In which I am not a Chinese sweatshop worker

[dalesys]

Home Ec? My mother taught me... After I successfully made Jello by RTFD on the package while she was gone. (I was 7)

Need to fire a shot in the pun porn wars, but I'm on Hollandaise.

[earl colby pottinger]

1975 too

How things have changed.

When I took Home Ec (7th and 8th grades, early 1980s), we learned how to sew simple clothes and make easy recipes from scratch (stuff like tuna salad, banana bread, etc.) We learned how to read recipes and patterns, measure, how to use cooking tools or the sewing machine, how to chop veggies without losing digits, etc. Basically, the teacher taught us the fundamentals, so we could go from there. Microwave popcorn?! Brownies from a mix?!?! That's just reading and following directions, a little kid could do that much!

That is what I was taught too in 1974-5.

[EricKei]

I took Home Ec in elementary school because it was a "everyone has to take it" type of class (co-ed school). I don't recall learning anything in it that Granny hadn't already taught me, except how to sew buttons and patches onto clothing.

I'm threading the needle, here, myself. I'd much rather be bobbin for apples...

[LadyAndreca]

How things have changed.

When I took Home Ec (7th and 8th grades, early 1980s), we learned how to sew simple clothes and make easy recipes from scratch (stuff like tuna salad, banana bread, etc.) We learned how to read recipes and patterns, measure, how to use cooking tools or the sewing machine, how to chop veggies without losing digits, etc. Basically, the teacher taught us the fundamentals, so we could go from there. Microwave popcorn?! Brownies from a mix?!?! That's just reading and following directions, a little kid could do that much!

That was quite nice of you to teach your sister's friend how to cook. It seems that cooking and sewing are starting to go the way of the dinosaur.

The sad thing was, about a quarter of the class failed to make brownies out of the mix, and about half of them burned the popcorn. I think this was in '98, I don't remember if she had that class freshman or sophomore year.

[BeenThereDoneThat]

I was also taking home ec. in 7th grade in 1980-81 and we did things from scratch. I wasn't very good at making a pillow sham with a ruffle around it... oh well. I think the cooking part was kinda fun.

[EricKei]

and about half of them burned the popcorn.

These days, microwaves just have a button marked "Popcorn". Naturally, the last box of micro-popcorn I picked up had instructions that specifically said NOT to use that button ^_^ This variety pops faster than others, so using the Popcorn button would burn it.

There's something to be said for popcorn (JiffyPop?) in the tinfoil pans and air poppers, tho. They still make either of those things?

[BeenThereDoneThat]

There's something to be said for popcorn (JiffyPop?) in the tinfoil pans and air poppers, tho. They still make either of those things?

I'm almost positive Jiffy Pop is still on the market, and I've seen air poppers very recently in Walmart. We have an air popper but it's been around a while. I never use the popcorn button on the microwave...there is just no better way to pop microwave popcorn than to listen for the rapid slowdown in popping sounds.

[dendawg]

I saw a pan or two of Jiffypop at my local Kroger a couple of weekends ago. Try there.

[Jester]

*now has nightmares of hearing the chipmunks sing Freebird, live*

Actually, they do a pretty damn good cover of it.

"Jester, did you actually just post a link of Alvin and the Chipmunks covering Freebird?!?!""

Why yes, yes I did.

[EricKei]

"Jester, did you actually just post a link of Alvin and the Chipmunks covering Freebird?!?!"

I knew better, but I clicked it anyway >_< I suppose this is my penance for linking people (on another board) to a Man-Faye video (before he became a meme; to the tune of ~I like to move it move it~). To be fair, I did tell them it was NSFW and I included a nice big warning, at the time, to the effect of "Do not, for ANY reason, click this link! You'll be sorry if you do!"...Thus, naturally, they all did. Among the less NSFW reaction comments was something along the lines of "That was...No...Just, No. In the name of all that is heavenly and sacred, F*** NO." ... Fun times

Love those Top Comments on the Alvin video ^_^

[thansal]

And this is why I will never get into selling crafts.

120 hours of SKILLED labor should run you around the $2000 point, if not more. Getting skilled labor for about $2/hr (which s what she wanted)? Good luck!

When she finds it you should just contract out all your work to them

[manybellsdown]

These days, microwaves just have a button marked "Popcorn". Naturally, the last box of micro-popcorn I picked up had instructions that specifically said NOT to use that button ^_^ This variety pops faster than others, so using the Popcorn button would burn it.

There's something to be said for popcorn (JiffyPop?) in the tinfoil pans and air poppers, tho. They still make either of those things?

Every single bag of microwave popcorn I have ever seen says "Don't use the popcorn button."

...Then why did they MAKE it??

[Andara Bledin]

Every single bag of microwave popcorn I have ever seen says "Don't use the popcorn button."

...Then why did they MAKE it??

They made it because most popcorn takes the same amount of time to pop.

The put the warning on the bag because people would think "Oh, hey, the button means I don't have to actually pay attention to my cooking food" and wandered off, then tried to sue when their popcorn set their microwaves on fire. >_<

^-.-^

[Jester]

Every single bag of microwave popcorn I have ever seen says "Don't use the popcorn button."

...Then why did they MAKE it??

It's simple, really. The manufacturers of the microwave ovens do not consult with those who make microwave popcorn. They merely made one more button that would appeal to stupid consumers and thus, in theory, sell more microwave ovens. "Oh look, Jared, that microwave has a convenient popcorn button. How cool!"

It's money driven, pure and simple. The same reason why they make so many ridiculous "convenience" devices for the kitchen. Not because they work or make things easier (especially the already easy tasks that now have such convenience devices), but because people will buy them.

[Pagan]

The sad thing was, about a quarter of the class failed to make brownies out of the mix, and about half of them burned the popcorn. I think this was in '98, I don't remember if she had that class freshman or sophomore year.

I had a friend that could never get box brownies to come out. She had me come over to troubleshoot for her. Turns out, they had no measuring utensils whatsoever in the house. And I told her, pretty bluntly, that was the problem.

There's something to be said for popcorn (JiffyPop?) in the tinfoil pans and air poppers, tho. They still make either of those things?

Oh, Jiffy Pop is most definitnely still around. Saw some the other day when I was getting a bag of popcorn.

I've gone back to making it only the stove. Just comes out better even than air popping....and I can burn some of it. What? Don't look at me like that! I like burned popcorn. You can blame my mom for that.