Although I generally don't admit this in mixed company, I took a "Home Economics" class in middle school. I think it was forced upon me. You were only allowed to take wood shop once per semester. I'm not sure what Home Ec has evolved into today, but back in 1977 it was basically an hour long class to teach Gen X the the daily routine of a 1950's housewife.
I'm not sure how many people were still making their own clothes and baking from scratch in 1977 (other than my sister who can do anything), but that sector of the population was quickly being assimilated into a much different kind of soap-opera & TV dinner life. There were two "projects" that stand out in my mind from this class.
The first was something called "Bubble Buns". This was supposed to be a kind of segmented pastry with powdered chocolate on it that would melt in your husband's mouth when he returned home from his three-martini happy hour. They were dreadful. Maybe it was the fact that we didn't know the first thing about baking and got little help from the teacher. Or that we used pure cocoa powder and no sugar by accident. Or that one of my fellow teammates dropped most of them on the floor. Whatever the cause(s) they were terrible. Like eating an under baked bun with sawdust sprinkled on it.
I also made a shirt. The pattern came from a trip to the sewing store with my mom. Even at the time I highly suspected this shirt was designed for a woman. The garment was puffy and flowing, way too big on me, made of denim, and had some kind of red and yellow embroidery on the collar. I remember the hardest part was making the belt.
Yes, my shirt had a belt.
6 comments:
Awesome! Do you still have the shirt? Or at least a picture?
The shirt has long-since been retired. I think I wore it once, for four or five excruciating minutes. Not sure if there are any pictures that I haven't destroyed yet. :) I'll have to sketch it up or something, I still remember it well.
Maybe it became the bubble shirt on Seinfeld?
That shirt was a dashiki.
http://www.flashbackandfreedom.com/images/c61bl.jpg
I made one, too - we all did. Mine was a pinkish color.
At Maddie's school Home Ec is called "FACS." It stands for Family and Consumer Science. I think they might do the same things we did back then, only now they call it a science so they can continue to get funding.
I guess that explains why real science doesn't get much funding then.
Mine wasn't quite that bad, but close. And with a belt. Seems I remember other kids making cool and easy stuff like pillows.
I'm sorry but I'm laughing so hard I don't even know what to say....except, "your sister can do anything???" I have to meet this chic!!
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