Cooking Class - It is not Just About Food

Ever since high school, I never attend any cooking classes.  All my cooking skills were either from my Mom or from cook books.  I never believe cooking classes are helpful because cooking, from my perspective, is all about hands-on experience.  Only via practicing and trial and error can we improve cooking skills.    However, the cooking class that I went yesterday changed my thought. 

 It was my high school friend, Melissa, who invited me to a class about pizza making.  This was her first time as a cooking instructor.  So, as a friend, I was happy to support.  Melissa told me that this wasn't actually a class but instead, it was an experience sharing session because making pizza was so much fun and she really wanted to share this with others.  Well, I like this intent.   

 During the class, Melissa demonstrated how to make a hole in the middle of the flour and then gradually added warm water, which was mixed with yeast.  A little boy teased that looked like a volcano.  Melissa agreed and further explained that pizza originated from Central and South Italy where many volcanoes locate.  After that, she on and off shared her knowledge about Italian's pizza making methods and how they were different from us.  This was a nice sharing apart from merely teaching how to cook.  Sometimes, cooking isn’t just about how to cook the food well.  Understanding the background and culture behind it give us more sensation to the dish.  I think a hearty cook should possess this quality. Throughout the class, I can feel my friend’s passion of cooking.

Since this was my friend's first time to teach cooking, inevitably, there were some imperfections.  For instance, she forgot bringing the matt which was used to knead the dough.  One of the three mangos that was for the salad was rotten.   All these minor mistakes didn't matter because the class was overall enjoyable.  Students were very participative because they could help to prepare the food and the kids lined up for kneading the pizza dough.  It is indeed like a group of friends helped preparing a party. 

So, keep up the good work, my friend!  Look forward to your next class!