Should long hair be tied back for food preparation

[Wellpark]

Scenario: a restaurant kitchen is being used by a third party to have cooking classes. Should participants of the class who have long hair be required to tie their hair back when preparing the food?
I've just been called a Karen ( apologies to anyone with this name, I hate this usage ) by the owner of the restaurant for agreeing on an FBgroup with someone who said hair should be up. He posted pictures of the class doing the prep of raw chicken and there was a lady with hair hanging down as she was chopping it up. He became aggressive in the tone of his comments and called me Karen. I hate this. It's an attempt to shut women down when they say something men dont like, in my opinion. Mysogyny in action if you will. Anyway, what do you think? His contention was that as it was a private cooking class he didn't have to specify long hair tied up. But if it's on his premises isn't he responsible for the hygiene practices?

If you're preparing food for customers hair should be up but as it's a class preparing their own dishes I believe YABU.

Yes hair should be tied back. Why would you want hair in your dinner?!

I agree with you on the Karen comment, it’s so gross

Feel like it’s hair up if you’re prepping food for yourself. If it’s a private lesson and everyone is eating their own food then it’s fine to have hair down.

I get that hygiene is important. But let’s face it, businesses need to do what they can do to entice people and a hair net just isn’t one for the ‘gram.

For preparing members of the public food yes, if it's been eaten and prepared by the same person, then not sure it really matters.
May be an issue in a kitchen that does both though.

I always tie my hair back when in my own kitchen at home. I'm a shedder!
So YANBU.

In a private cooking class, no. Just like I wouldn't expect someone to tie their hair up to cook at home.

A chef serving a restaurant full of customers, yes.

If you criticise people publicly then expect them to bite back

I expect professional people to comment reasonably on reasonable feedback. If he had explained it was a private class using his premises and they didn't need to necessarily tie long hair back I'd have been fine with that. Not keen to eat in his restaurant mind you but there you go. However he became sarcastic and then irate and then, as bullying men do, he lobbed the K insult in an attempt to shut me down.

I do tie my mid length hair up when I cook as I shed it easily and dont want to risk it ending up in the food. I could never watch Nigella cook on TV as her hair hanging down when she cooks makes me feel ill.

@ShirleyPhallus

I agree with you on the Karen comment, it’s so gross

Feel like it’s hair up if you’re prepping food for yourself. If it’s a private lesson and everyone is eating their own food then it’s fine to have hair down.

I get that hygiene is important. But let’s face it, businesses need to do what they can do to entice people and a hair net just isn’t one for the ‘gram.

This should have said “hair up if you’re prepping food for others”

His response smacks of misogyny, but no, I wouldn’t be arsed about a person preparing food for themselves having their hair down.

It's the issue of using a restaurant kitchen for a private class but not requiring the basic hygiene that usually has to be used.

I've had lessons in the commercial kitchen of a restaurant, ( on it's closed day ) it was expected that we put long hair up

Hair should be up but he used 'Karen' completely in the wrong context for the wrong purposes. But good hygiene practices should always be followed whether home/class/restaurant whatever.

That's what I would have expected

Vladimirspoutine what do you mean he used it in the wrong context? Just interested.

@Wellpark

I expect professional people to comment reasonably on reasonable feedback. If he had explained it was a private class using his premises and they didn't need to necessarily tie long hair back I'd have been fine with that. Not keen to eat in his restaurant mind you but there you go. However he became sarcastic and then irate and then, as bullying men do, he lobbed the K insult in an attempt to shut me down.

In those circumstances I tend to adopt the W insult in return.

I wouldn’t like it but I probably wouldn’t have made a thing of it either unless they were cooking food for me.

All you did was agree that hair should be tied up when cooking. You weren't a Karen - i.e. an entitled white woman using her privilege to get her own way or generally cause unnecessary nuisance & chaos in the lives of others less worthy than them.

His response was unreasonable, but I can't see it matters if they wear their hair up or not if they are in a class preparing food for themselves. Surely they clean the kitchen afterwards anyway so even a random stray hair left behind would be cleaned up anyway

If it is a private class then surely it's up to the participants. People policing how they think a private cookery class should work would make me roll my eyes a little.

I wouldn't have commented on it, personally. I have been to a cooking class run by a professional chef and I wore and did my hair as I pleased, didn't tie it up. It was a dish I was being taught to cook and I ate it myself..

When I'm cooking for other people I do tie my hair up and would expect kitchen staff in restaurants to do the same.

Unless you intend on eating in the restaurant and are genuinely concerned about hygiene then why did you bother?

I absolutely hate seeing people with long hair cook without it being tied back. It’s up to you what you do in your own homes but if you are cooking with others or in a professional kitchen it should be tied back. Drives me bonkers seeing contestants on cooking shows with their long hair about their face.

I just agreed with the woman who commented that hair should be tied up and it went from there.

Kids still tie hair up in cooking lessons at school as far as I know (ours do) so I don't think adults in a cooking lesson is much different as the reasoning behind it is the same. YANBU.

Ps I know they aren't called cooking lessons any more in reality 🙂

I probably would have eaten in his restaurant next time I'm in the vicinity but I won't now as his cut price Gordon Ramsay routine has put my right off.
Mind you I doubt GR would allow long hair hanging over the food while prepping. Whether his restaurant kitchen was being used for a private class or professionally.