Cooking Class

Cooking Class may be one way to battle the epidemic of obesity and poor nutrition that is raging through our American culture. Perhaps by teaching about the full cycle of how our food is grown, prepared and cooked we can instill in our children the understanding that “ We are What We Eat”. Many children in the United States no longer have the experience of growing and harvesting food, cooking at a parent or grandparent’s side or sitting down to a meal that is lovingly prepared. Many children even lack the traditions of proper meal etiquette. America has become a fast food nation and her people have lost the pleasures and the community building that home cooked meals provide. Learning about the ingredients in food, how to prepare and share a meal may be some of the lost skills we need to help change the downward spiral of poor physical and mental health that plague people in the United States.

In the Japanese schools that I visited, cooking class was not an elective but a required class for both boys and girls in high school and jr. high. At Tajiri Jr. High, students learned the proper procedures and dangers of cooking with gas, and simply learned how to boil water for tea. In Furukawa High, students had much more responsibility and prepared an entire meal from start to finish. Homework from the night before was to copy the recipe and step by step instructions into their workbook. The teacher began the class by reading the instructions that were written on the board. Over 40 students quietly (and hopefully) listened, though it was apparent later that not all absorbed every step. Once instructions were delivered, students broke into their groups, gathered the utensils (very sharp knives!) and ingredients. The steps in the recipe were quite simple but had many ingredients and all were fresh and many locally grown. The complexity of the recipe became apparent when the students began to prepare each ingredient quite differently. The recipe called for two different kinds of seaweed, one needed to be soaked and then chopped, while the other was shredded and added later in the recipe. One boy, who had not paid close enough attention and dawdled, was unlucky enough to try to carry his soaked seaweed over to his counter while everyone else waited for him. He got nervous with all eyes on him and he dropped the slippery seaweed onto the floor. The whole class and all the visiting teachers laughed while the poor boy sheepishly retrieved his seaweed from the floor. Cucumber needed to be sliced so thinly that one boy took the entire period to finish the job. Raw chicken was cut up, rice was boiled, eggs were beaten and cooked in a bonito broth, soy sauce and oils measured. Finally when everything was ready, the students served up the meal and sat down to eat. Before eating the students say “ Itadamase“ which means thank you for the food I am about to eat. Evidence of green living was found in the compost container placed in the sink for vegetable wastes. The text books for class had sections explaining product logos such as energy star, environmentally friendly, cell phone recycling, Ni-Cd battery recycling. The product logos were a collection from different countries including New Zealand, Germany, EU, and Norway.