I am enrolled in a food safety and cooking class in my temporary hometown of Rochester, New York.
As a long-time yoga practitioner, I have been mindful of what I eat and drink, or what I put into my body, since 2005.
However, I had not been very interested in taking an active role in learning how to prepare and cook meals beyond the most basic requirements until I enrolled in this food safety certification and cooking class last month.
In addition to learning that planning out recipes, shopping for ingredients, preparing food, and presenting meals is hard work, cooking is both a science and an art.
I am also slowly realizing how much food safety is an integral aspect of public health and personal wellness, in light of the defunding of the federal Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) sub-HHS agency, the mass civil service layoffs, and the insane deregulation efforts being implemented by President Donald Trump and vaccine conspiracy theorist Robert F, Kennedy (RFK) Jr.
Typically, I do not write or post content on the weekends. However, I have a hectic week ahead, so I decided to start my work early.
As someone new to food safety and cooking, I aim to learn and share relevant information on the topic, while also exploring how it connects to broader public health issues in the United States during the “Trump era.”
Last week’s class focused on “Preventing Cross-Contamination of Food,” and we prepared and cooked Pan-Braised Chicken Thighs with Potatoes, Shallots, and Olives.
While we will be winding up our coursework and class instruction during the week of July 14 through July 18, I will review our previous classes on Public Health Policy Reviews over the next two weeks.
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