesn't she MAKE The Pretenders (not trip them up)? ;)

[wolfe]

Thank you katty, my music knowledge stops with February 3, 1959.

[Passadumkeg]

Call me Fearless Leader!

Stroke, stroke, stroke.
Bail, bail, bail.

[danhole]

Oh not bleated (pun intended), my Hippo Birdie isn't until 5/23, but thanks for last years wish!

[Al_milo]

1975... the year I retired from USAF

[Gio]

Four years later, and Hippo Birdy has its own Facebook page...

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Hippo-B...

[Caroline1]

Hi, Becca. I see you're also new, so welcome! I'm 75, and constantly bewildered by how this happened to me, and so fast! So far, no one has admitted to being older than me, so I'll follow the rest of this thread with interest. The fun thing is that food and "foodies" are ageless. '-)

[c oliver]

Oh, I PRAYED you'd show up quickly so I wouldn't have to be the "best" for long. Don't you know that 75 is the new 60, 60 is the new 40???

[Caroline1]

Does that mean that in fifteen years everybody will send the diamonds they forgot to send this year? '-)

[c oliver]

Damn, didn't you get the ones I sent??? I've said I just want to be Oprah's friend and get some of her leftovers!

[chef chicklet]

Gosh, where have you been? 75 is the new 40!

[c oliver]

I'm very excited to hear that. So tell me, wise one, what is 62? Am i old enough to drive? Only PG-13 movies? I'm liking the sound of this :)

[chef chicklet]

Well you're your just a kid, still enjoy a good joke on someone, love to hang out with your buddies, you know. That's me too! Oh no, pg13, well no..

[c oliver]

Oh goody! May print that out and stick on my fridge.

[chef chicklet]

sorry to give you the "OK" so late, chowhound site is wonky, I'll get frustrated and leave last few days... YES please do kiddo!

[E Eto]

My average age is 28. If I tell people that and they believe me, then it must be true.

I guess by average, I mean the youngest I can get away with.

[moh]

I'd like to tell you, but it keeps on changing. Goes up and up, just like my weight....

[c oliver]

Well, are you younger than I am? So far, I'm the best :)

[moh]

c oliver, I believe I am 39 - after hitting 16, when I could start to drive, then hitting 18, when I could drink, then 25 when I could rent a car anywhere in the world, I stopped keeping track. Now I am hoping to last long enough to enjoy a few senior discounts, and that is when I'll remember my age again.

So you are still the best!

[kchurchill5]

I should of said I'll be celebrating my ??? anniversary of my 29th birthday. Leaves it wide open doesn't it.

[kattyeyes]

40 and agree with ms. cliquot--I appreciate the wide range of ages in the Chow Club. :)

[Scargod]

I'm 62 and youngish. I can cook circles around you young squirts! Probably out ski you, too. Maybe... not all of you. :)
I like the age range, too. Especially when the 40 YO's think I'm hot. I can hope, can't I? And Cayjohan, you are so right!

I was just discussing the median age range of Chowhounders with another Chowman. We suspect that it is disproportionately higher and that many of us are semi-retired and well-educated. I am correct. We are probably averaging 50 or better.
Whoa! Did you see the people using Chowhound? Below: http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/6030...
It looks like Chow's readership is way down.

[Soop]

LMAO@ that link - So if you want to pick up a rich asian chick, Chow is the place?

TBH, I've been using the internet for about 15 years or so now, and I still invent a picture of who I'm talking to. And I'm almost always wrong. On Gamefaqs we made a photo album of all us, and it was kind of a revelation to find out what the people you spoke to every day looked like.

But at the same time, it doesn't really affect anything.

[keith2000]

An asian woman with a phd who makes over 100k a year with no kids and is between the ages of 35-49. Can we turn this into a dating website I bet the readership would go back up.

[kchurchill5]

48, going on 29 :)

FYI, think it is great to see younger people on here. I great perspective and variety.

[c oliver]

I was just having an email exchange with a chowhound and WE think most of us are in pre/mid/post-geezerdom. I'm 62 and I'm hoping that makes me middle-aged here. It will be interesting to see if this garners many responses.

[ms. clicquot]

I think there is quite a wide range of ages represented on Chowhound, which is nice. I'm 37.

[umbushi plum]

i must sound like a broken record i keep metioning this but again i'm 17 just entered uni so i'm young i became interested early because we travelled so much and all the different cultures had such amazing food!

[goodhealthgourmet]

okay becca & umbushi, we'd better not catch you two posting on the wine, beer & spirits boards ;)

i'm 36.

(oh, and umbushi, every time you mention "uni," for a split-second i think you're talking about sea urchin!)

[kirinraj]

hey, im 16! im probably the only one of my friends who loves good food.

[umbushi plum]

cool me to i don't talk to my frineds about food ever, but they do love the fact that if they come around to my apartment they will get some good food,

[vvvindaloo]

I enjoy your posts, kirinraj and umbushi plum, and i think its terrific that you are so into food, i hope you'll both keep sharing with us!

[umbushi plum]

thanks vvvindaloo (i like your name) ;-)

[mojoeater]

Almost 40 and what of it?? ;)

[JanPrimus]

I second this post!