Program 5: Eat it Up! Cuisines of the World Food Competition

Time of program

1 hour

Number of Participants

Limit to 30 teens (or 30 pairs or trios) of teens

Program Description

Exploring the foods of another country or city is one of the best ways to learn about its people and culture. Often you don't need to leave your own city or state to taste delicious dishes from across the ocean. In almost every Texas town there is a Mexican food restaurant and many have restaurants that feature food from other world cultures.

For this food competition, invite teens to prepare a dish from their families' traditional cultures and to bring the recipe and the name of the culture from which it originates. If they wish, they can include a paragraph about someone in their family who cooks the dish or an anecdote about a time when their family enjoyed eating it. Grandma Gonzalez's name will never be forgotten when someone is making her famous tortillas!

Dishes will be judged in general categories such as: "Spiciest," "Best Date Food," "Worst Date Food," "Best Comfort Food," "Most Colorful," and "Best Overall." Invite teens to be judges.

Make copies of the recipes and put them into a booklet to give to all the participants. Keep it on hand in the library, or add it to the library's circulating collection.

Preparation

Recruit teens to make a favorite family recipe that has its origins in their family's heritage. If you feel you need more variety in the types of foods being prepared, make a list of different cuisine's and let teens sign up to make them.

Ask the teens to have a permission slip signed by their parents acknowledging their participation in the program.

Decorations

Display a world map and flyers to advertise "Eat It Up!" a week or two before the program.

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Additional Activity

Make sets of cards with the names of food from various world cultures on the front and numbers on the back. Laminate them. Give teens maps of the world on 8 ½" X 11" paper and ask them to write the number of each food on the corresponding country. When they complete the map, give them a raffle ticket. At the end of the program, hold a drawing for a cook book. Teens must be present to win. Below are suggestions for names of foods to put on the cards and corresponding countries.

Japan-Sushi
China- Dim Sum
Italy- Pesto
Mexico-Pico De Gallo
Jamaica -Ugli Fruit
France- Escargots
Greece- Spanakopita
Czechoslovakia -Kolaches
Poland-Kielbasa
Spain-Paella
England-Scones
Germany-Schnitzel
Lebanon - Falafel
Ethiopia - Doro Wat
Thailand- Pad Thai
Korea- Kim Chee
Vietnam-Nuoc Cham
India-Tandoori Chicken

Books to Display

All Around the World Cookbook by Sheila Lukins.
Cuisine, Texas: A Multi-ethnic Feast by Joanne Smith.
The Multicultural Cookbook for Students by Carole Lisa Albyn and Lois Sinakio Webb.

Books to Booktalk

The Examination by Malcolm J. Bosse.
Habibi by Naomi Shihab Nye.
A Walk in My World: International Short Stories About Youth edited by Anne Mazer.

Magazines

Cooking Light.: Southern Progress Corp., 2100 Lakeshore Drive, Birmingham, AL 35209.; www.cookinglight.com/; Helps readers eat better, feel better, and look their very best.
Cook's Illustrated.: Boston Common Press Limited Partnership, 17 Station St., Brookline, MA 02445; www.cooksillustrated.com/; Cook's Illustrated is for cooks who are interested in understanding the techniques and principles of good home cooking.

Web Sites

The Cook's Thesaurus: www.foodsubs.com/; The Cook's Thesaurus is a cooking encyclopedia that covers thousands of ingredients and kitchen tools. Entries include pictures, descriptions, synonyms, pronunciations, and suggested substitutions.
Recipe Source: www.recipesource.com/; RecipeSource first appeared on the web in 1995 as "SOAR: The Searchable Online Archive of Recipes." Starting with approximately 10,000 recipes, they've grown the collection to seven times that size. Browse by region to find ethnic foods.

Professional Video

United Tastes of America with Dorinda Hafner. (240 minutes)

Table of Contents | Program Six

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