Huddle Up is a weekly Q&A with Cardinals players on a variety of off-field topics. In this week's installment, cornerback Justin Bethel talks about his cooking skills.
Question: You almost went to culinary school for college instead of playing football?
Answer:Coming out of high school, I was thinking about it. I was either going to go to Johnson & Wales (University) or try to walk on to South Carolina and do their culinary program. But then I would have had to try to pay for it, so it came down to either paying for school or free school (with a scholarship at Presbyterian). So I definitely went the free route.
Q:How did you get interested in the culinary stuff?
A:When I was in high school we just had the program and I thought it sounded interesting. I started taking it when I first got there. I liked it because I was able to cook my own food for lunch. You start doing it and you start to enjoy it. I got pretty good at it and then I was thinking about sticking with it.
Q: In college a lot of guys don't know how to cook and instead grab fast food a lot. Did you impress people with your cooking?
A: Well, when I was in college I didn't have a kitchen. I was eating right alongside them. I couldn't really do too much.
Q: Is there a certain meal you feel you're pretty good at?
A: I could cook meals, but I was more of a desserts guy. I still make cheesecakes from scratch. That's my main thing. It's really not that hard.
Q: Do you like cooking still? Do you go home and cook meals?
A: Nah, I'm too lazy now. I can, but even when I used to cook, I didn't like cooking just for myself. It felt like too much work. If I had to cook for a bunch of people, I'd rather do that than just cook for myself. I feel like there are too many dishes and stuff after.
Q: So it's almost more about the art of it than whipping something up every day.
A: Yeah, I just like to do it for somebody. If I've got to do it for just myself, I'm not motivated enough.
Q: Have you ever cooked for a big group?
A: I've done it for my family a couple times and my friends, but nothing too serious.
Q: Do you still have the skills?
A: I still remember certain things, how to make them. Certain stuff just sticks with you. You learn how to mix stuff, techniques you learn.
