I'm Jealous of Some Ten Year Olds

Masterchef Junior, Fox

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I have a confession to make. I am a twenty-six year old woman who is jealous of our current generation of eleven year olds.

When I was eleven years old, I had Rachel Ray’s Thirty Minute Meals to teach me how to cook. There were no kids my age on TV, no one there to show me that I too could do it. I have very clear memories on giving up on being a professional chef in order to pursue a more traditional educational path that never panned out for me. Every time I turn on Master Chef Junior, Chopped Junior, etc, I think about what eleven year old Theresa would have thought of these kids.

Eleven year old Theresa would have wanted to be in those kitchens. Eleven year old Theresa, who burnt her parents’ tongues off with steak that has too much cayenne on it, would have seen in those kids people to look up to-- People like her who made it happen. I am simultaneously very proud of these kids that put out food that honestly makes me look like a goddamn amateur and very, very jealous of the opportunities that came into existence for them.

These things did not exist for a whole generation of hopeful cooks like me who gave up too soon. I’m so proud of these kids, even when I have a slight pang of jealousy in my heart. While I will always wish that this culture of hope in the next generation had been birthed early enough for me to try and get on board when I was as dedicated to cooking as some of these kids, there is nothing more inspirational than watching a twelve year old make a three course meal for Gordon fucking Ramsay. If they can do that, I can at the very least cook dinner more than two days in a row.

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