A Recipe for Success?
The BBC in England recently announced that 11-year-olds in schools around Britain will receive free cookbooks. The goal is to help tackle the obesity epidemic that, just as in our country, is overtaking the youth there. The head of schools in the government said that the goal is to have everyone be able to prepare basic, nutritious dishes from scratch--in contrast to the current pride that exists in not being able to cook properly.
The booklet has recipes for favorites such as spaghetti bolognese, roast chicken and jacket potatoes. And it represents the start of an effort to implement compulsory cooking lessons for all 11- to 14-year olds by 2011.
When I heard the idea, my first response brought up memories of the cooking classes that all girls had to take many years ago. While we marched off to tackle the stoves, the boys marched off to woodworking. Eventually these classes were eliminated--partly in response to claims of gender discrimination. But the inclusion of all students puts that objection to rest.
Of course, schools are given far too many responsibilities and then criticized for not meeting the Olympian heights which they were supposed to attain. Every time a problem comes up, the suggestion is made to teach a course about it. Aside from driver's education (where the motivation is phenomenal), the new courses fail to achieve the enormous and unrealistic goals that have been set for them.
Still, if even a few percent of the children are reached and alter their eating habits, the effort will have been worthwhile. The obesity epidemic is real and it is serious. If something as pleasant and unthreatening as a recipe book and cooking lessons have any positive effect, they are more than welcome and something that we should emulate on this side of the Atlantic..
