What a sugary slap in the face. It was the first day of decorative sugar sculpting, and we made what I would call Easter bonnets. The French refer to them as “St. Catherine’s hats.” St. Catherine’s Day is in November, and it is a tradition that on this feast day all unmarried women over the age of 25 wear green and yellow hats to “put themselves out there” for potential suitors. I saw this feast day in action during my last stay here (lots of young women in hats being EXTREMELY intoxicated in the early afternoon), but as a 21 year-old, I paid little attention.

It was a little embarrassing that the chef asked all the unmarried women over 25 to raise their hands before he explained why we would learn to make hats.

It was downright mortifying when the 20 year-old French guy in practical looked at me and said, “Yeah, if I’m not married by the time I’m 27, then there’s got to be some kind of problem.” And the 18 year-old Greek guy replied, “I know. You have to ask yourself: was St. Catherine pretty?”

Ironically, or prodigiously, the chef declared my spinster hat the best in the class.