What Goes In...

I just stumbled upon a new type of degree, one that is, I suspect, even less practical than a Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing.

The world's first Master in Fine Food and Beverage.

Hey, I'm all for expanding the palettes of the mainstream beyond high fructose corn syrup and cheezburgers. I think Top Chef is excellent television. The fondest eating experience I've had in my post-SpaghettiO days involved crispy calf brains and a Meyer Lemon souffle. (R.I.P. Portland, Maine's Bandol) And the idea of higher education finally supporting and preparing those interested in the pursuit of gastronomic greatness fills me with something not unlike the cream-filling in my step-mom's homemade cannolis: rich, sweet, and studded with chocolate chips. In short, happiness personified. So what's the problem?

Below, their online banner ad:

This is the first image of an animated GIF file. Unfortunately the rest of the images do not cycle through after uploading the picture. Here is the text that appears in the white space above:

"Come and see" ... "how tasty" ... "A Master in Management can be."

Then: "The world's first Master in Fine Food & Beverage"

The program is run through an Italian business school called SDA Bocconi. It begins in 2009, and runs for 12 months. Sorry, latecomers--The deadline for applying was June 30th, 2008. You'll have to wait until next year to learn how to prepare, cook and sell the very finest coils of moist poop.