“Pumpkin pie is a dessert in the United States,” I say, “and I’m going to prepare one to eat on Thursday.” I write the words dessert next to my drawings of a pumpkin and a pie.

My students stared at me with big, confused eyes. I turn to their teacher, who also speaks English.

“Do they not understand?” I ask.

“Oh no, they understand. It’s just that we don’t really eat pumpkin as a dessert in France,” she responds.

The teachers, the principal, and I decided to introduce students to a quintessential part of American culture: Thanksgiving. Of course, this meant that I had to bring in a quintessential part of Thanksgiving: pumpkin pie. Although I knew that it was a very American dessert and not at all commonplace in Europe, I didn’t think beyond that. I was completely taken aback at the reaction of my students, with many saying they were not going to try it. Even with my host family, their two sons were disgusted by the idea that I put sugar with pumpkin. Nonetheless, it sparked a conversation about food and culture. They asked me about which French foods Americans find gross, and I said that I personally think foie gras and escargot are gross; though I’ve tried many new things while in France, I’m not quite ready to try those. It led to us talking about how Americans view food and the culture around eating, which is very different from the culture in France. On the other hand, American fast food chains and American views on eating have slowly affected French youth, and obesity is becoming more and more of an issue.

On Thursday, all the students gathered to try some pumpkin pie. Most students enjoyed it, but many did not. I found that the older students were keener to like it than the younger students. Overall my pumpkin pie was a success, but even if it wasn’t, I had fun sharing my culture with my students. It also created a great way to introduce my students to cooking terms and food vocabulary during their English lesson.