Use this activity to engage all types of learners, while requiring that they refer to and incorporate details from the text over the course of the activity.

“Family Meal”

In this activity, students will explore the traditions and meanings behind “classic” meals in order to make personal connections to and further analyze the theme of Food’s Relationship to Cultural and Family Identity.

For today’s activity, explore the history behind a specific food in individual groups.

Part A

• First, what dishes or meals do you want to explore? Once four or five are chosen, you will split into groups.
• Sign up to be in a group—one group for each of the chosen dishes or meals. (Groups that grow too large may be divided.)
• Together, start by discussing why you chose this group. Consider the following questions:

o Have you had this dish/meal before?

o What meaning or memories do you associate with it?

• Then, conduct some research using reputable resources. Use these questions to guide you:

o Where did this dish originate? What can you find out about how it became a tradition?

o Are there moments or events typically associated with this meal?

o Is it a comfort food? Why?

o What can you glean about a culture or group from this tradition?