“The sandwich generation” comes without any promises of tasty in-between bread experiences. The phrase describes a functioning limbo in America of “nearly half of adults in their 40s and 50s” who care for a young child while tending to an elderly family member.
In my case, it’s my soon-to-be kindergartener and my octogenarian parents. Institutional support from daycare and the assisted living center is essential, and I often find myself engaged in the same conversations with the staff taking care of my child and my parents. Are they getting along with their peers? Did I forget to provide them something that they need? Are they getting enough to eat? Ping-ponging between talking to a nurse about my dad’s diabetes management and then turning my attention to the restaurant world borders ridiculous. I’ll be peppered on the phone by insurance companies while reading about chefs bickering about who has a better relationship with their microgreens vendor.
But as I attempt to manage everyone’s electronic medical records sorted while feigning interest in whatever flavor-of-the-week social media melodrama is happening at the moment, I may have a brief moment to look in the mirror. I thought I was getting my 10,000 steps in? Does this coffee shop have housemade sugar-free syrups? This restaurant doesn’t even have a pastry chef. If they don’t care, why should I; I should have just skipped dessert. Barrel-aged beer? In this economy? For the love of front-facing video, this job is taking a toll and my choices need to evolve as my body and profession does.
My texts between friends are often an exchange of excuses why real-life hangs can’t happen. The reasoning includes a blend of a lack of child care and “I need to check with my partner.” But in recent years it’s become more honest. When you’re busy in the middle caring for other humans, sleep becomes even more important. Late dinners are despicable. Yes, I have a rule against eating spicy giardiniera after 7 p.m. A latte after 5 p.m.? Only if you’re daring. And let’s not even talk about booze.
“If I have a second glass of red wine, I am not going to sleep tonight,” says chef John Manion.
Manion is the decorated chef behind El Che Steakhouse & Bar and Brasero in Chicago, two palaces for South American cuisine. Manion was born in Michigan and grew up in Brazil, and his two restaurants feature prominent wine lists with a menu that showcases red meat. Which are two villains in most middle-age diets. As much as I love the cliched big Spanish red with a piece of red meat, it’s harder and harder to allow tannins to wreak havoc on my body. Manion suggests lighter reds that are chilled as an alternative. I’m a fan of Rioja.
While many refuse therapy, meat and fire are easy conversation starters for men, and Manion says many of his customers readily share stories of their backyard culinary triumphs. Add me to the throng of middle-aged men obsessed with smoking lamb shoulders or pork steaks on my Big Green Egg. But lately root veggies and peppers dominate the grate (please don’t hate me for my balsamic glaze). I didn’t eat much meat growing up, and it’s something I continue to have a bizarre relationship with. Part of it is cultural, something I’ve explored in writing. But now, restaurants offer more exciting meatless options than ever, and it’s happening all across the country, not just California. The Midwestern meat and potatoes trope appears to be fading.
Mari Katsumura is one of the co-chefs at SHO, a tasting menu Japanese restaurant in Chicago that opened in 2025, and a James Beard semifinalist for Best New Restaurant. Last week, SHO unveiled a new vegan menu that she hopes becomes a fixture. A trip to Kyoto and eating vegan meals at Buddhist temples inspired her: “It was just such an incredible, memorable experience where you really didn't miss any of the animal protein,” Katusumura says. “There was so much flavor. Each ingredient was treated with such respect.”
Katusumura shifted to a vegan diet during the COVID pandemic but still prepares meat dishes at the restaurant. She says health issues, including a histamine intolerance, pushed the dietary changes: “With so many years of abusing your body, working in this industry, I think that my body's kind of like enough is enough, and maybe it's time to really take care of yourself.”
Diners won’t find over-processed fake meats at SHO, something Katsumura and I share a disdain for. Dishes include a nori cone filled with tonburi (known as “land caviar”) and a creamy corn veloté inspired by chawanmushi. Katsumura hopes diners appreciate the labor it takes to create a vegan tasting menu. Vegans are notoriously picky when evaluating value, and SHO’s menu isn’t something a home chef can easily mimic.
That’s not to say we’re without hope, and it doesn’t have to be a fad diet fueled by a celebrity brand. A few simple changes can make big differences. I realize we’re in the midst of some sort of electrolyte war — even our buddy Spidey is caught in Liquid I.V.’s sticky web. Barstool Sports also attempted to launch a sports drink a few years ago. Most of those drinks are loaded with sugar, so I’ve taken to sugar-free Ultima Replenisher, and drink a glass before I wake my kid up each morning. On hot and humid nights, I’ll drink one before going to bed.
Embracing sparkling water helps, too. My wife and I are members of the cult of Vichy Catalan, the Spanish sparkling mineral water. Finding bottles stateside can be a little bit of a chore, but we have our sources for the salty mineral water that pairs perfectly with almost any meal. It’s about $4.50 per bottle, and on one level it feels foolish for paying for water. But you’d be paying more for a bottle of wine or beer. We’re all scarred by Coke and Pepsi. Our dentists tried to warn us about tooth decay and fillings, but we ignored their calls to action. Sparkling water shouldn’t be seen as some bougie craving, but a step toward better health. And as the decor at Chicago’s Bocadillo Market demonstrates, the glass bottles also make pretty vases.
Sometimes creating a healthy habit feels like Monsanto promising to plant a tree to offset its environmental policies. Can I get a Michelin Green Star for taking a 45-minute Peloton class? For every smoothie I consume for lunch, I can snack a little more, or enjoy a burger. Parenting provides many of us the motivation to visit the doctor and have our blood tested, to set aside the time to go to the gym, or to reduce alcohol. We don’t just want to survive to see our children’s milestones, we want to be present and participate without excuses. My parents didn’t have access to the Internet and the wealth of information on health and nutrition. And even as RFK Jr. and others attempt to muddy those waters, we are armed with more data than ever before.
The younger generation has made it easier for all of us. Credit them for the surge in tasty non-alcoholic drink options, something Dylan Trotter has spoken about while taking over his father’s legendary space. Still, no one’s perfect. Manion says he laughs when younger employees order McDonald’s from DoorDash. He wants them to start thinking about their health now instead of waiting until a doctor forces them. But Manion also sees a larger change.
“This martyrdom of, you know — the ‘I'm going to sacrifice my body for my art’ that kind of pervades,” Manion says. “The tortured artist, the drinking, the smoking, and staying out late. It just doesn't work anymore. That cliche is, for the most part, over.”
That doesn’t mean you can’t still throw down. Manion says he still enjoys eating out with fellow chefs. The IRL interaction is priceless in moderation. This is great news. Now, let me further ponder how many net carbs are in a shot of Malört.
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