6th Grade Expo Week

In Exploration this year, sixth graders have been studying how different cultures have influenced American food today. That's why this Expo week was about learning to cook food from different cultures. 

From December 5th to December 16th, each sixth-grade class took a trip to the Taste Buds Kitchen to experience making food from Japan. 

An anonymous 6th grader said, “I thought it was a great trip because it was a fun and delicious way to learn more about different cultures.” 

After a long ride on the subway to Manhattan, the sixth graders were excited to be out of the classroom and in an organized, professional kitchen. First, they had to divide up into teams of six and decide who would complete each step of the recipe. This made the field trip stand out because it was not just an individual experience, but it was a team effort. 

William Duffy from 602 said, “The final results of the food weren't my favorite, but it was still fun to cook with everyone and work as a team.” 

The instructor demonstrated one step at a time and the students copied her actions. Some of the skills the students learned were how to chop vegetables safely, crack eggs, crush garlic, and use a stove without getting burned. 

After 45 minutes of chopping vegetables, crushing tofu, cooking eggs, stirring sauce, folding dumplings, and rolling sushi the students were finally ready to eat their creation. The sixth graders had their choice of cutlery: real chopsticks, training chopsticks, or forks, although some students chose to use their fingers instead. One anonymous student from 602 said, “I thought the dumplings were delicious, but the sushi was my favorite.” Annie Barkan from 601 also commented, “My sushi was kinda mushy and it fell apart but the dumplings turned out great!”

When immigrants come to America, they are expected to learn the American way of living. This trip was a great way to turn that story around. It taught the sixth graders that they have a lot we can learn from other cultures as well as their own.