Do you think cooking should be taught at schools?

[belfpala]

I have no problem with such a class being offered, but by nature if you're teaching this in school it's not going to be a way to learn to be a good cook.

Being a good cook isn't necessary. Being a functional cook is easy. Hell, I had to teach a friend how to cook dried pasta a while ago. He'd never even boiled a pot of water. He's in his 40's.

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I've always said I could probably make a fortune designing houses with no kitchens. Just a little pantry room to keep the leftover cooler in. Very few people here would actually even notice there was no kitchen.

Are you building a dorm?

I'm having trouble seeing where a fortune could be made with kitchenless houses. Location, kitchen, and bathrooms are probably the highest on the list of driving a property value up. I'm not even sure it's legal to sell or lease out a property as residential here if there isn't a kitchen available (can be communal, as in renting out a room in a house).

[vindicatorx]

I believe for the most part schools should teach kids the essentials to living so cooking would be included in that yes. I know a lot of the privileged people on here think it's a waste of time but you have to remember a few things the majority of students do not go on to higher learning, a lot of students aren't exposed to cooking for themselves, and it doesn't take away from other important studies.

[Henock]

I think cooking should be learned on your own time. Plus if you learn to cook the results are quick and the rewards are quick too. Once you get into cooking it's actually quite addictive in its own right. The other day I made a salad and it was really good. While I was eating it I began to wonder what else I could put into a salad.

If anything they should teach you about taxes. (At least in Ontario)

[belfpala]

I think cooking should be learned on your own time. Plus if you learn to cook the results are quick and the rewards are quick too. Once you get into cooking it's actually quite addictive in its own right. The other day I made a salad and it was really good. While I was eating it I began to wonder what else I could put into a salad.

If anything we should teach our elected representatives about taxes.

Addictive: Yes, it is. But so is painting, drawing, going to the gym, playing an instrument, and so on. Those are taught throughout k-12 education in the US. Cooking, at least for me, was only taught for a few months in 7th grade.

Salad: Get creative, man. My current favorite, at least for the summer, is spinach or mixed greens with strawberries, goat cheese, balsamic vinaigrette, and granola. Call me a hippy. Or another summer-fall favorite is greens with tart apples, candied walnuts, bleu cheese crumble and some kind of berry reduction for the dressing. Either work well with chicken or pork or duck.

Also I fixed your last sentence.

[Hye Jin]

Cooking should be taught at home. You slacked too much!

[Zeta333]

No, you should learn that in your home.

Sorry but its more than obvious people arnt learning real world skills in school anymore. They are just fed facts and random shit that they mostly dont retain for more than a year. Cooking, woodshop, metalshop, autoshop, accounting, computer skills, should ALLL be tought in school. There should not be a graduate who cant do the basic of any of those subjects there on thier own.

[Deletedaccount1]

I believe for the most part schools should teach kids the essentials to living so cooking would be included in that yes. I know a lot of the privileged people on here think it's a waste of time but you have to remember a few things the majority of students do not go on to higher learning, a lot of students aren't exposed to cooking for themselves, and it doesn't take away from other important studies.

If anything, less privileged people are the ones who would be the most likely to know how to cook since they are likely more independent.

[belfpala]

Sorry but its more than obvious people arnt learning real world skills in school anymore. They are just fed facts and random shit that they mostly dont retain for more than a year. Cooking, woodshop, metalshop, autoshop, accounting, computer skills, should ALLL be tought in school. There should not be a graduate who cant do the basic of any of those subjects there on thier own.

Shit, teacher is coming... /alt+tabs out of WoW and goes back to pretending I don't know how to type.

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If anything, less privileged people are the ones who would be the most likely to know how to cook since they are likely more independent.

I would actually doubt that. More privileged kids are probably more likely to have grown up in a situation where cooking happened. And watched lots of Food Network with their parents. And go on cooking competition shows when they're 8 years old. And...

Anyway, I don't have any statistics for that.

[Captain Douchebag]

We've had this in Denmark for years. I think it starts in 6th or 7th grade and ends again in 8th or 9th if I remember correctly.

[Bapestar]

Most people, especially here in the good ol' US of A, don't really have to learn how to cook. There's infinitely more than enough places to go where someone else will sell them what is necessary for them to continue life on this planet.

I've always said I could probably make a fortune designing houses with no kitchens. Just a little pantry room to keep the leftover cooler in. Very few people here would actually even notice there was no kitchen.

And this is why people are overweight, living off of microwave food and mcdonalds.

[BannedForViews]

We do in Sweden, and as a result most of us can actually cook. This may seem shocking to Americans, but I order/eat out about 2-3 times a month and never buy precooked/microwave shit.

A lot of Americans do this as well.

Yes it should be taught, but more in a vocational way, not a silly home-ec way. More vocational things should be taught in public school. They are not only good for the average person but it is good for those who do not excel at traditional "book learn'n". I believe it would help more people realize the options they have outside of just going to college. The reality is that most people are wasting their time going to college anyway.

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And this is why people are overweight, living off of microwave food and mcdonalds.

The guy you quoted is a troll. A kitchen is actually the number one selling point in a house. It makes or breaks the sale value. Plenty do cook, and love to cook. Many poorer people have to because the cost per meal is substantially less when you make it at home. Yes plenty eat out, but there are over 300 million people here. Plenty eat out in China also.

[Zeta333]

Shit, teacher is coming... /alt+tabs out of WoW and goes back to pretending I don't know how to type.

Typing class was so retarded. As there were about 3 of us out of 35 who knew how to type but we had to do the same dumb shit all the casuals did. We were forced to put paper over our hands and keyboard. Meanwhile i learned to type rather fast thanks to starcraft like 6 years beforehand.

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Shit, teacher is coming... /alt+tabs out of WoW and goes back to pretending I don't know how to type.

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I would actually doubt that. More privileged kids are probably more likely to have grown up in a situation where cooking happened. And watched lots of Food Network with their parents. And go on cooking competition shows when they're 8 years old. And...

Anyway, I don't have any statistics for that.

Also by computer skills i think installing a fresh os and getting it setup for the internet and troubleshooting basic things should be a must. Everyone should be able to setup a new wireless router and brand new pc. Expand to an advanced class of building pc for those that want to learn more and you get people that arnt pants on heads retarded when dealing with computers.

[belfpala]

A lot of Americans do this as well.

Yes it should be taught, but more in a vocational way, not a silly home-ec way. More vocational things should be taught in public school. They are not only good for the average person but it is good for those who do not excel at traditional "book learn'n". I believe it would help more people realize the options they have outside of just going to college. The reality is that most people are wasting their time going to college anyway.

Add on to that, there can be cross-training between vocational studies and "book learn'n." For example, how does a drill press work? We have lots things to talk about there, in a mechanical science context. Can get into how force can be multiplied through systems of pulleys or pressure by inclined planes. Same deal in cooking, that's how a chef's knife works. Or that the instrument you play is just creating vibrations in air. Then get into the fluid sciences. Carry that over to your math class and learn how to do the calculations just so you can.

...what the hell kind of world am I building here?

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Typing class was so retarded. As there were about 3 of us out of 35 who knew how to type but we had to do the same dumb shit all the casuals did. We were forced to put paper over our hands and keyboard. Meanwhile i learned to type rather fast thanks to starcraft like 6 years beforehand.

I'm kind of old... I played text-based MUDs somewhere back in the late 80's and early 90's and could hit 100+ WPM when we first got to typing class in middle school. At least they let us play games if we finished the exercise fast.

[Ahovv]

Cooking classes were taught as an elective in my high school.

Looking back, I think I got pretty lucky with my school. I had so many options there.

http://www.txkisd.net/pdf/courseguides/THS.pdf (obviously not the exact same as when I attended, but you get the idea)

[Deletedaccount1]

I would actually doubt that. More privileged kids are probably more likely to have grown up in a situation where cooking happened. And watched lots of Food Network with their parents. And go on cooking competition shows when they're 8 years old. And...

Anyway, I don't have any statistics for that.

I'm just saying, I grew up in a wealthy household and either my parents would cook (rarely) or our help would cook (almost everyday). I didn't know how to make anything but microwavable foods or basic shit until I was in college and was forced to teach myself. I imagine being poorer would force kids to make their own food at a younger age which means less people coddling you by cooking for you when you could do it yourself.

[belfpala]

I imagine being poorer would force kids to make their own food at a younger age which means less people coddling you by cooking for you when you could do it yourself.

ok.

/Imagines being a poor kid
/Goes to see what's in the kitchen
/ ...fuck.

Edit for fairness
/Works as a chef
/Gets home
/Goes to see what's in the home kitchen
/ ...fuck

[Deletedaccount1]

ok.

/Imagines being a poor kid
/Goes to see what's in the kitchen
/ ...fuck.

Dude most poor kids in Western countries have food at home. At least in the US and Japan.

[belfpala]

Dude most poor kids in Western countries have food at home. At least in the US and Japan.

See my edit. That's my life. I'm surrounded by high quality food in my working life. And I get home to ...fuck ... I guess it's frozen pizza and ice cream again.

[Floopa]

when i was growing up i thought it should be and when i realised how blindingly easy cooking actually was, i thought no.

we have enough easy "core" subjects as it is.

[belfpala]

when i was growing up i thought it should be and when i realised how blindingly easy cooking actually was, i thought no.

we have enough easy "core" subjects as it is.

I think the class should be about stocking a pantry first, then reading recipes second, then about getting the fresh stuff third, then it's fun time, break out the knives and fire.