Food of our History

What I would like teachers and students to gain from my my lesson cycle is the fact that while food is good to eat, there is a culture behind it, and it is a rich and wonderful culture. If I had more time and resources, the additional materials I would add to the MAS lesson cycle is a field trip to try different foods and learn about them, and to watch the documentary "The Taco Chronicles” on Netflix. -- J. Alvarez

Student Learning Goals and Objectives

Know the cultural importance behind food
Understand where it originated
Be able to explain the background of the food

Foundational Texts

Voices in the Kitchen by Meredith E. Abarca Chapter 1 pgs. 18-49
“Decolonize Your Diet: Plant-Based Mexican-American Recipes for Health and Healing”

Study Questions

How did the speakers make you feel?
How did the speaker describe the house?
What did the speaker make you think about how food is important to the culture?
Do you agree or disagree with the speakers opinion about decolonizing food? Explain?

Reflection Journal Prompts

What is a food that you know of from your family? Where did it come from? Was it passed down? How is this important to your identity? Is this a food that you would pass down?

Project

A local cultural center has the “June festival” where there is an abundance of live music and dance performances with food vendors all over the place. The students will pick a dish and give a brief 2 minute presentation about the background of the food.

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