The “Language and Culture” Spanish junior and senior elective taught by Señora Herrera includes assignments in which we compare and contrast certain aspects of cultures from Spanish-speaking countries from around the world. One of the units we studied compared the types of food one might find. We watched videos, had debates and discussions, and did some cooking of our own!
With a focus on immersion, all of these videos and discussions helped build on our verbal skills. We watched “MasterChef Junior Spain” with children ranging from ages 8 to 13 cooking complicated dishes of Hispanic origin, giving us a sense of the cooking process. We also watch specific episodes of the TV show “Chef’s Table,” with a particular focus on the episodes that took place in Peru and in Mexico. We split the class into two groups and each group watched one of those videos. The next day, we spent the entire period sharing what we learned and also discussing the similarities and differences between the two cuisines and described the modern spins on the cuisines from the featured restaurants and how they represented their country as a whole. The ways that the featured chefs used their surroundings were amazing. They utilized ingredients that would not seem edible and transformed them into elegant dishes.
To finish the assignment, we had a MasterChef competition of our own! After only a few days of planning, each team of students was challenged to make “the best taco” possible in a short period of time (45 mins before school.) The tacos were judged by other students and members of the Dalton Community.
This unit was inspiring and a lot of fun. It helped provide us with a new understanding of the ways in which a culture can manifest its unique qualities through its cuisine.