Plate to Palate | Chefs, get out of the kitchen! It's the way to earn respect

Earlier this month, Zach Hines of HK Magazine (which is a stable mate of Post Magazine; full disclosure) wrote an opinion piece called Chefs, Get Back in the Kitchen. He complained that chefs in Hong Kong - particularly those with a Western background - no longer content to just make good food, were courting publicity, and wrote, "Chefs: take a page from your Chinese brothers-in-arms. Get back in the kitchen and preserve your dignity."

Actually, though, I believe Hines got it the wrong way around. It's not that Western chefs need to get back into the kitchen: the Chinese ones need to get out of it.

Although Chinese people are beginning to see cooking as a profession, rather than a trade, many still believe it to be an occupation for those who can't get into university.

After I graduated with a degree in English literature, I announced to my parents that I had accepted a two-year pastry apprenticeship at a hotel in San Francisco. I was quite proud of this: while it wasn't quite as difficult as being accepted to university, it was still an accomplishment - applicants had to write about their aspirations in the culinary field and go through a panel interview, after which they were ranked. Only the top three applicants were allowed to interview with the prospective employer (the pastry chef).

I not only received one of the two apprenticeships available every two years, I also was given a scholarship. I thought this was much better than going to culinary school. In the United States, thousands graduate each year from the top schools but there are very few apprentices. Furthermore, I would be paid to train, rather than having to pay for my education.

My parents - who, in most ways, are quite liberal - were appalled that their only daughter wanted to be a cook; they tried to persuade me to go to graduate school, but I would not be swayed.