28. Lingua-It: (9) Cooking Classes and Other Social Activities

Lingua-It’s advertisement claims to offer “a range of Cultural Courses, Laboratories and guided Tours that, in conjunction with language classes, expose students to all facets of Italian life, language and culture.” Well, maybe. During my four-week stay there were no cooking classes (a touted option), no wine and cooking “laboratory,” and not even a lecture on Veronese cooking. Apparently, the cooking option was a one-evening affair -- a cook and eat activity for which they could not get the necessary number of students when the time came. Perhaps the price was too high. I think the cost would have been about 60 Euros. I found it all very disappointing. Perhaps if the school had arranged a dinner without the cooking lesson there might have been takers. Besides, for a school that advertises its friendliness, I was surprised that it did not sponsor an event that epitomises social togetherness – a dinner. Yet, Lingua-It’s on-line brochure states, “In conjunction with, but independent of, the cooking course, LINGUA IT organises outings to typical restaurants in the Verona area” [Lingua-It’s emphasis]. No such outings occurred in the four weeks of the course I attended. At Scuola Leonardo,Siena, the school arranged a dinner at a farm that was a memorable experience. Although Scuola Leonardo at Siena did not offer a cooking course (2005), they did hold a free lecture on Tuscan cooking, which was most enlightening.

It seems to me that Lingua-It is doing itself (and their students) a disservice by its exaggerated advertisement. For example, under “Wine and Cooking” it states, “LINGUA IT organises cooking courses for those who want to master the great traditions and techniques of Italian gastronomy or those who simply want to satisfy their taste buds. The classes, conducted by qualified teachers, are held in the afternoons or evenings in a fully equipped but welcoming environment.” The advertisement continues, “Each lesson ends with a convivial lunch or dinner in which participants can savour the delights of the dishes prepared, accompanying them with the most befitting and delicate wines of the region.” In reading this advertisement I was left with the impression that I would be signing up for a weekly cooking course. In fact, it was only for one evening but, as indicated above, it did not materialise. If the summer programme differs from the autumn one in having weekly classes, the advertisement does not make this distinction clear.

It seems that the school’s advertisement on the web offers a lot more than it delivers. If classes are dependent on the number of students signing up, that should be made very clear to prospective students. If I were cynical, I would suggest that the school is guilty of making the right gesture to get the credit, rather than trying to make the advertised activity a successful reality. In other words, more advertising than substance. On a more charitable note, one could argue that the young school is still trying to find its rhythm, and like youth, it has a tendency to rush into promises of projects that are sometimes unrealisable. As my yoga instructor would say, “less is best”.