Public education

Except for nursery school, I have always attended public schools. While I can see how private schools can work for some folks, it's just never been my thing.

I have discovered over the last ten years one of the pluses of public schools -- adult education. I used to always think that adult education was nothing more than folks getting their GED. Silly me. In many communities they also offer what are called community classes. In the past I have taken dance and language classes but there are so many others I'd love to take. And so that's how this morning I found myself in Piedmont.


What can you say about a city for which this is the building that houses their recreation department?

Today's class was tamales -- savory and sweet.





Tamales in progress.


The salad we made while the tamales were steaming. (I got to demonstrate to the rest of the class how to supreme an orange. When I finished the instructor commented, "For once I did not need to demonstrate how to do that.")


The finished products.

It was so much fun that now I'm looking at what to take next. The same instructor will be teaching the class in moles in March. I probably should take it as I am a huge mole addict.

I also learned in the class where to buy epazote -- that ingredient I'm always missing when I make flor de calabaza soup -- and the best place in the East Bay for cooking supplies. I am in desperate need of some decent knives. After I asked about knives, the instructor was kind enough to demonstrate the proper technique for honing knives. Stop looking at me like that. Just because I have been known to say that I'd like to cut a bitch, doesn't mean that I'd actually do it. Perhaps. But this is public education after all and one never knows with what one may be confronted.