As a 14 year old student in school in England I was required to attend working classes in “Domestic Science" for one year whilst the girls were required to take metalwork and woodwork for a year.
Yes! Yes! Yes! As a primary care physician with a focus on prevention I believe to truly address the chronic disease epidemic and promote health rather than focus on sickness we would be well served to help empower people with the knowledge and skills to be their own steward of health. From current food systems that flood the market with cheap ultra-processed foods creating food swamps and illness to the lack of nutrition, let alone culinary education in schools, creates a system of poor health that becomes difficult to overcome even with best efforts. (and then we exclusively blame the patient for obesity, diabetes or chronic pain) Add to that, medical schools also only provide an average of 24 hours of nutrition education even though physicians go to med school and residency for a minimum of 7 years!!! How can we expect to be a healthy nation when our health care providers don't know how to help patients apply nutrition principles to every day life such as how to choose foods and cook them? And, by the time patients enter our 'sick care system' (because our focus on treating sick people rather than helping people maintain health) they already have illness and habits that are difficult to change. Agree 100%, if we put this focus on healthy food and skills to prepare it in elementary school, our children would grow up with the nourishment to not only help them excel in school but also develop the healthy eating habits and skillset to maintain health as they become adults. Fortunately, we are gaining momentum thanks to the voices of people outside of healthcare like great Chefs such as Jose Andres and even congress working together like Senators Booker and Cornyn along with medical schools such as Touro College Osteopathic Medicine in Ca, that are implementing Culinary Medicine Programs like the Health Meets Food curriculum developed by Tim Harlan, MD, now at George Washington U., also where, with Jose Andres, they just opened the global Food Institute ( https://culinarymedicine.org/ and https://globalfoodinstitute.gwu.edu/) Or, the ever-expanding multi-professional Teaching Kitchen Collaborative led by David Eisenberg, MD at Harvard (https://teachingkitchens.org/). And incredible projects such as "Recipe4Health" championed by Dr. Steven Chen in Alameda County, Ca (https://recipe4health.acgov.org/). For the first time in 50 years even our federal govt. has begun to reassess the importance of nutrition! (https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2023/03/24/fact-sheet-biden-harris-administration-launches-the-white-house-challenge-to-end-hunger-and-build-healthy-communities-announces-new-public-private-sector-actions-to-continue-momentum-from-hist/). I bring these examples (and there are many more 'sprouting' up every day!) not to advertise or brag, but bring excitement, hope and ideally momentum to these initiatives to address these issues. It's amazing to me that it takes a Chef to get the actual health profession to think about nutrition....but that might just be one of the secret ingredients we need. Thank You, Chef Andres, for speaking about this very important issue!
I am old enough to have had a combination of art, home economics, shop skills and cooking in grade school - grades 5 through 8. All the guys had a blast sewing "surfer jackets," the girls welded with enthusiasm in the metal shop - and together we loved making things in the kitchen. I do not remember how many of those noble things José lists we covered, but we had so much fun working together and eating our successful results.
I cannot agree more...A basic cooking class in the 5th or 6th grades would go a long long way. Measurements - reading recipes - learning portions - and on and on...
I agree. School cafeterias need to come back to the schools. They were removed years ago. When the Federal government got involved with the educational system, many things changed, including feeding the students properly. Yes! We need to bring back the kitchen and staff and cook the food on the premises. Not at some huge commissary. The meals need to be hit and delicious. And yes, to bringing back Home economics to the classrooms. Alice Waters has a wonderful school up in the Bay Area that teaches everything about food and taking care of the resources. These programs need to be in every school. Years back, I tried to bring about change in the school programs, with just starting gardens. I came up against much opposition from the system. So I quit. Sorry I did, but I couldn’t fight the government. It’s like education, in the U.S. is an after thought. It makes me so very sad.
Last night I rewatched a "Parts Unknown" episode wherein Anthony Boudain and Daniel Bouloud visited Lyon. A part of that episode was a visit to a French elementary school lunchroom What a fascinating and eye-opening visit! Fresh pumpkin soup, a fish dish with vegetables, and fresh-baked cookies. All at a cost of approximately $1.50 per serving. And the kids ate everything with gusto, too. It sure didn't match my school cafeteria experience,
On another note, in the mid-1950's, 7th and 8th grade had something like Home-ec classes that the whole class took. One semester each of cooking, sewing, woodworking, and electricity. Really simple stuff but a lot of fun for both boys and girls, How to cook an egg, sew on a button, shape wood with simple tools, and repair a lamp, (sewing buttons came in very handy when I joined the Navy and wore trousers with 13 buttons)
We used to have cooking and sewing in school but only girls had to take these classes. Ridiculous. Life skills like these and others like personal finance need to be middle schools at the latest.
I really appreciate this article, and couldn’t agree more (though I also believe some of the other skills that fall under “home economics” (see the button back on instead of buying something new! or putting together and following a budget) are also valuable). I got my degree in “home economics education “, and while it wasn’t my career, I know how important it is. Both the skills, the adjacent things kids learn, and taking all of that home. I’ll be looking up the links you mention. Thanks!!!
Yes! I taught middle school and high school Home Economics, Family & Consumer Sciences for 18 years. Sadly, along the way, I closed several departments as they were "not important" to the school district, board of education, administrators. Although my classes were fun, vital, busy, and packed... and I hear today (many years later!) from former students how they use what they learned every day! Although I am now retired, I would gladly return to teach nutrition and culinary in my small town's schools, if requested.
I am of the age when Home Economics was taught, as well as Shop (perhaps better known as Industrial Arts). These classes were in junior high and if you were a girl you had to take Home Economics and if you were a boy you had to take Shop. I wanted to take Shop but because I'm a girl I was not allowed. I tried to fight it to no avail so I ended up in a Home Economics class. I did't enjoy most of it (the sewing was awful) but I did like the cooking part.
With that said, I think both of these classes (updated of course) should be required but everyone should have to take both Home Economics and Shop. Both of these classes teach skills everyone can use as they move into adulthood.
My mother taught Jr Hi math for 26 years and used cooking to reach some of those that otherwise totally rejected math--halving or doubling a recipe; converting units (oz to cups), etc.
Thank you for caring! Edible schoolyards and culinary education help grow bright minds, healthy bodies and strong communities. Let’s get back to basics!
Please, please take this wonderful idea to the Secretary of Education, or whatever senator is championing life skills for our country's children. It is such a worthwhile curriculum idea, one I have been promoting for a long time. I had Home Ec in 8th-11th grades back in the '60's, when girls and boys stayed in their own home ec or shop lanes. The fact that there are younger people who can't sew a button or boil eggs just bamboozles me! We've become a throw-away society, nobody fixes anything. And as far as food goes, premade takeout, or worse ... pre-portioned packages of ingredients delivered to your door have become popular. It dismays me that the people who use these services can't either be bothered to purchase ingredients, or just don't know how to cook from scratch. It's become an attitude ... and one that should change ... starting in our schools!
Why aren’t we teaching more kids to cook in schools?
As a 14 year old student in school in England I was required to attend working classes in “Domestic Science" for one year whilst the girls were required to take metalwork and woodwork for a year.
Yes! Yes! Yes! As a primary care physician with a focus on prevention I believe to truly address the chronic disease epidemic and promote health rather than focus on sickness we would be well served to help empower people with the knowledge and skills to be their own steward of health. From current food systems that flood the market with cheap ultra-processed foods creating food swamps and illness to the lack of nutrition, let alone culinary education in schools, creates a system of poor health that becomes difficult to overcome even with best efforts. (and then we exclusively blame the patient for obesity, diabetes or chronic pain) Add to that, medical schools also only provide an average of 24 hours of nutrition education even though physicians go to med school and residency for a minimum of 7 years!!! How can we expect to be a healthy nation when our health care providers don't know how to help patients apply nutrition principles to every day life such as how to choose foods and cook them? And, by the time patients enter our 'sick care system' (because our focus on treating sick people rather than helping people maintain health) they already have illness and habits that are difficult to change. Agree 100%, if we put this focus on healthy food and skills to prepare it in elementary school, our children would grow up with the nourishment to not only help them excel in school but also develop the healthy eating habits and skillset to maintain health as they become adults. Fortunately, we are gaining momentum thanks to the voices of people outside of healthcare like great Chefs such as Jose Andres and even congress working together like Senators Booker and Cornyn along with medical schools such as Touro College Osteopathic Medicine in Ca, that are implementing Culinary Medicine Programs like the Health Meets Food curriculum developed by Tim Harlan, MD, now at George Washington U., also where, with Jose Andres, they just opened the global Food Institute ( https://culinarymedicine.org/ and https://globalfoodinstitute.gwu.edu/) Or, the ever-expanding multi-professional Teaching Kitchen Collaborative led by David Eisenberg, MD at Harvard (https://teachingkitchens.org/). And incredible projects such as "Recipe4Health" championed by Dr. Steven Chen in Alameda County, Ca (https://recipe4health.acgov.org/). For the first time in 50 years even our federal govt. has begun to reassess the importance of nutrition! (https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2023/03/24/fact-sheet-biden-harris-administration-launches-the-white-house-challenge-to-end-hunger-and-build-healthy-communities-announces-new-public-private-sector-actions-to-continue-momentum-from-hist/). I bring these examples (and there are many more 'sprouting' up every day!) not to advertise or brag, but bring excitement, hope and ideally momentum to these initiatives to address these issues. It's amazing to me that it takes a Chef to get the actual health profession to think about nutrition....but that might just be one of the secret ingredients we need. Thank You, Chef Andres, for speaking about this very important issue!
I am old enough to have had a combination of art, home economics, shop skills and cooking in grade school - grades 5 through 8. All the guys had a blast sewing "surfer jackets," the girls welded with enthusiasm in the metal shop - and together we loved making things in the kitchen. I do not remember how many of those noble things José lists we covered, but we had so much fun working together and eating our successful results.
I cannot agree more...A basic cooking class in the 5th or 6th grades would go a long long way. Measurements - reading recipes - learning portions - and on and on...
Every kid should be able to fry an egg :)
I agree. School cafeterias need to come back to the schools. They were removed years ago. When the Federal government got involved with the educational system, many things changed, including feeding the students properly. Yes! We need to bring back the kitchen and staff and cook the food on the premises. Not at some huge commissary. The meals need to be hit and delicious. And yes, to bringing back Home economics to the classrooms. Alice Waters has a wonderful school up in the Bay Area that teaches everything about food and taking care of the resources. These programs need to be in every school. Years back, I tried to bring about change in the school programs, with just starting gardens. I came up against much opposition from the system. So I quit. Sorry I did, but I couldn’t fight the government. It’s like education, in the U.S. is an after thought. It makes me so very sad.
Last night I rewatched a "Parts Unknown" episode wherein Anthony Boudain and Daniel Bouloud visited Lyon. A part of that episode was a visit to a French elementary school lunchroom What a fascinating and eye-opening visit! Fresh pumpkin soup, a fish dish with vegetables, and fresh-baked cookies. All at a cost of approximately $1.50 per serving. And the kids ate everything with gusto, too. It sure didn't match my school cafeteria experience,
On another note, in the mid-1950's, 7th and 8th grade had something like Home-ec classes that the whole class took. One semester each of cooking, sewing, woodworking, and electricity. Really simple stuff but a lot of fun for both boys and girls, How to cook an egg, sew on a button, shape wood with simple tools, and repair a lamp, (sewing buttons came in very handy when I joined the Navy and wore trousers with 13 buttons)
We used to have cooking and sewing in school but only girls had to take these classes. Ridiculous. Life skills like these and others like personal finance need to be middle schools at the latest.
I really appreciate this article, and couldn’t agree more (though I also believe some of the other skills that fall under “home economics” (see the button back on instead of buying something new! or putting together and following a budget) are also valuable). I got my degree in “home economics education “, and while it wasn’t my career, I know how important it is. Both the skills, the adjacent things kids learn, and taking all of that home. I’ll be looking up the links you mention. Thanks!!!
Yes! I taught middle school and high school Home Economics, Family & Consumer Sciences for 18 years. Sadly, along the way, I closed several departments as they were "not important" to the school district, board of education, administrators. Although my classes were fun, vital, busy, and packed... and I hear today (many years later!) from former students how they use what they learned every day! Although I am now retired, I would gladly return to teach nutrition and culinary in my small town's schools, if requested.
This is a great idea! I took Home Economics in school and learned so many life skills.
I agree. Cooking is for everyone. Out Doctors don’t have enough studies in Nutrition either.
I am of the age when Home Economics was taught, as well as Shop (perhaps better known as Industrial Arts). These classes were in junior high and if you were a girl you had to take Home Economics and if you were a boy you had to take Shop. I wanted to take Shop but because I'm a girl I was not allowed. I tried to fight it to no avail so I ended up in a Home Economics class. I did't enjoy most of it (the sewing was awful) but I did like the cooking part.
With that said, I think both of these classes (updated of course) should be required but everyone should have to take both Home Economics and Shop. Both of these classes teach skills everyone can use as they move into adulthood.
My mother taught Jr Hi math for 26 years and used cooking to reach some of those that otherwise totally rejected math--halving or doubling a recipe; converting units (oz to cups), etc.
Thank you for caring! Edible schoolyards and culinary education help grow bright minds, healthy bodies and strong communities. Let’s get back to basics!
And they’re working on some math skills too. Just don’t let them know. 🤫
Please, please take this wonderful idea to the Secretary of Education, or whatever senator is championing life skills for our country's children. It is such a worthwhile curriculum idea, one I have been promoting for a long time. I had Home Ec in 8th-11th grades back in the '60's, when girls and boys stayed in their own home ec or shop lanes. The fact that there are younger people who can't sew a button or boil eggs just bamboozles me! We've become a throw-away society, nobody fixes anything. And as far as food goes, premade takeout, or worse ... pre-portioned packages of ingredients delivered to your door have become popular. It dismays me that the people who use these services can't either be bothered to purchase ingredients, or just don't know how to cook from scratch. It's become an attitude ... and one that should change ... starting in our schools!