The thing that separates home economics from culinary education at culinary schools is that nobody cares about a home economics class.  They are all high school students, just kids who don’t think that they will ever need to know how to make real food because they have microwaves, fast food and parents.  They’re in for a surprise, but it’s impossible to make them believe it.

Sometimes they ask me what qualifies me to teach home economics.  I don’t give anybody a real answer anymore because I now realize that it’s pointless, but the first couple times, I actually answered the question truthfully.

I explained to them that after I finished my teaching degree, I couldn’t find a job close to home, so I enrolled in a culinary training program at an institute called Culinard.  Then I wasn’t ready to move, but the only teaching job I could find was as a home economics teacher, so I settled for it.

Unfortunately my explanation only elicited a row of questions as to whether or not I thought that home economics was actually an important part of their education and whether or not I tried in my high school home economics class.

I decided I didn’t want to actually answer those questions anymore, so I started retorting with sarcastic quips anytime the subject came up. I know they’ll appreciate culinary arts later in life, but I know better than to try and get them to appreciate it too much now.  They’ll learn.

Technorati Tags: home economics, culinary schools, culinary training, Culinard