In my Basic Food Preparation class, we are required to prepare conversion worksheets. We make recipes out of our textbook. But our textbook always thinks we are cooking for an army and we have to adjust the recipes so we are cooking for a few soldiers instead. Chef was very clear that we needed to have our recipes converted on the conversion sheets she gave us and ready for class every time we met.
This week was… interesting. Over two class periods, we had 10 recipes listed on the course schedule that we needed to convert. Also, some of them weren’t exactly recipes. More guidelines to the effect of: put some asparagus in the steamer, steam it until it’s done, then remove, and serve.
Regardless, I wrote out my conversion sheets well before we met in class, solid in the knowledge that my Chef Instructor required strict adherence to the established rules. Even if it felt silly. Which it really did. Last night, the last day of class that week, she checked our recipes, going student by student.
There are twelve people in the class. I was the only person who had all of the recipes written down on the conversion sheets, as request. Of course, if there’s going to be one place where I fail, it’s unlikely to be documentation.
But it got me thinking about how I spent real time worrying before I started classes about if I would be able to keep up with classes. If I would be simply “too old.” If the younger students would have some huge advantage over me.
And yeah. Doesn’t seem like it. Think I’ll be okay.
The younger crowd may be less sore after running around the kitchen all night, but there is something to be said for having more experience, being able to follow directions, and sometimes just grinning and doing work you don’t super want to do when it’s required. Like writing down a bunch of vague recipes even when it doesn’t make a hell of a lot of sense.
What I’m really saying here is: you’re never too old for school. You’re never too old to learn. Even if you’re above the average age of the students, you can still find your place in a classroom. For example, you can be the person who has all their recipe conversions done.
