A food festival for 6th graders
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- June
- 21
I seldom get involved in my son’s school projects. My view is that I’m done with school. It’s his turn sweat and fret.
But last week I succumbed to pressure when Billi appealed to my motherly instincts by asking me to help him prepare food for a social studies project. Each student was assigned a county — Billi got Lebanon — and was expected to bring a food item from that country.
I reluctantly agreed, and then I cheated. I went to “Two Greeks and a Gyro” and picked up stuffed grape leaves. I figured the kids wouldn’t be able to tell the difference. And then my good friend, Hannan, told me that the Lebanese also eat stuffed grape leaves, albiet stuffed with meat.
On the big day I carried the food into the school and my senses were assaulted with all kinds of goodies. I spent a good 45 minutes sampling food from different countries.
I have to admit that some kids were even more creative then me. A solemn 6th grader representing Japan offered curried rice as an example of the country’s culinary tradition. A kid representing the U.K. had rice and beans. And a few kids showcasing northern European countries brought waffles.
It left me wondering whether, with so much travel and exposure to different foods, can one culture claim a food tradition as solely its own? After all, the British claim curry as their national food.
This entry was posted
on Saturday, June 21st, 2008 at 9:26 pm by Hema Easley.
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