Author Topic: Antimustachian potato peeling class  (Read 9396 times)


jinga nation

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Re: Antimustachian potato peeling class
« Reply #1 on: April 06, 2017, 12:26:39 PM »
Very down to earth. Pun intended.

I think a lot of people growing up in cities never learnt basic food prep skills. I've noticed grocery stores/markets trending towards cut/sliced/peeled ready-to-cook packaging.

honeybbq

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Re: Antimustachian potato peeling class
« Reply #2 on: April 06, 2017, 12:29:07 PM »
I know many, many people that don't know the basics of how to cook and prepare food. Now, in truth, a little googling and you-tubing can teach you a lot, but some people don't like to learn that way. If you can learn to peel potatoes and chop veggies and such quickly and easily, you might be more likely to prepare your own food, which can save you money in the long run.

But yeah, that link makes it sound like an MLM with a side-task of peeling some potatoes.

PS I almost NEVER peel potatoes. potato salad and mashed potatoes always have the skin on them for me. :)

Inaya

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Re: Antimustachian potato peeling class
« Reply #3 on: April 06, 2017, 12:33:48 PM »
I think there are worse things than teaching somebody basic cooking skills for free. Teach a man to fish and all that.

I guess it depends how much pressure there is to buy. And also what happens to the potatoes?

KodeBlue

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Re: Antimustachian potato peeling class
« Reply #4 on: April 07, 2017, 09:16:21 AM »
“Some people were clearly not used to using a knife so we have shown them how to use that safely” said Webb...

Sounds like something you'd say about a cub scout troop.

Just Joe

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Re: Antimustachian potato peeling class
« Reply #5 on: April 07, 2017, 09:40:11 AM »
Seems like this would be the PERFECT thing for a grocery store to be teaching. More people cooking, more people buying groceries vs going out. As a 20-something I would have been a perfect candidate. Boiling water was the extent of my skills.

Much like Lowes or Home Depot teaching DIY home fixing skills.

Cezil

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Re: Antimustachian potato peeling class
« Reply #6 on: April 07, 2017, 11:09:45 AM »
Seems like this would be the PERFECT thing for a grocery store to be teaching. More people cooking, more people buying groceries vs going out. As a 20-something I would have been a perfect candidate. Boiling water was the extent of my skills.

Much like Lowes or Home Depot teaching DIY home fixing skills.

This reminds me of one of my favorite American Dad quotes:


Inaya

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Re: Antimustachian potato peeling class
« Reply #7 on: April 07, 2017, 11:30:42 AM »
Seems like this would be the PERFECT thing for a grocery store to be teaching. More people cooking, more people buying groceries vs going out. As a 20-something I would have been a perfect candidate. Boiling water was the extent of my skills.

Much like Lowes or Home Depot teaching DIY home fixing skills.
Cutco reps start offering free knife skills classes?

Threshkin

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Re: Antimustachian potato peeling class
« Reply #8 on: April 07, 2017, 11:44:02 AM »
I likes the idea until I got to the end where they were selling 1,000 pound decorative bowls!

Teaching basic skills is goodness.  It is difficult to imagine not knowing how to peal potatoes or use a knife safely but if someone does not know I fully support teaching them.

It looks like in this case the target audience was people who always have servants around to do this for them but I could see something similar working for people on the other end of the economic spectrum as well.

Playing with Fire UK

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Re: Antimustachian potato peeling class
« Reply #9 on: April 08, 2017, 07:06:51 AM »
And also what happens to the potatoes?

This. Just being able to peel a potato still leaves you some distance from dinner. And there are plenty of hungry people that could use some free peeled potatoes.

GuitarStv

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Re: Antimustachian potato peeling class
« Reply #10 on: April 08, 2017, 07:56:55 AM »
Am I the only one who knows that the skins are totally edible?  Just scrub them off and they can be:

- baked
- mashed
- cut up into fries

what the heck do you need to peel them for?

farfromfire

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Re: Antimustachian potato peeling class
« Reply #11 on: April 08, 2017, 08:38:19 AM »
Am I the only one who knows that the skins are totally edible?  Just scrub them off and they can be:

- baked
- mashed
- cut up into fries

what the heck do you need to peel them for?
+1
Although sometimes potatoes have those disgusting black growths inside that aren't visible when they're not peeled (but usually are after peeling 2mm)

Anyway, this seems to be more about an exceptionally silly smart way of making money off occupational therapy without needing a degree, rather than teaching real skills. A tea boiling course? In the UK?

Playing with Fire UK

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Re: Antimustachian potato peeling class
« Reply #12 on: April 08, 2017, 01:09:36 PM »
A tea boiling course? In the UK?

I just realised this was based here. Shit, I knew there were people here in need of help but never thought that there were enough to make this A THING.

For the record, I can peel a potato, eat a non-peeled potato and boil water for tea.

[Goes to read article]

Oh, it's Selfridges. Totally different. Selfridges is a safe space for vulnerable people. And by vulnerable I mean encumbered with way too much money and no fucking clue. That must explain the £1000 wooden bowl; totally safe for these folk, probably washes itself up. At least the attendees are going themselves rather than sending their butlers; that must have been terrifying for them. I applaud the effort, they need our help. [/s]

lost_in_the_endless_aisle

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Re: Antimustachian potato peeling class
« Reply #13 on: April 08, 2017, 11:28:14 PM »
Last time I went to Safeway I got a head of garlic. The woman running the register didn't know what it was and asked me. Then she picked up the strange brown/yellow sphere I was also buying and asked "This is an onion, right?"

The Money Monk

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Re: Antimustachian potato peeling class
« Reply #14 on: April 09, 2017, 01:26:03 AM »
Last time I went to Safeway I got a head of garlic. The woman running the register didn't know what it was and asked me. Then she picked up the strange brown/yellow sphere I was also buying and asked "This is an onion, right?"

I saw a study recently that revealed a significant percentage of adults don't even know that milk comes from an actual animal. They just never really think about it and assume its some kind of manufactured drink like soda or something.

The idiocracy it real

farfromfire

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Re: Antimustachian potato peeling class
« Reply #15 on: April 09, 2017, 01:58:55 AM »
Last time I went to Safeway I got a head of garlic. The woman running the register didn't know what it was and asked me. Then she picked up the strange brown/yellow sphere I was also buying and asked "This is an onion, right?"

I saw a study recently that revealed a significant percentage of adults don't even know that milk comes from an actual animal. They just never really think about it and assume its some kind of manufactured drink like soda or something.

The idiocracy it real
Source?

All I could find on the subject is that 40% of kids/young adults (under 18) could not link an image of milk to an image of a dairy cow.

shelivesthedream

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Re: Antimustachian potato peeling class
« Reply #16 on: April 09, 2017, 04:47:01 AM »
Oh, it's Selfridges. Totally different. Selfridges is a safe space for vulnerable people. And by vulnerable I mean encumbered with way too much money and no fucking clue. That must explain the £1000 wooden bowl; totally safe for these folk, probably washes itself up. At least the attendees are going themselves rather than sending their butlers; that must have been terrifying for them. I applaud the effort, they need our help. [/s]

Yeah, honestly guys, this is not a "grocery store" teaching people to peel potatoes. This is Selfridges lucking out on another way to help people with their "too much money" problem.

BlueHouse

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Re: Antimustachian potato peeling class
« Reply #17 on: April 09, 2017, 05:03:26 AM »
Not too different from a knitting class in my opinion

I took a knife skills class's last time year hoping it would make me want to cook more. It didn't

I did learn something from one of those cooking shows though (usually not interesting to me). I grew up learning to cut a bell pepper in the most asinine way imaginable. My mom still cuts them the same way - poke a paring knife in the top, go around in a circle to cut the stem out, pull out the stem, then cut the pepper into slices and carefully pare away the white stuff inside of each piece. . She gets about 99% of the pepper that way, but it takes for friggin ever!  Now I just chop four sides and salvage about 95%. It honestly never occurred to me that there was another way other than what my mom taught me and I'm not exactly stupid.

That experience opened my mind and when someone else mentioned a cookbook about fast cooking, I realized I may not hate cooking, but the inefficiencies of my mom's cooking style might have ruined cooking for me.

The Money Monk

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Re: Antimustachian potato peeling class
« Reply #18 on: April 09, 2017, 11:47:35 AM »
Last time I went to Safeway I got a head of garlic. The woman running the register didn't know what it was and asked me. Then she picked up the strange brown/yellow sphere I was also buying and asked "This is an onion, right?"

I saw a study recently that revealed a significant percentage of adults don't even know that milk comes from an actual animal. They just never really think about it and assume its some kind of manufactured drink like soda or something.

The idiocracy it real
Source?

All I could find on the subject is that 40% of kids/young adults (under 18) could not link an image of milk to an image of a dairy cow.

that may be what I was remembering. Pretty bad either way.

EDIT: I think this was the one. http://www.cattlenetwork.com/cattle-news/Cows-produce-milk-50-of-British-teens-unaware-159200065.html

It's "young adults" so people aged 16-23, which is still ridiculous.
« Last Edit: April 09, 2017, 11:49:22 AM by The Money Monk »

woopwoop

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Re: Antimustachian potato peeling class
« Reply #19 on: April 09, 2017, 12:03:02 PM »
When I was little, my sister had a friend who didn't know that french fries came from potatoes. She had only ever had them from McD's or from a frozen bag in the freezer aisle. My mom astonished her by peeling and cutting potatoes and frying them up into french fries. Poor girl - she was already overweight at ten years old from being fed crap her whole life.

farfromfire

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Re: Antimustachian potato peeling class
« Reply #20 on: April 09, 2017, 12:04:45 PM »
Last time I went to Safeway I got a head of garlic. The woman running the register didn't know what it was and asked me. Then she picked up the strange brown/yellow sphere I was also buying and asked "This is an onion, right?"

I saw a study recently that revealed a significant percentage of adults don't even know that milk comes from an actual animal. They just never really think about it and assume its some kind of manufactured drink like soda or something.

The idiocracy it real
Source?

All I could find on the subject is that 40% of kids/young adults (under 18) could not link an image of milk to an image of a dairy cow.

that may be what I was remembering. Pretty bad either way.

EDIT: I think this was the one. http://www.cattlenetwork.com/cattle-news/Cows-produce-milk-50-of-British-teens-unaware-159200065.html

It's "young adults" so people aged 16-23, which is still ridiculous.
Yep, no excuses for that.
The Daily Mail link in you link shows "average for all ages" (without citation) which contain pretty sad results.

RetiredAt63

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Re: Antimustachian potato peeling class
« Reply #21 on: April 09, 2017, 04:24:47 PM »
Newer potatoes have lovey thin skins which are fine to eat.  Old storage potatoes need peeling.  But a knife?  What ever happened to a vegetable peeler?  Good for potatoes carrots (again only if necessary), turnips, parsnips.

Playing with Fire UK

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Re: Antimustachian potato peeling class
« Reply #22 on: April 10, 2017, 04:42:36 AM »

Yep, no excuses for that.
The Daily Mail link in you link shows "average for all ages" (without citation) which contain pretty sad results.

The Daily Mail is not a reliable newspaper. This study may or may not have happened, but the Daily Mail reporting it doesn't change my opinion of its likelihood.

Also, if I'm doing a survey and I'm getting paid one way or another and they start asking me where milk comes from, you'd better believe I'm making something up. How many people said it is space rain?

shelivesthedream

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Re: Antimustachian potato peeling class
« Reply #23 on: April 10, 2017, 07:01:14 AM »
Yep, Selfridges and the Daily Mail are really not where one goes to encounter reality. The American equivalents might be Bergdorf Goodman and Fox News.

slugline

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Re: Antimustachian potato peeling class
« Reply #24 on: April 10, 2017, 07:24:38 AM »
Am I the only one who knows that the skins are totally edible?  Just scrub them off and they can be:

- baked
- mashed
- cut up into fries

what the heck do you need to peel them for?

I like leaving the skin on also. A big chunk of a potato's nutritional value -- certain vitamins and fiber -- is concentrated in the skin.

Mmmmmm -- I'm in the mood for a batch of baked skin-on wedges.
« Last Edit: April 10, 2017, 07:26:36 AM by slugline »

Just Joe

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Re: Antimustachian potato peeling class
« Reply #25 on: April 10, 2017, 08:41:56 AM »
A conversation sparked by this thread and others here at MMM encourage DW and I to start having our boys help with making dinner. They absolutely need to reach adulthood knowing more than I did.

meghan88

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Re: Antimustachian potato peeling class
« Reply #26 on: April 10, 2017, 06:18:49 PM »
Am I the only one who knows that the skins are totally edible?  Just scrub them off and they can be:

- baked
- mashed
- cut up into fries

what the heck do you need to peel them for?

The skins are where all of the goodness is.  I only pare off the eyes and ugly bits, and I keep that to a minimum.  Potatoes are on the "dirty dozen" list so we try to buy organic.  Happy to eat some organic dirt.

shelivesthedream

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Re: Antimustachian potato peeling class
« Reply #27 on: April 11, 2017, 02:00:27 AM »
A conversation sparked by this thread and others here at MMM encourage DW and I to start having our boys help with making dinner. They absolutely need to reach adulthood knowing more than I did.

WELL DONE. Seriously. I had abrupt transition from "No, go away and don't get in the way" to "Why don't you know how to do everything? Oh well, you're leaving home now so it's too late for me to teach you". A graded introduction to adult chores (with a wide tolerance for the fact that both children and beginners tend to be bad at things that require knowledge or dexterity) is one of the best things you can do for your children. The extra time it takes to make dinner with them is a huge investment in a future where they can make dinner for you unaided!

Playing with Fire UK

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Re: Antimustachian potato peeling class
« Reply #28 on: April 11, 2017, 03:15:12 AM »
A conversation sparked by this thread and others here at MMM encourage DW and I to start having our boys help with making dinner. They absolutely need to reach adulthood knowing more than I did.

WELL DONE. Seriously. I had abrupt transition from "No, go away and don't get in the way" to "Why don't you know how to do everything? Oh well, you're leaving home now so it's too late for me to teach you". A graded introduction to adult chores (with a wide tolerance for the fact that both children and beginners tend to be bad at things that require knowledge or dexterity) is one of the best things you can do for your children. The extra time it takes to make dinner with them is a huge investment in a future where they can make dinner for you unaided!

Ditto.

RetiredAt63

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Re: Antimustachian potato peeling class
« Reply #29 on: April 11, 2017, 08:40:55 AM »
Mine said she wanted to learn but always disappeared at meal prep time.  A few years on her own and she learned.

SpeedReader

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Re: Antimustachian potato peeling class
« Reply #30 on: April 11, 2017, 10:43:18 PM »
The schools should bring back Home Economics classes.  I learned basic sewing, cooking, baking and other useful life skills in that class.  The other half-year should cover checkbook math, budgeting and personal finance, and other hands-on skills like changing a tire.  Too many people are obviously not learning these things at home.

rencelas

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Re: Antimustachian potato peeling class
« Reply #31 on: April 11, 2017, 10:57:23 PM »
The schools should bring back Home Economics classes.  I learned basic sewing, cooking, baking and other useful life skills in that class.  The other half-year should cover checkbook math, budgeting and personal finance, and other hands-on skills like changing a tire.  Too many people are obviously not learning these things at home.

We had mandatory home economics and shop in 7th grade where I lived in Illinois - but only a quarter of each. Would have been great to have a year of each in high school to really drive it home. I took a 2nd year of shop in 8th grade and I loved it.

JLee

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Re: Antimustachian potato peeling class
« Reply #32 on: April 12, 2017, 12:28:27 AM »
Last time I went to Safeway I got a head of garlic. The woman running the register didn't know what it was and asked me. Then she picked up the strange brown/yellow sphere I was also buying and asked "This is an onion, right?"

I had a cashier charge me for lemons when I had limes - and I went to get it corrected and had to explain that yes, they are different, and no they do not cost the same.

Just Joe

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Re: Antimustachian potato peeling class
« Reply #33 on: April 12, 2017, 08:08:32 AM »
The schools should bring back Home Economics classes.  I learned basic sewing, cooking, baking and other useful life skills in that class.  The other half-year should cover checkbook math, budgeting and personal finance, and other hands-on skills like changing a tire.  Too many people are obviously not learning these things at home.

We had mandatory home economics and shop in 7th grade where I lived in Illinois - but only a quarter of each. Would have been great to have a year of each in high school to really drive it home. I took a 2nd year of shop in 8th grade and I loved it.

I can think of alot of other things they spent time on high school that was far less useful than home econ, shop, etc.

Inaya

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Re: Antimustachian potato peeling class
« Reply #34 on: April 12, 2017, 09:52:58 AM »
The schools should bring back Home Economics classes.  I learned basic sewing, cooking, baking and other useful life skills in that class.  The other half-year should cover checkbook math, budgeting and personal finance, and other hands-on skills like changing a tire.  Too many people are obviously not learning these things at home.

We had mandatory home economics and shop in 7th grade where I lived in Illinois - but only a quarter of each. Would have been great to have a year of each in high school to really drive it home. I took a 2nd year of shop in 8th grade and I loved it.

I can think of alot of other things they spent time on high school that was far less useful than home econ, shop, etc.
But what is the REAL significance of the ducks in The Catcher in the Rye? And who is REALLY the mockingbird in To Kill a Mockingbird?

FindingFI

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Re: Antimustachian potato peeling class
« Reply #35 on: April 12, 2017, 11:37:38 AM »
I grew up learning to cut a bell pepper in the most asinine way imaginable. My mom still cuts them the same way - poke a paring knife in the top, go around in a circle to cut the stem out, pull out the stem, then cut the pepper into slices and carefully pare away the white stuff inside of each piece. . She gets about 99% of the pepper that way, but it takes for friggin ever!  Now I just chop four sides and salvage about 95%. It honestly never occurred to me that there was another way other than what my mom taught me and I'm not exactly stupid.

I'm not the only one! I learned the same way and didn't realize until near 30 that there was a way faster way. Actually LOL'ed

Goldielocks

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Re: Antimustachian potato peeling class
« Reply #36 on: April 18, 2017, 12:26:34 PM »
This story / comment that the person at the potato peeling class found it a "zen-like" experience has stuck with me since it was posted.

I can only think that:

a)  They were not given enough potatoes, or
b)  They were VERY slow at it.

Kaspian

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Re: Antimustachian potato peeling class
« Reply #37 on: April 20, 2017, 12:03:07 PM »
Am I the only one who knows that the skins are totally edible?  Just scrub them off and they can be:

- baked
- mashed
- cut up into fries

what the heck do you need to peel them for?

I get incredibly depressed if someone's peeling potatoes.  To me, it's the best part!  It's where all the good stuff and flavour is.  Man, the first time I had potato skins as a kid which were filled with bacon, cheese, and chive, I thought I was in heaven!

Kaspian

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Re: Antimustachian potato peeling class
« Reply #38 on: April 20, 2017, 12:09:01 PM »
The schools should bring back Home Economics classes.  I learned basic sewing, cooking, baking and other useful life skills in that class.  The other half-year should cover checkbook math, budgeting and personal finance, and other hands-on skills like changing a tire.  Too many people are obviously not learning these things at home.

^^ This!  All the boys in grade 7 and 8 took both shop and home ec.  Invaluable and slightly dangerous.  :)  Things I sucked at:  the sewing machine, the wood lathe.  Things I rocked:  cooking, the drill press.  (I still break out into a cold sweat whenever I see a sewing machine bobbin.) 

Just Joe

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Re: Antimustachian potato peeling class
« Reply #39 on: April 21, 2017, 08:40:13 PM »
The schools should bring back Home Economics classes.  I learned basic sewing, cooking, baking and other useful life skills in that class.  The other half-year should cover checkbook math, budgeting and personal finance, and other hands-on skills like changing a tire.  Too many people are obviously not learning these things at home.

We had mandatory home economics and shop in 7th grade where I lived in Illinois - but only a quarter of each. Would have been great to have a year of each in high school to really drive it home. I took a 2nd year of shop in 8th grade and I loved it.

I can think of alot of other things they spent time on high school that was far less useful than home econ, shop, etc.
But what is the REAL significance of the ducks in The Catcher in the Rye? And who is REALLY the mockingbird in To Kill a Mockingbird?

PLENTY of time to solve major problems like that later in life. You need to know how to manage your money and cook and sew as a kid. ;)

 

Wow, a phone plan for fifteen bucks!