Tuesday, September 1, 2009

The Rising Popularity Of Cooking Classes

By Wendy Stark

If the number of people signing up for them is anything to go by, it would seem that cooking classes are truly back in vogue.

We say back in vogue because there was indeed a time when taking cooking classes was fashionable, in pretty much the same way that taking computer classes has been fashionable in the last two decades as technology becomes more and more a part of our day to day lives. In those days, going for cooking classes was one of many peoples idea of leisure time spend well, and attendance of at least some cooking classes was considered an essential qualification for any girl who was considering getting hitched, as that was a time when men really expected their women to cook for them. The men, too, took the cooking classes unabashedly; seeing the ability to cook for it is, namely, an important life skill.

Then came a time when cooking classes became unfashionable. Women stopped cooking for their men, as doing so would be seen as not being assertive enough. Domestic duties had to be shared equally, and since no one wanted to be left washing the dishes, the modus operandi became to eat out whenever possible. And as fast food found more and more mainstream acceptance, people found it a better alternative to cooking at home, thence the fall in overall demand for cooking classes.

But trends go in cycles, and it seems that cooking classes are back in vogue. This can be attributed to a number of factors.

One of the main forces behind the renewed popularity of cooking classes is the growing awareness on the need to make healthier eating choices. As people make the deliberate choice to eat healthier, fast food (whose adoption is what killed the need for cooking classes in many places) is fast being considered a poor eating choice " and in a way actually unfashionable " making it necessary for a person to learn how to cook if they are to prepare themselves healthier meals.

Another factor behind the renewed popularity of cooking classes is the rise of online cooking classes, which make it possible for one to learn to cook from the comfort of their homes, doing away with the inconvenience of having to go for cooking classes in brick and mortar schools, which today's time-starved person just cant get the time for.

Then there is the celebrity factor where as many people considered celebrities started listing cooking as one of their hobbies, more and more ordinary people have found themselves also taking cooking classes in order to be in as the ability to cook starts being viewed as the in thing again.

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