Pastry Chef: Immoral and Unethical?

Confuzzled4ever

Here is the situation I’m currently facing and I don’t know what to do.

So I have a friend who announced that she was moving into a new profession. SHE IS BECOMING A GOURMET PASTRY CHEF!

So everyone is congratulating her on this big step in her life and all I can think is…WHY!? So she will be preparing pastries and directly contributing to the obesity epidemic in America. What’s next, should I congratulate the Marlboro man on the new gourmet cigarette brand he is coming out with? I just think it’s wrong for someone to knowingly provide sugar laden treats to others knowing the harm it causes. And even worse, these are gourmet treats which people are likely to eat even more of!

I don’t know. If it were me, I don’t think I would be able to live with myself if I knew I would be harming people like this long term. They are throwing her a going away party in a few weeks and she is going to be providing a sampling of her work for us. I’m still undecided if I should attend with these concerns. I’m not sure what kind of message that will be sending ya know?

What you guys think? Am I right? Or should I ease up, be happy for my friend and go to the party even if I feel like I’m compromising on my morals and ethics?

Go to the party.. bring me your goodies.. i will make sure they are properly disposed of..

Mother_Superior

ryry_

This is coming from a girl who's currently looking into going to pastry school herself. Just cause you're on a diet doesn't mean people can't indulge once in a while on great food they love. What about birthday cake or wedding cake? Bakers do those and if everyone had the mentality you do, everyone would have to eat packaged stuff...which is probably worse for heath in my honest opinion because at least food from a bakery is made with real ingredients. It's like rolling your eyes at a person for becoming a mechanic because he puts cars on the road for all the drunk and reckless drivers. She's not stuffing chocolate into people and making them fat, people are doing that themselves. I get your point of view but I don't agree with it at all and if someone told me they disagree with me following my dream because it makes people fat.....I'd throw a cupcake at them.....but I'm aggressive that way.

Honey, I already went to school. What he means is that I just got offered a position in a restaurant.

Trust me, DON'T WASTE YOUR MONEY. It cost me $26,000+interest and there are so many self-taught chefs out there now. You can teach yourself. Just think about it. If I could do it over again, I would never have gone to culinary school.

I'm sorry. I hope I did not offend you guys :flowerforyou:

I've just gotta do what is right for me ya know?

feelin_gr_8

Sounds a bit overboard...no pastry chef or candy company made me fat, I did that on my own but not learning self control!

magerum

My only comment would be: do you pay her bills?

If not, then it's none of your business as long as what she is doing is legal.

To think only of yourself is a little shortsighted don't you think? Will you pay for her to get trained in another profession?

My wife and daughter eat carbs at night, but I don't shun them....get over it.

I think the legality of sugar needs to be looked into...it should basically be banned as a controlled substance.

Only makes sense considering how many people are addicted to it.

Naturally

ldrosophila

Also, Pop Tarts arent pastry!!!

BaoCat

Give her congrats.

Pastry is an art form. Don't confuse it with the fact that people may not have self control. It's no where like smoking...

It's not like they're the crack dealers of the food world.

Seriously, wouldn't you condemn ANY chef with that kind of reasoning? Because quite realistically, many things deemed 'gourmet' are hellaciously bad for you. And most folks get fat off of everyday stuff, not exclusively treats made by an actual pastry chef.

I, for one, would tell her good luck as a friend, and also laugh and ask that she practice 'healthy treats' so I don't balloon up as her test subject.

She's a friend, right? Then you can say stuff like that. Or tell her OMG - don't let me be your test subject! If it's a matter of will.

But I wouldn't be judging her / projecting your anger at the world over bad eating on her. Well... maybe if she gets a job with Little Debbie or something... heh heh. But seriously, WE are in control of our choices. No pastry chef stuffed a Palmier down my throat.

I'd be more worried (as her friend) about whether she was prepared for a potentially rough road ahead. There's alot of low paying jobs in food service, and if she's starting this new career from scratch, with no experience to give her an edge, it's definitely a risk.

AllTehBeers

Also, Pop Tarts arent pastry!!!

Says who?

lousoulbody

bump

magerum

Also, Pop Tarts arent pastry!!!

Now you're talking.

emjay6x3

:laugh:

jonnythan

Also, Pop Tarts arent pastry!!!

Says who?

Sugar Cookie????

Oh hells yes.

LiftAllThePizzas

What you've got to do is cut the hamstring on the back of her leg right at the bottom. She'll never make pastries again, because her weight displacement goes back, all her weight is on her right foot, and she'll push everything off to the right. She'll never make anything even with the rolling pin. She'll quit her job.

bwhahahahahaha +1,000,000 then you can be the Cinderella kid straight out of nowhere

It looks like a mirac- it's in the hole!

beachlover317

Also, Pop Tarts arent pastry!!!

Now you're talking.

I just licked my monitor. That is a thing of beauty...

magerum

Also, Pop Tarts arent pastry!!!

Says who?

Sugar Cookie????

Oh hells yes.

You might like these too

Howdoyoufeeltoday

This is coming from a girl who's currently looking into going to pastry school herself. Just cause you're on a diet doesn't mean people can't indulge once in a while on great food they love. What about birthday cake or wedding cake? Bakers do those and if everyone had the mentality you do, everyone would have to eat packaged stuff...which is probably worse for heath in my honest opinion because at least food from a bakery is made with real ingredients. It's like rolling your eyes at a person for becoming a mechanic because he puts cars on the road for all the drunk and reckless drivers. She's not stuffing chocolate into people and making them fat, people are doing that themselves. I get your point of view but I don't agree with it at all and if someone told me they disagree with me following my dream because it makes people fat.....I'd throw a cupcake at them.....but I'm aggressive that way.

Honey, I already went to school. What he means is that I just got offered a position in a restaurant.

Trust me, DON'T WASTE YOUR MONEY. It cost me $26,000+interest and there are so many self-taught chefs out there now. You can teach yourself. Just think about it. If I could do it over again, I would never have gone to culinary school.

I wouldn't be doing full culinary school, I have a school where I live (Quebec) they teach specific training for pastry making so it would be just learning the basic techniques behind pastry and baking. It's a one year program and it's not NEARLY as expensive as culinary school. However, I may or may not be doing that cause I just discovered I might have a slight allergy to dairy..which is not a good allergy for a pastry chef to have. We'll see where the wind takes me. Might have to self teach. I bet your food is Kick *ss though.

BaoCat

Also, Pop Tarts arent pastry!!!

Says who?

Says the french bakery down the road from work. :P

Seriously... when you get a really NICE pastry, suddenly junk food is so totally NOT worth it. And tasteless in comparison.

If I'm going to have an occasional treat, it's going to be a REALLY good one. I have the same mentality about chocolate.

It at least helps filter out some of the junks in life. 99% of what's brought into my office falls into the 'meh' category.

ryry_

You should kill her to save the others. It's the right thing to do.

LOL at first I was thinking this is a joke post but then I got kind of upset over the post and the sanctimonious tone.

Then I read this and it made me laugh, and now I dont care.

Why is this a joke?

ThePlight

Food can be art if you let it be. Simply don't eat it if you do not want it. People need to be taught to eat in moderation and that is not her job. If she made a gorgeous batch of cupcakes, I would admire them, but only eat enough to get a taste of them and count my calories. Otherwise, I'd be setting myself up for failure.

ryry_

Wow... Pretty soon people will not be held accountable for anything they choose to do. Just because she makes delicious pastries doesn't mean they have to eat them to the point of obesity. Or would you have us all just living in a bubble having ****ing lean cuisine slushies pumped into our stomachs???

I 100% believe people should be accountable for what they do, including tempting people into eating foods they should not.

GingerLolita

Pastries alone haven't caused the obesity crisis. You may not agree with her career choice, but if she's your friend, support and congratulate her. If you don't want to eat her pastries, everyone else should also respect your decision. But I if I never eat a pastry again in my life, I'll be miserable.

pastryari

This is coming from a girl who's currently looking into going to pastry school herself. Just cause you're on a diet doesn't mean people can't indulge once in a while on great food they love. What about birthday cake or wedding cake? Bakers do those and if everyone had the mentality you do, everyone would have to eat packaged stuff...which is probably worse for heath in my honest opinion because at least food from a bakery is made with real ingredients. It's like rolling your eyes at a person for becoming a mechanic because he puts cars on the road for all the drunk and reckless drivers. She's not stuffing chocolate into people and making them fat, people are doing that themselves. I get your point of view but I don't agree with it at all and if someone told me they disagree with me following my dream because it makes people fat.....I'd throw a cupcake at them.....but I'm aggressive that way.

Honey, I already went to school. What he means is that I just got offered a position in a restaurant.

Trust me, DON'T WASTE YOUR MONEY. It cost me $26,000+interest and there are so many self-taught chefs out there now. You can teach yourself. Just think about it. If I could do it over again, I would never have gone to culinary school.

I wouldn't be doing full culinary school, I have a school where I live (Quebec) they teach specific training for pastry making so it would be just learning the basic techniques behind pastry and baking. It's a one year program and it's not NEARLY as expensive as culinary school. However, I may or may not be doing that cause I just discovered I might have a slight allergy to dairy..which is not a good allergy for a pastry chef to have. We'll see where the wind takes me. Might have to self teach. I bet your food is Kick *ss though.

I went to culinary school and completed the Baking & Pastry program (10 months). You don't have to do the full culinary with savory. So I paid that much JUST for baking and pastry. It's a lot of money for something you can teach yourself. Just so you're aware. :flowerforyou:

Ang108

Here is the situation I’m currently facing and I don’t know what to do.

So I have a friend who announced that she was moving into a new profession. SHE IS BECOMING A GOURMET PASTRY CHEF!

So everyone is congratulating her on this big step in her life and all I can think is…WHY!? So she will be preparing pastries and directly contributing to the obesity epidemic in America. What’s next, should I congratulate the Marlboro man on the new gourmet cigarette brand he is coming out with? I just think it’s wrong for someone to knowingly provide sugar laden treats to others knowing the harm it causes. And even worse, these are gourmet treats which people are likely to eat even more of!

I don’t know. If it were me, I don’t think I would be able to live with myself if I knew I would be harming people like this long term. They are throwing her a going away party in a few weeks and she is going to be providing a sampling of her work for us. I’m still undecided if I should attend with these concerns. I’m not sure what kind of message that will be sending ya know?

What you guys think? Am I right? Or should I ease up, be happy for my friend and go to the party even if I feel like I’m compromising on my morals and ethics?

I understand your point, but don't agree completely. Most people who overeat on baked goods, desserts and sweet stuff do not do so on gourmet items. Most of the time it is fairly inexpensive store bought stuff, or home baked, because that is what the average person in most countries can afford.
For example, I don't have much of a sweet tooth, but want at least one portion of a delicious cake for my birthday in December. I have been looking around, because I want one of those small 1-2 portion " individual " cakes. Preferably real Black Forest torte.
I can get a 1.75 kilo ( almost four pounds ) Black Forest cake at my local ( normal ) pastry shop or at Walmart for around 285.-pesos/ 25.- US$, or I can get a " gourmet " that weighs 215grs/7oz for 89.-pesos/ 7.50 US$ , which is a very big difference. I am going for the quality over quantity, but could honestly not do that if I ate cake every week or even more frequently.
How do you feel about all the other people who work in the chain of food and drinks supply ( from farmer to delivery truck ) ? Going by your philosophy they all contribute to an obese world.....because we can also get overweight on beer, soft drinks, potato chips or even " healthy " organic food.
For me it is not those people who contribute to the problem of obesity, but it's the consumers themselves. Isn't it up to us to decide how much we eat ? I personally would be happy for any friend of mine who would find a career that fulfills them and makes them happy as long as it is not illegal. How I deal with what they produce I feel is entirely up to me....unless of course they tie me down on a chair and stuff my face with gourmet food against my will....:o).

JustineMarie21

I think you need to ease up on your friend and just be glad that she found something she is passionate about because these days its so hard to find a career path that actually makes you happy. Yes, obesity is becoming more apparent in the world and that is because people dont have self control and they choose to indulge in unhealthy foods repeatedly instead of once in a while. Even though she is making sweets daily it is peoples choice to accept or deny them.

Bobbie8786

I 100% believe in personal accountability. Ronald McDonald dealing his Big Mac "crack" on every corner didn't make me fat, I did that all by myself. The idea that someone who cooks delicious food (no, I am not including McD in that category) is somehow immoral or unethical is completely ridiculous. Lack of self-control is on the individual who chooses to gorge themselves and no one else.

Mr_Knight

So everyone is congratulating her on this big step in her life and all I can think is…WHY!? So she will be preparing pastries and directly contributing to the obesity epidemic in America.

If this isn't a troll thread, you suck as a friend.

Seriously.

If it is a troll thread, congratulations, you hooked me good.

BinaryPulsar

I_Will_End_You

Also, Pop Tarts arent pastry!!!

Says who?

There are pumpkin pie Pop Tarts?!

Myhaloslipped

^This. Immoral and unethical.

ldrosophila

Also, Pop Tarts arent pastry!!!

Says who?

Sugar Cookie????

Oh hells yes.

You might like these too

that should be 12 toaster "pastries"