Cooking is becoming an elite subject for schoolboys

The Sydney Morning article “Top of the boys class today: dishes for diner dining" discusses how there is an increase number of male students studying hospitality nowadays compare to a decade ago.

The average men are seen to be cooking more often, particularly those with a roommate or spouse. A study by the NPD Group, a market research firm, found “that nearly half of all men between 18 and 25 who are married or living with someone else will prepare at least one of the next 10 dinners.” This study show that the home gender roles are not as well defined as we once thought that predominantly women do all the cooking (Brown, 2007).

Eagleton (2002) states the ‘Cultural truths –whether high art or the traditions of a people – are sometimes sacred ones, to be protected and revered.  Culture, then, inherits the imposing mantle of religious authority, but also has uneasy affinities with occupation and invasion; and it between these two poles, positive and negative, that the concept is currently pitched.  It is one of those rare ideas which have been as integral to the political left as they are vital to the political right, and its social history is thus exceptionally tangled and ambivalent.” That hospitality is becoming a common occupation for male is now a culture, as the culture before was hospitality was seen as a women job.
It can be seen that hospitality is becoming a rising popular subject with male students due to the focus on industry-standard cooking. Statics show that “between 2002 and 2012, the number of boys studying hospitality for their HSC increased 41 per cent, while the number of girls taking the subject grew 13 per cent.” And it is the 13^th most popular subject, in front of music, economic and geography.

Hospitality, a VET course is very different to the home economics classes back years ago, where the home economic classes focus on cooking food that is made at home. While hospitality studies how the meals are produce of industry standard, this shows that students can use this subject and apply it to their career in the food industry. The study of hospitality also ensures students with a certificate in commercial cookery.

Martin Benn was one of the only boys in his food technology class at high school, currently he is an executive chef at three-hat restaurant Sepia. He says “[cooking] wasn’t really the thing to be done back then, and cooking for a living was never as glamorous as what it is made out to be these days.”

However the view that male does not cook is not evident anymore because of the popular cooking shows on televisions such as Master Chef and Kitchen Rules, and also popular male celebrity chefs such as Neil Perry and Curtis Stone and international personalities like Jamie Oliver and Gordon Ramsay.


I believe that it is a positive thing that there are more male students studying hospitality, and how it focuses on industry-standard cooking rather than cooking food at home. This allows students to relate the skills they have learnt in jobs and also give them qualification. It is a good thing that the media of cooking television shows plays a big influence in many students wanting to study hospitality, as it allows students to be more exposure to more career choices. Also how there is no more apparent stereotype view of women are always the one to cook back in the days, now cooking can be seen as an equal career opportunity for both genders.

References:

• Damon, B. (2007). The Rise of the Male Cook. Journal of the American Dietetic Association. http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0002822307004671
• Eagleton, T. (2000).  The idea of culture. Oxford: Blackwell Publishers.
• McNeilage, A. (2013). Top of the boys’ class today: dishes for fine dining. Retrieved October 22, 2013, from http://www.smh.com.au/national/education/top-of-the-boys-class-today-dishes-for-fine-dining-20130920-2u57u.html.

Racism....does it still exist?

"Racism and Culture has always been intertwined, or as Robert Young puts it, 'the racial was always cultural' (1995:28)." Lentin & Titley, (2011:51).

Although this statement may be very well true, how evident is this still in the Australian education system? Personally, I came from a public primary school where nearly every single student was Caucasian, to then a public high school which was similar with a few Indigenous students before getting a massive culture shock when I came to attend UNSW this year. I've never really first handedly witnessed racism in schooling, so was quite shocked when I came across an article online through 'life from every angle: Youth Central'. I read an interview of a girl who was merely seventeen years old, reporting her experience of being 'cultured' in a schooling environment. Her name is Sarah Gastar, she is of Filipino descent and ultimately her one wish is to be Anglo-Australian, a more technical term of wishing she was 'white'. She was raised in Australia, loves Vegemite and couldn't be any different to the rest of her class, except for her appearance.

"I think what hurts most is being told to go home. I don't get it. I am home. Australia is where I was born and I don't know any other life. When they say that, it makes me feel like I don't belong anywhere." she sadly exclaims.

This is absolutely mind blowing, how this can be occurring in the 21st century. Have we not learnt anything from 'sorry' day? Research was undertaken through the Foundation of Young Australians and it was noted that just over a whopping seventy percent of young Australian students have either witnessed or experienced racism on a daily basis. I know that myself for one was very oblivious to this, I guess not being brought up in a multicultural school I was never exposed to this, and it shocks me how this statistic can be so huge, in what is supposed to be such an accepting, multicultural era of modern society. Thankfully, though, through social media, if we are suffering from this, we can turn to help. The brilliant website 'Racism: No way' helps us as outsiders to understand racism and how we can report it and aid those around us.

It made my blood boil when I studied modern history in year 12 and was dumbfounded by Hitler's racist, twisted views in the Holocaust. It made my blood boil when reading about the 'White Australia Policy' and admittedly, society still makes my blood boil that we as individuals can feel scared and isolated in the education system. We are all human beings, and education is a privilege and a right. No skin colour, or our families background should sacrifice this for us.

References:  http://www.youthcentral.vic.gov.au/ViewPage.action?&repositoryName=&siteNodeId=515&ItemID=15527#.Uj_W7cYSY1s

http://www.racismnoway.com.au/about-racism/understanding/schools.html#Heading205

http://www.fya.org.au/research/research-publications/

Culture and Identity (Chinese Morality)

Morality is the way that people understand themselves, understand other people, also how they understand the world. The traditional Chinese moral values​​, pay attention to "propriety, righteousness, benevolence and integrity." "The Analects" has impacted on Chinese moral values greatly.

The centre of Confucianism is benevolence. Confucian respect unaffected, doesn’t support rhetoric; focus on human action, strongly support that people should do what they said, do what they can. This attitude and spirit of morality has long-term impact on Chinese people.

Confucianism believes that the implementation of the filial piety at home will make the ruler does not  "guilty of rebellion"; then promote filial piety to all working people, then people will obey, not to revolt, so that you can improve national and social stability.

Filial piety and social stability are directly related to each other. Confucius has seen this point, so all of his thoughts are starting from here. From the point of if filial piety occurred the rebellion won’t happen, indicated that filial piety is the fundamental base of benevolence.

Since the warring state period the rulers and scholars have inherited what Confucius said, advocated the "Filial Piety." In the Han Dynasty, as an example, they put moral education as an important means of implementing the feudal rule, the people imprisoned in rules and ethics among the shackles of public morality. This action had a tremendous impact on the whole Chinese traditional culture and morality.

Confucian agreed with the thoughts of filial piety as a great important moral value is because that filial piety is the basis of loyalty; the person who cannot be filial to their parents cannot be loyal to the country. Therefore, the extension of filial piety is loyalty.

"The Analects" is one of the classics in Chinese culture, which is very important, in the past it was known as "China Man's Bible," everyone would read the book. In today's society, "Analects of Confucius" influence people through the "cultivate oneself". It has become a socially responsible manner conducive to social development, their ideas are worthy, and we all should read and study, scrutiny, then check ourselves. By doing so, we can increase the level of our own morality; promote the harmonious development of society. Therefore, the value of "Analects of Confucius" in the modern society cannot be ignored.

Social Justice and Education

Culture is one of the most complex words. People come from different places have different culture, and different culture shapes different identities.  Culture has great impact on social justice.

Social justice is to keep a balance on a group of people and society and work on equality and fairness, helping people understand what is right and wrong in human beings.

The rich and poor is a huge part of this topic. People from different families are standing on different situation. The ‘rich and poor’ has impacted on all students.

Basically there are two main parts – the health care and home-based cognitive stimulation.

Ø  Health care

Poorer people may get poorer health care. Poor children’s mother may get less health care during their pregnancy; children may also prenatal exposure to drugs and alcohol. Due to these situation children may be endogenous physical disabled. Because of their financial problem they may exposure to toxins as their living environment is polluted; children may grow up in a unsafe environment. Violence and crowded housing can influence on children’s mind and actions and cause problems.

Ø  Home-based cognitive stimulation

Compare to rich families poorer children get less academic and language stimulations as they have less parental occupation. All of these can make children do not have an idea of how to behave, also may be self-abased. Poorer children get fewer educational experiences and equipment. For example, they do not have chance get on computers; they have less toys and books. So when other kids are talking about computer game, YouTube videos they might have no idea of what that is. Therefore they felt they were left out. Disadvantaged children’s academic growth can stall over summer when school closed, relative to middle-SES children.

We all understand that most of the time kids are just copying what other people do, especially from their friends and parents. So when children go to school they influence teachers and classmates. Teachers may change the way of teaching; “When you touch black, you become black, when you touch red, you become red.” Their classmates may influenced by them. School thus affects other young people.

Reference

Bourdieu, P. (1973). Cultural reproduction and social reproduction. In R. Browen (Ed.), Papers in the Sociology of Education (pp. 71-112). London: Tavistock.

Coleman,J. S. (1987). Families and schools. Educational Researcher, 32-38.

Connell, R. W. (1977). Ruling Class Ruling Culture: Studies of Conflict, Power and Hegemony in Australian Life. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Côté, S. (2011). How social class shapes thoughts and actions in organizations. Research in Organizational Behavior, Volume 31, pp. 43-71.

Lareau, A. (2003). Unequal childhoods: Class, Race and family life. University of California Press, Berkley, CA.