Enough With the Kiddie Chefs, Already

The nine-year-old twins like to cook and wear itty-bitty chef's jackets, which was enough to get ABC News drooling all over their doorstep yesterday. "They're not your typical third-graders!" Cameron Mathison gushed, as the towheaded pair extolled their love of cumin and curry and their hatred of fast food. It goes without saying that they also have their own website, Facebook page, and Twitter account, as well as parents who are hell-bent on promoting them.

Regardless of your feelings about whether this is disgusting or endearing, it's interesting to consider that this may be the true legacy of food TV and celebrity chefdom: Children are now being brought up to believe that a career as a chef -- or at least one who pretends to cook on television -- is something that will bring them great fortune, rather than ruin them physically, emotionally, and financially. Which is not the worst thing in the world, but please, children, until you've spent at least five years doing 80-hour weeks on the line, pulled muscles there aren't even names for, destroyed your lower back, and sweat out half your body weight on a nightly basis, please don't call yourselves chefs.

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