Would you take a class like this?

[Etoile]

I had this idea for a cooking class, please tell me what you think, if you think it's a good idea and if you'd pay to take a class like that. Also, would you take a whole series or would you want to pick and choose classes individually? I was thinking of developing it as a course for the local adult ed "free university".

I really like to cook and I also like to experiment with food from different cultures. I have been told repeatedly that my cooking is very good, but I am not formally trained (other than being raised by a professional vegetarian cook--my mother also taught macrobiotic/vegetarian cooking classes). A Pakistani friend of mine told me that my lamb curry was the most authentic he'd tasted from a non-Pakistani person. I was thinking I could teach a class called something like "Exotic Cooking for the Unadventurous". Each class would be a different exotic theme and I would teach how to cook a meal of that culture, go over some of the specialized ingredients, what to look for in an ethnic grocery, and how to substitute things that are readily available in the grocery store. My target audience would be the macaroni-and-cheese-chicken-nuggets-and-meatloaf kind of cook who is looking to branch out but wouldn't necessarily like to take an intensive course learning how to cook a whole culture's cuisine.

Some themes with things I already know how to cook:
Indian (Lamb Korma, chutney, kheer)
Vietnamese (Vietnamese egg rolls, rice noodle bowl)
Thai (Chicken Coconut Curry, Spring rolls)
Japanese (Nori Maki rolls, miso soup)
French (Coq Au Vin, not sure about what else)
Ethiopian (I don't know how to cook ethiopian food yet but my mom has a cookbook)
Greek (Spanakopita, moussaka)
Meditteranean Tapas (hummus, baba ganoush, tapenade, not sure what else)

What do you all think? And, do you think it should be offered as individual classes, a complete course, or themed blocks (ie Asian, European, etc).

[heather 8^)]

I'm the "other" vote. :) I think it's a good idea, but the title is missing something, I think. "Exotic Cooking for the Unadventurous" means, to me, either ethnic food that even a mac 'n cheese guy would find tasty or ethnic food that is super-easy to put together and doesn't have a lot of weird ingredients.

I think your ideas of mixing different themes and discussing easy substitutes are good, but I'm not sure the title or the approach quite fits your intended audience just yet. I live where there are LOTS of "meatloaf", unadventurous people, and I don't see anything on that list that would appeal to them. I also don't think that they would ever find the time or inclination to go to an Indian or Asian market. I *love* exotic food, but even I have to be really driven to find and go into some of those hole-in-the-wall markets, walk by lots of still-alive things, and then try to communicate what I'm looking for to the folks who work there.

From your description, I see the class appealing more to people like myself, who already like ethnic food (and have had most but not all things on that list) but have no clue how to make them taste that good at home.

Just some food for thought. :D Good luck!

[Asha]

i would really try to avoid using only foods found in ethnic grocery stores. i venture to say those who are cooking spaghetti from a jar really don't have a lot of time to go to more than one grocery store.

also, i think your indian dishes are a little too exotic in terms of indian dishes. i love indian food, but all three of those dishes are foods i actually don't like. i am also thinking that people are going to want to learn how to make the popular ethnic foods. they are already venturing out of a comfort zone by cooking nonamerican.

i think the idea for the class is a good one, though, and i would just try to focus on using more accessible ingrediants and showing how to cook the most popular dishes from that country.

[Sophia]

but I'm not sure the title or the approach quite fits your intended audience just yet. I live where there are LOTS of "meatloaf", unadventurous people, and I don't see anything on that list that would appeal to them.

ITA with this. I'm not adventurous (although I wouldn't describe my typical food as meatloaf & tater tots), and I have no inclination to even go to certain kinds of restaurants, much less attempt to cook those cuisines (even a "watered down" version). I really dislike spicy foods, so anything spicy is out, and I have aversions to lots of foods I don't recognize. I was an extremely picky eater as a child & it hasn't worn off.

However, if you renamed it for adventurous cooks, my DH would be very interested. He's my opposite. ;)

[Asha]

not all ethnic foods are spicy. etoile you should consider toning down the hot spices, to appeal to those who don't like "spicy" foods.

[laurenc]

i'm fairly adventurous with cooking, so this sort of thing really appeals to me. but, i also agree with some of the suggestions made by other posters. i don't think a mac-and-cheese type is going to 1) take the initiative to sign up for a cooking class, and if they do, i don't think they'll go for 2) ethnic foods as a first class.

i think that if you want your clients to be branching out from the tater tots and meatloaf, you might be more successful with a step-by-step approach. for example, a mac-and-cheese type might not go for ethiopian food, but they may be more willing to try ethnically-inspired variations on meatloaf or "fancier" versions of mac-and-cheese. once you've developed a regular clientele for your cooking courses, you can see if your clients are interested in more advanced cooking or more exotic cuisines.

[KarenS]

I love the concept. I voted for a block of classes - so people could pick and choose which dish they'd liek to learn about.

I also agree that the types of foods (although I love them) sound pretty challenging to someone who's just looking at the list. Maybe offer a more generic description: Learn incorporate Indian concepts into your cooking - we'll talk about curries and chutneys. Or: Mediterranean food snacks - we'll talk about hummus and ... whatever! :)

I think for your intended audience, getting them to *incorporate parts* of the ethnic cooking into their regular menu is better than trying to get them to learn to cook a whole Indian meal or whatever. If that makes sense?

Karen

[Asha]

hmmm...i would much rather learn how to make main dishes than things like chutney and hummus. both of those things can easily be found in the store, and are very tasty too. again the audience you are trying to appeal to won't have time to be bothered with small stuff like this. they will probably want more "bang for their buck."

[j*east]

they may be more willing to try ethnically-inspired variations on meatloaf or "fancier" versions of mac-and-cheese. once you've developed a regular clientele for your cooking courses, you can see if your clients are interested in more advanced cooking or more exotic cuisines.

I completely agree with this. I like to cook, but I have the palate of a 6 year old. When I get Thai food, I eat pad thai. When I get Chinese, I eat chicken and broccoli. I only recently tried Indian food at the age of 31. For me, adding goat cheese and chives to mashed potatoes is a major breakthrough! I think, sadly, that a lot of Americans are like me. I'd start small--something like "add some zest to your everyday cooking" and focus on twists on basics, then build a client base and slooooowly get more adventurous. Or start with a one-night, one-time class and survey your attendees to see what they'd be most interested in. Good luck! :)

[PG-rated]

I guess I'm the dissenter here, because I love to eat adventurously, but I wouldn't have the slightest clue how to cook some of the dishes I love at home. If I'm the type of person you're aiming for, then it worked, because I love the concept! I voted that I would take one or two classes at a time, though, just because I'm a commitment-phobe when it comes to classes.

[Jazz]

I think it's a really cool idea. What if you used Karen's idea and had an intro-to-X class for each with appetizer type food from each cuisine, and then a separate class with dinner food? Then people could sign up for all apps or all dinners or apps+dinners from a certain region? (Though, it might drive the people in charge of registration crazy!)

[KarenS]

i would much rather learn how to make main dishes than things like chutney and hummus. both of those things can easily be found in the store, and are very tasty too.I agree for me personally, but I think that for people who might not be so adventurous, but want to try something new ... starting out with an appetiser might be better. And I know a lot of people who won't buy hummus in the store becuase they don't really know what it is (ahem - my SIL - ahem). When I made it at their house one weekend she really enjoyed it and was surprised that it was so simple and made of things that she *recognized*. :) But she'd have never bought it in a package otherwise.

Karen

[Asha]

hmmm...i guess it is hard for me to imagine someone who has never tasted hummus. shocking!!! :D

[Sophia]

I've never tasted hummus, but like I said, new foods still scare me. :p

[Asha]

/hijack/ sophia, if you ever went to venture out into the world of hummus, sabra hummus with roasted pine nuts is the best hummus. it makes a great dip for veggies and i love to make sandwhiches with it too.

[ejs]

Would it be a hands-on or a demo class? I'm not a fan of demo classes.

My local community ed actually offers classes like this. You can take a one- or two-night hands-on class to learn how to cook food from various cultures.

[maniach]

I would love a class like that. I always wonder how to make ethnic foods, but I don't know what the spices and ingredients are or where to find them. I'm not sure how well your class would go over with someone who's not a foodie, though. I think it might be better to teach exotic cooking for the unadventurous cook, rather than the unadventurous eater.

[greenbunny]

I love the idea, and I would love to take a class like that.

[Etoile]

Wow!!! Thank you all for your responses. This is some great input.

It's funny because the items I posted don't seem all that exotic to me but I think it's partly my upbringing and partly the area that I live in (Boulder, CO, where we have lots of exotic food readily available in grocery stores so there are more people here that have tried hummus and sushi, for example, than in other areas of the country.) So, I really appreciate the input that it might need to be toned down for the target market I was thinking of. Or, I might rethink the target market. Does anyone have an idea for a more descriptive name for the course?

I love the idea of having seperate appetizer and dinner classes. I don't know how their registration would work but I like the idea of being able to sign up for either a. a two-part course (say, Appetizers of India and Dinners from India) or b. all the appetizer classes/dinner classes or c. a block of courses based on continent. Hmm... something to flesh out.

I actually don't think it would be too difficult to prepare entire meals only with things that are readily available in grocery stores. I think I"d like to at least touch on ethnic grocers and what to look for though.

I also loved the idea of a class where you can put an exotic spin on old standby's. I can't think of anything I currently cook like that so I'd have to really think about it.

[MES in Chicago]

I already think it is a fab idea.

[ee_chick]

etoile, I would love to take a series of classes like this. In fact, I'm considering signing up for an "international basics" course that has four classes in it. I loooove going to cooking classes. :)

I also like the idea of an appetizer class. My local cooking school has a very popular set of appetizer and drink classes. They're held on Friday nights and they give a discount to couples or groups. They have martini parties, margarita parties, sake parties, etc. One of the things a martini menu next month is "Savory Vegetarian Indian Samosas with Green Apple Martinis." If you're looking for a way to draw people in, you might want to consider something like that. They're usually sold out a month or two in advance.

[sophiapb]

I'm with PG-rated. I would love to take this kind of class but I am not a mac n' cheese, meatloaf person. I've always wanted to make Thai but the recipes overwhelm me. I also hate to see in a recipe something like "Red curry, Pnang fish sauce and fresh lemon grass can be found at any specialty store!" If I can't find it in a regular grocery store, I won't make the recipe since I am NOT trekking all over town for an ingredient.
If you could make simplified recipes with basic pantry ingredients that taste like the real thing, I'd be all over them. For instance, I make really good sesame noodles with soy sauce, peanut butter, sesame oil and ginger, all of which can be found at your local A&P. I make excellent hummus with chick peas, lemon juice, sesame oil (very handy ingredient) and garlic. If you could teach me to cook Thai and Indian like that, I'd sign up in a heartbeat!
Oh, for the record, I'd only select one or two classes instead of a series since I already know how to cook in the Japanese and Greek style. I think that people interested in something like this would probably already have a cuisine that they are proficient in.

[Asha]

mmmmm....samosas......

[Janey]

Etoile, in looking around for Thai recipes yesterday, I found a class I will very likely sign up for. The description is this:

-----------------
Thai Cooking Tour with Pranee
with Chef Pranee Khruasanit Halvorsen
I Love Thai Cooking

9:30am-2:30pm

Join Chef Pranee Khruasanit for a shopping tour of Uwajimaya and Viet Wah—followed by a cooking class at Dish it up! We will meet at Dish it up! at 9:30am and carpool to the Int’l District, where we will shop for authentic Thai ingredients. After shopping we will return to Dish it up! and Pranee will teach us how to create Yum Neua (Beef with Mint & Lemongrass), Gaeng Keow Wan Gai (Chicken Green Curry with Eggplant), Phad Kee Meo, (Noodles with Broccoli & Chicken), & Coconut Ice Cream.

type of class: hands on

cost: $75
------------------

The thing I like most about it is that the class includes a tour of our local asian groceries, and she will no doubt show us what to buy there to make the dishes we'll serve. Nice!! It's something you might consider when putting together your classes.

[Etoile]

Thank you to everyone for your responses. It sounds like there is potentially some interest! Now I have to figure out the steps to take to be ready for the class. I think the first step is fleshing out my class list and writing down all my recipes (I'm kind of a eyball-it cook).

I think I may include a run-down of ethnic groceries but I think that I am fortunate enough to live in an area where most of the things I would be using actually are available at our supermarkets.

Thanks so much for all your input. Any other ideas of how I can best prepare for this?

[jenjunum]

In a cooking school near me there are classes that are a series but you can also sign up to take only particular classes in the series and just pay for those classes. For me, I'd prefer to sign up for only 1 class at a time because classes are expensive. Not sure how much these classes are that you're talking about though- they may be really inexpensive.

I don't think you're shooting for the meat and potatos crowd either. I think you're shooting for people like me. :) I like cooking and I like trying new recipes but I don't know much about ethnic cooking or ingredients- and there aren't any shows on the Food Network about this type of cooking. ;) For the most part I would only buy things from the regular grocery store but I would love an intro to Asian markets for example (there's one a mile from my house but I'm too chicken to go there because I'm afraid everything will be in another language and I'll have no idea what the heck I'm doing- and won't be able to talk to the purveyor).

Ok, now I really want to take a cooking class.