This semester The Kid was lucky enough to get Home Ec as an elective. Although we were really happy about it, the closer it came to cooking the more anxiety we had. Her teachers were really great, explaining we would have the opportunity to review the ingredients (and The Kid has an App for that!) But when it came time to start a zillion questions started popping in my head.
Like:
- No wooden spoons
- Are they using a cutting board
- Are the plastic spoons all chewed up after years of kids using them, same for measuring cups
- Are the tools washed by sponge or dishwasher
- The Kid should not be in the room when using flour
- What about the classes before
In a school of 1500 and only 2 known cases, lets face it it is uncommon. Which is why, to my surprise the teachers asked me to come in and talk about allergies and cross-contamination. So I did!
Trying to take the crazy disbelief that something you can't see can still hurt someone else, we did an experiment. (I LOVE this one) Take un-sugared Kool-Aid. Sprinkle a little on your hands, gentlely rub, dust off with a paper towel. It looks like there is nothing there, but when you spritz with water the Kool-Aid magically appears!
This brought a whole bunch of questions and a great discussion (back around to Celiac)
Long story short ~ The Class made chocolate Chip Cookies, Rice Krispy Treats, and a Fruit Pizza. My Kid NEVER GOT SICK and the other students all agreed the Gluten Free food was better. (BTW, we used Better Batter for the cookies, and sugar cookie pizza)
Please please please, if you or your child ever get(s) Home Ec, just go talk to the teachers and administration to see if this is possible in your school.
Great post. Thank you for writing about this. Its the first time I've heard about what life with celiac disease is like from a kids perspective.
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for the helpful tips! My daughter has home EC now and was wondering how The Kid enjoyed it?
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