Bones to Pick
I love my school. I love going in and spending 12 to 14 hours learning things few people would ever think about when it comes to cooking. Love the experiences and the things I discover.
There is just one thing about Culinary School I do not love. The way people respond to me.
"Oh, you're in school to be a chef? What do they teach you, how to turn on a stove."
"Oh I'm sure Culinary exams are so hard. Talk about having your cake and eating it too"
"What could you possibly have to study for, it's cooking, not rocket science."
If those people could spend a single day in my school they would run screaming. Culinary school isn't all fun and games, cooking and eating. Very little actually.
Our written exams are just as challenging if not more so than the ones I experienced in Microbiology. There is a lot of information to take in. Not just cooking times and techniques. Sanitation, History, How different foods interact with each other, methods, techniques, temperatures, times, management, business, and so many many more things than these broad topics. In addition to this I have knife skills exams in which I have currently 30 knife cuts to memorize the exact proportions of to the millimeter, as well as be able to recreate 6-8 ounces of these knife cuts with no measuring tools in a small period of time, Practical cooking exams, menu planning, production sheets and many many more things.
Long story short, the amount of work that goes into a single day of class, exam or even homework for my culinary classes would leave average college students crying themselves to sleep.
Don't assume that my 2-year degree in culinary arts is less work than any 4 year degree. It is the same amount of work, if not more, condensed into a shorter time period. My degree is no less meaningful than that of a biologist or accountant.
<3
There is just one thing about Culinary School I do not love. The way people respond to me.
"Oh, you're in school to be a chef? What do they teach you, how to turn on a stove."
"Oh I'm sure Culinary exams are so hard. Talk about having your cake and eating it too"
"What could you possibly have to study for, it's cooking, not rocket science."
If those people could spend a single day in my school they would run screaming. Culinary school isn't all fun and games, cooking and eating. Very little actually.
Our written exams are just as challenging if not more so than the ones I experienced in Microbiology. There is a lot of information to take in. Not just cooking times and techniques. Sanitation, History, How different foods interact with each other, methods, techniques, temperatures, times, management, business, and so many many more things than these broad topics. In addition to this I have knife skills exams in which I have currently 30 knife cuts to memorize the exact proportions of to the millimeter, as well as be able to recreate 6-8 ounces of these knife cuts with no measuring tools in a small period of time, Practical cooking exams, menu planning, production sheets and many many more things.
Long story short, the amount of work that goes into a single day of class, exam or even homework for my culinary classes would leave average college students crying themselves to sleep.
Don't assume that my 2-year degree in culinary arts is less work than any 4 year degree. It is the same amount of work, if not more, condensed into a shorter time period. My degree is no less meaningful than that of a biologist or accountant.
<3