Do you remember choosing school subjects?
Towards the end of Primary School we were given a form. Columns of Secondary School subjects from which we were to choose
The compulsory subjects had their own columns; then came the fun part…
We ticked our choices in pencil, and were instructed to take it home for a parent’s signature
I have zero idea why I ticked Latin. My mother had a very old Latin dictionary. Maybe I liked the binding?
Food and Nutrition, on the other hand, was a definite, positive tick. I really wanted to cook
So I walked home and showed the form to my parents. The horror! Had I erroneously ticked Arson? Shoplifting?
No, definitely Latin plus Food and Nutrition. But this was a problem
My mother, bless her heart, couldn’t cook. Did you read my posts around Christmas time? She was a clever woman who had won a place at university, before it was usual for working class families. But she definitely couldn’t cook
Why I was told not to tick Latin, I haven’t a clue. But I clearly remember why Food and Nutrition was unticked
“I can teach you to cook” said mum, without irony
At age eleven, I knew this was no more than a fantasy. I wanted to cook actual edible food. It wasn’t going to happen
Years later, when I was working and had a wee flat, I began to learn to cook. I’m still learning
Thanks for reading my stories
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