I am taking a lot of online classes right now — as one does, I suppose, in the middle (the end?) of a pandemic; as one does, I suppose, when one is weighing a major career change. Most of these pertain to health and wellness in some way, and on Sunday, I took my first cooking class. Well, my first online cooking class — when I was younger, I took a class in cake decorating at a local bakery. It was tremendous fun, and I wish I'd maintained the skills. (I rarely frost anything anymore, let alone use a fancy piping bag and nozzle.)

Sunday's class was with Elyse Kopecky, whose cookbooks I adore and whose recipes for superhero muffins have changed my world — my pre-and post-workout meal world, at least. The menu she devised for us to make was great — a mustard-greens-and-chevre stuffed chicken breast, a roast carrot salad, edamame pesto, and the most incredible brownies for dessert. I really love her style of cooking — it's not fussy. She doesn't avoid fats. She uses a lot of vegetables. Everything was so delicious, and I'll riff off of many of the items from here on out — particularly these spicy seed clusters we made for the salad.

As I weigh making a change to what I do professionally, I do think about the role that "online education" plays in all these things, and I wonder if that's going to be the bridge for me to get from here to there. But with all I've invested in criticism, it's hard for me to just move into a new sphere and turn off that part of my brain — what I know works for teaching and learning in a digital space. And I want to get out of the digital space, truth be told. That's one of the things I love about cooking — it's embodied. Eating is embodied too.

What makes a good online cooking class though? I am going to take a couple of different knife skills classes — something I know I need to work on. (And I'm signed up for another of Elyse's classes too.) What are the limits of online when it comes to health/wellness/fitness education? Do I have any specific skills and knowledge that will help me (help others) in a new career?