20th Century educational idols: Ainsley Harriott

The trouble with blogging is that very often other people have already expressed what you wanted to say far better than you can. I've had to scrap two blogs, one on what it really means to be well educated and the other on the growing trend of authoritarianism.

The problem is Alfie Kohn has written the seminal essay on the former and Disidealist the perfect rant on the latter.

So instead I'm going to talk about one of the most influential figures in my education; TV chef Ainsley Harriott.

I know, I know, but hear me out. I think that we narrow the definition of education too readily. I believe anyone who teaches you something you didn't know how to do is educating you. And I worry that there are very loud and very influential voices pushing a line that minimises the value of non-academic education.

Ready, Steady, Cook was a gameshow in which two contestants brought along a bag of ingredients they had chosen and a TV chef would turn those ingredients into a tasty meal within 20 minutes. The audience would vote for the winning team and everyone had a fine time. It was my guilty pleasure as a teenager. It was the beginning of the rise of the celebrity chef and the likes of James Martin, Anthony Worral Thompson and, my favourite, Ainsley Harriott became household names off the back of their appearance on the show.

Not many 15 year old boys would admit to liking a TV cooking competition, and I'd have flicked back my greasy curtains haircut and feigned ignorance of it if asked at the time, yet I think those half hour slots were some of the most worthwhile investments of time I've ever made in terms of ongoing improvements to my quality of life.

I learned so many things that have made cooking something I love doing. I found I could watch an episode and soon be cooking an approximation of it at home. Starting with omelettes and pancakes, moving on to pasta and sauces, I quickly became a confident cook. 20 plus years on I still enjoy cooking, what could be a nightly chore is a pleasurable activity.

Now I can already hear the rumblings of "opportunity cost", if I'd invested those hours spent in slumped in front of the TV I could have achieved better exam results, gone to a more prestigious university and enjoyed a much higher earning career.

Perhaps I could have, but a life of deferred pleasure isn't a life.

We need space to explore what we like to do given a free choice.  Some time to be bored. And exposure to popular culture (often dismissed as trash) is an important part of it.

I can trace back a desire to see the world to watching a kids cartoon version of "80 days around the world", a love of languages (until I had to study grammar at A-level) to a desire for the lifestyle of James Richardson on Football Italia, and the beginnings of a career in IT to wanting to work out how Championship Manager worked.

With friends too I can trace back the lives they have now to their interests as kids. My friend who I spent most of final years at primary school writing secret codes with, and who was obsessed with The Bill, is now a very senior Police Officer. Another who spent hours working out the best strategies for card games is now an actuary.

Yes an academic education is important, but it isn't the only thing that matters, everyone needs time to find the Ainsley in their lives.