We’re in an obesity epidemic and most people don’t know how to cook even very basic meals.

Make space for it, squish other classes if you need. Make it mandatory, everyone has to take it. Maybe even ongoing through multiple grades.

Edit: Rice, beans, and even basic meats are cheap. To eat healthy you don’t need your meal to be 100% Bell peppers and tomatoes.

    • BarqsHasBite@lemmy.caOP
      3·
      11 months ago

      I would personally consider teaching kids to cook to be something a parent is supposed to do

      First, that’s failed. It’s been tried and it’s failed.

      Second, the point is cooking is essential and should not be optional or outsourced. You can say parents could teach a whole bunch of stuff and not teach it in school, but we don’t. We say there are things that are essential and thus mandatory. Cooking should be in that. It doesn’t get any more essential than cooking.

      The challenge is to make sure the people that do choose to learn to cook don’t get disadvantaged somehow.

      You do this by making it mandatory for everyone. No marks, but mandatory.

      We’ve already gone down the path with factors that pushed cooking out of school, and look what it got us. People that can’t cook. 70% of people overweight or obese. This is why we need to make it mandatory.

      Do it early, before college.