How to Turn Foreign Language Students Into Chefs

Cultural Cooking Project
How to Turn Foreign Language Students Into Chefs
© Diane Farrug

Feb 13, 2008
What\'s for dinner? A lesson in ethnic food and culture for the whole family.

If there\'s one thing that will capture the interest of foreign language students, it\'s international food. French bread, Mexican burritos, Spanish paella, German sausage, Chinese dim sum, Japanese sushi . . . dinner is delicious in any language! And not only delicious, for food and culinary customs are integral to the discovery of new cultures.

In this cooking project, students ages 12 and up will plan, prepare, serve, and eat an authentic ethnic dinner at home. Entire families get a taste of cultural cuisine in this memorable assignment.

Cultural Lessons
Before students begin the project, they need to learn about international food and customs in the target culture. This includes:

Vocabulary for foods and meals
Names and descriptions of specialties
Times and types of meals
How to set the table (types of utensils, arrangement of utensils, seating on chairs or on the floor, etc.)
How to serve and eat the meal
Manners in the target culture
Project Planning
It is a good idea to inform the students\' parents of the project goals and requirements well in advance of the due date. In fact, because of busy family schedules, teachers should provide a minimum of two or three weeks for the completion of this project.

Students may choose to work either individually or in pairs. The preparation includes:

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Date and time of the dinner
Guest list
Decorated invitations
Menu written in both the native and target language
Shopping list written in the target language
Comment cards for the guests to complete after the dinner
The teacher provides resources as needed, such as recipes, conversion charts, and other suggestions. Recipes are easily attained on the internet or in ethnic cookbooks.

Dinnertime
The night of the dinner, students must prepare the table in the same manner as a special occasion dinner in the target culture. (Any meal prepared by the kids is a special event, after all!) They should try to add as many authentic touches as possible: decorations, background music, dress, etc.

The students-turned-chefs are solely responsible for preparing and serving the meal. There needs to be photo documentation of the food preparation steps, the final dishes, the table, and the guests enjoying their food.

Clean up
The students\' parents will appreciate that this step is a required element of the project. Again, photo documentation is required.

Comment Cards
Each guest receives a student-created comment card, similar to those found in restaurants, in order to indicate their opinion of the service, ambiance, and food. Another suggested category could be captioned What I learned. This will demonstrate how well the students explained the international foods and customs to their guests.

Final Project Presentation
Back in the classroom, students briefly report back on their cultural cuisine experience with a scrapbook or poster that includes:

Shopping List
Menu
Invitation
Comment cards
Labeled photos
This cultural dinner is one project that will not be soon forgotten. Bon Appétit!



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