Culinary Roots: Exploring Food, Individuality, and Culture

How can sharing about the food we enjoy help us explore our individuality and connect us to each other?

Mastery Objective

• Students will be able to explore their individuality and cultural identity by sharing and examining their food preferences and traditions.

Day 1 - Students will:

• Watch an interview clip of Japanese Breakfast’s Michelle Zauner on Good Morning America
• Define individuality
• Explore individuality by comparing it to a diverse buffet of food

Day 2 - Students will:

• Listen to “Home Cookin’” by Tony Allen
• Define culture and consider the cultural significance of food
• Share the types of food prepared and served in their homes

Day 3 - Students will:

• Listen to “Harvest for the World” by The Isley Brothers
• Recognize that our unique sense of individuality and cultures combine to make a rich and connected community
• Consider food as a social connector

Day 4 - Students will:

• Listen to “Rapper’s Delight” by Sugar Hill Gang
• Consider that different people might have different tastes and preferences
• Discuss how to respectfully handle differences in taste and food preferences

Arts-Based Activity - Students will:

• Reflect on their learning this week by creating an artistic representation of their individuality using a plate of food as a medium.

In this lesson, students will define and explore their individuality and culture through food. They will consider the cultural significance of food and share the types of food prepared and served in their homes. The lesson emphasizes how our unique individualities and cultures combine to create a rich and connected community. Students will also explore how to handle differences in taste and food preferences. The lesson concludes with a visual art project in which students express their individuality as a plate of food.

Required for all lessons:

• Student Journals
• Art Supplies

Arts-Based Activity:

• Handout - Individuality Plate