nosh nook #113 - wednesday, august 19, 2009

where little chefs learn the art of slicing and dicing (link)
08.18.09 - the ny times - by ann farmer

kids do the darndest things! sometimes they're all chill & relaxed & reading a book or mesmerized by a dvd featuring thomas or dora or whoever kids are obsessed with these days and sometimes they're running around all batshit crazy, knocking things around while barking like a dog & declaring that they're king/queen of the lizards...at least that's what i assume kids would do if i ever interacted with any. the other thing about kids: you have to feed them or they die. it's true! they don't get their nutrients via photosynthesis, folks.

luckily for peeps in brooklyn with kids, there's now a way to channel those kids' energy into an activity that ensures that they won't die of starvation. as the ny times' ann farmer explains, emily rios, a "licensed clinical social worker, educator and self-professed 'foodie'” started the creative cooks culinary center last year to teach kids about food & specifically how to prepare & cook different dishes. she "treats the culinary arts as an anthropological adventure." kids love anthropology!

rios teaches the kids how to make a wide range of dishes from around the world, dishes such trinidadian "doubles," "arroz con pollo," "pastelitos" & "a vegetarian dish called buddhist delight." exotic! she knows when to curb the etocism though. as the article mentions, she "could have done something with salted codfish this week, but (she) knew they wouldn't like it." well duh. it's salted codfish. in addition to teaching kids how to cook, she takes them on culinary outings around the city. they've visited chinatown's mahayana buddhist temple, a caribbean market & a tortilla factory. a tortilla factory? lucky kids. when i was a kid, we never got to visit a tortilla factory or make trinidadian dishes. hell, i didn't even know that sushi existed until some time around high school. kids these days are so advanced!