The Culinary Arts; An Underrated Skillset by Phoebe

The Culinary Arts; An Underrated Skillset by Phoebe - January 2023 Scholarship Essay

When posed a question about what classes I believe are most useful and should be mandatory to take, I usually have a variation of answers. I first thought of home economics and childcare, but the number of individuals who choose to have children or live with another individual is roughly the same as the amount of individuals who live alone and are childless. Then, I thought of personal finance and economic classes, or reality-based math classes. While useful, however, many people nowadays decide to hire someone else to do their taxes for them, or use an online resource at a lower price. What about world languages? Well, if you are from the United States and plan to continue working within its borders, most people will speak English, so while having another language at your disposal may be beneficial, it is not a necessity or requirement in most places.
So, what else is left? What is a skill that absolutely everyone will need regardless of who they are, where they live, what they do, or which social class they belong to? Two words; culinary arts. Or cooking classes- still two words and it refers to the same subject. We often hear of college students living off of ramen or Doordash deliveries- a common stereotype by now- which is extremely unhealthy and can add up in bills as well as pounds gained. More often than not, this is done as a quick-and-easy fix in a busy student’s life full of homework and projects aplenty, but many recipes online take less than an hour to complete, and even if they take several hours to complete, a lot of time can be saved with proper planning and preparations.
Some individuals may know that they are capable, but lack the level of confidence or experience to actively attempt to cook anything. That is perfectly alright; most parts of life involve trial and error, and this is no different. The reason why it is such a detrimental skill, however, is that you need to learn to cook for yourself someday if you plan to live on your own. If you are going to be living with others, you may need to learn how to make nourishing, healthy food for them as well as yourself, especially if they are your partner. If you plan on having children, it is your moral and legal obligation- not simply a responsibility- to provide healthy food options for them to sustain their growing minds and bodies. You also cannot thrive on a diet of the occasional slice of vegetable pizza; if you do not regularly consume a form of all food groups, your body and mind cannot function properly. To cook properly is to nourish yourself and others, and to nourish yourself and others is to be successful at a life skill.