Hey, this goes a long ways back. I have no idea if this will be of any interest, but it crossed my mind, so here goes! One of the subjects we were required to take was Home Economics. Half of the year was sewing the other cooking. While we were in Sewing we were required to make an apron and (uck) hat, which we embroidered with our name. When we went into Cooking class we naturally wore them. The apron wasn't so bad, but the hat, well that was nothing more than a flat piece of material that we tied around our head when we were cooking. Pretty dorkey if you ask me, but who did?
In sewing I made a dress. I hated it, and never wore it, but got a decent grade for it. Cooking was something I really enjoyed. My favorite thing was broiled grapefruit. I still make it, when I buy grapefruit that is. Our cooking teacher was nice, and I liked her a lot. We learned how to cook a variety of things and of course we ate whatever we cooked that day. I am not sure if they offer such classes today in the schools. I think for some of the girls it would be helpful indeed. At our house, Mom was always showing me how to do things. The one thing I never learned how to do was make pie crust. Mom did a great job, but I was never that lucky.
I think the neat thing about cooking class was we learned more about measuring. Something Mom never did much of. She cooked from memory. About the only time I saw her use a recipe was for something others made and she had to follow the book. I have never been much for following recipes myself. I guess it is because I learned pretty much from watching Mom do things. I felt a bit held back by having to follow a book to get something on the table. Fortunate for me, but something I am happy to say did not incumber my daughter, or her daughters. They all seem to use any number of recipe books in their kitchens.
I laughingly tell how Jay was willing to try anything at least once, but if it wasn't to his liking he would always say, "it was alright, only don't do it again!" I learned from that. I do believe those cooking classes molded my liking for kitchen duty - well all but doing dishes that is. Yes, we did learn the proper way to do those as well. You must remember - this was before household dishwashers were available. I guess it was pretty important back then to know about measuring cups and spoons, pots and pans and such. The kitchen had some pretty up to date equipment, in fact I am sure some homes were not as well equiped. What ever, it was a time to learn and to do in a way most of us girls had not experienced. Did it make any of us "good cooks?" I don't think it did, but it certainly opened up out thinking about what lay ahead for girls of that day. Housewives and mothers. Today I don't believe that is the center of education for girls. In fact I believe much more emphasis is put on learning more competitive things.
Every girl should know how to sew, just as every girl should learn the basics of cooking. Not to mean she has to be proficient in these things, but just so she can be comfortable with the use of the things required to do either.
I am only sorry they did not cover some of the other refinements such as knitting, crocheting and tatting. Many young women never learn these things, in fact a great many have never had experience in quilting either. I admit I didn't get envolved in the last two until I was much older, but have enjoyed doing both since I learned how. As was once told, Grandma had to learn all of these things and of course had her own "hope chest" filled with the lovely handmade things she would start her own home with. I don't believe many girls of today are doing that these days. A pity because it has much to add to their future lives. Lovely handmade things aren't the norm in most homes these days. Oh well, such is the changing of times. Who is to say what is the right way?
Written this 10th day of April, 2010
by: Eileen C. Rosenberg
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