BelArg
I was current on the A330 at the time of that incident although not now - however, unless it has changed since, the QRH did indeed cover fuel leaks.
The problem was that the drill for a leak whose source could not be identified was for the crew to switch off the wing tank fuel pumps and see whether the engine flamed out! So you can imagine the crew`s feelings about doing this when way out over the ocean and at night. What has never been addressed however is, if the crew suspected malfunctioning computer readings, then why did they think it would be a `good idea` to open the fuel crossfeed. This action vastly increased the fuel loss rate yet they never seemed to pick up on that.
Your general sentiments about the `dumbing down` on technical knowledge is however shared by me also.