International Cultures and Cuisine
Last updated: 8/21/2019
This is not an EP courses. DO NOT list this as an EP course on any documentation for diploma organizations, scholarships, etc. This course is parent-submitted. The content was not approved by EP. We cannot guarantee that the links in this course are up to date. You will need to find your own replacement videos, etc. if a link is broken.
Contact Gwen Justine with questions. https://www.facebook.com/groups/366407976793654
About this course: I used the syllabus from a NJ public high school course as my guide for planning this course. It is for students who already have experience with cooking and who are motivated to research, plan, be creative, and learn about other cultures. I suggest Intro to Culinary Arts as a prerequisite. I am thinking it can count as an elective or as a practical arts elective. Be sure to check with your state laws before adding it to your child’s transcript.
Directions for the student: You will have three weeks to plan a dinner event for each of area in the world. We will only focus on six areas for this course. For each dinner event, you must include
● background music from the culture
● decorations from the culture
● appropriate appetizer, entree, and dessert
● an activity from that culture
● You will be required to submit your written plan which includes your research. You may use the organizer to help you.
● Please write a one page reflection paper about what you learned after you complete the work for each area of the world.
● You will be required to give a 2-5 minute speech at each dinner event. Be ready to answer any questions that diners may have about the cuisine, decor, activities, etc.
Before you begin:
- Read – Hunger as an issue in communities (teaching empathy, compassion, philanthropy, social awareness). Scroll down to page 10 for the upper grades’ activities. Students Change Hunger
- Read – General resource – National Geographic- Foods Unit
- Print – notes and grading guidelines (the note taking guide is not big enough to use as-is but you can use it as a guide and take notes in a notebook or make your own expandable note-taking guide in Google Sheets or Excel)
- Purchase or borrow – required resource: Disney Learning: Our World
https://www.amazon.com/Disney-Learning-Celebrations-AmazingDiscoveries/dp/0786809361
Weeks 1-3 North American Culture and Cuisine
The History of American Cuisine
Read pages 174-190 (from Disney Learning: Our World)
Take notes on:
● North America: the people, the land, the animals, the environment
● Canada: population, area, capital, languages spoken, motto, who they are, their country, their communities, what they eat, what they study, what they do for fun, holidays and celebrations, fishing
● United States: population, area, capital, language spoken, motto, who they are, colonization and immigration (The Big Change, And They Kept Coming, and People Today), the country, the communities, what they eat, what they study, what they do for fun, holidays and celebrations, places to visit in the United States
● Weeks 4-6 Latin American Culture and Cuisine
Read pages 147- 172
Take notes on the following:
● Latin America: population, area, # of countries, the people, the land, the environment,
the animals
● Argentina: population, area, capital, language, who they are, the country, the communities, what they eat, what they study, what they do for fun, holidays and celebrations, Iguacu Falls
● Brazil: population, area, capital, language, who they are, their communities, the country, what they eat, what they study, what they do for fun, holidays and celebrations,
anacondas and the Amazon River
● Costa Rica: population, area, capital, language, who they are, their communities, the
country,what they eat, what they study, what they do for fun, holidays and celebrations,
explain how visitors can explore animals who live in the canopy
● Mexico: population, area, capital, language, who they are, their communities, the
country,what they eat, what they study, what they do for fun, holidays and celebrations,
pyramids
● Peru: population, area, capital, languages, who they are, their communities, the
country,what they eat, what they study, what they do for fun, holidays and celebrations,
Machu Picchu
● Interesting places to visit in Latin America (use pages 170-171)
Weeks 7-12 Asian and Oceanic Cuisine
Read pages 41-104 (from Disney Learning: Our World)
● Asia: population, area, # of countries, the people, the land, the environment, the
animals
● China: population, area, capital, language, who they are, the country, the communities,
what they eat, what they study, what they do for fun, holidays and celebrations, giant
pandas
● India: population, area, capital, language, who they are, the country, the communities,
what they eat, what they study, what they do for fun, holidays and celebrations,
monsoons
● Indonesia: population, area, capital, language, who they are, the country, the
communities, what they eat, what they study, what they do for fun, holidays and
celebrations, rain forests
● Iran: population, area, capital, language, who they are, the country, the communities,
what they eat, what they study, what they do for fun, holidays and celebrations,
architecture
● Israel: population, area, capital, language, who they are, the country, the communities,
what they eat, what they study, what they do for fun, holidays and celebrations, The
Dead Sea
● Japan: population, area, capital, language, who they are, the country, the
communities, what they eat, what they study, what they do for fun, holidays and
celebrations, bonsai trees
● Nepal: population, area, capital, language, who they are, the country, the communities,
what they eat, what they study, what they do for fun, holidays and celebrations, snow
leopards
● Saudi Arabia: population, area, capital, language, who they are, the country, the
communities, what they eat, what they study, what they do for fun, holidays and
celebrations, pipelines
● Singapore: population, area, capital, language, who they are, the country, the
communities, what they eat, what they study, what they do for fun, holidays and
celebrations, container ports
● South Korea: population, area, capital, language, who they are, the country, the
communities, what they eat, what they study, what they do for fun, holidays and
celebrations, water deer
● Thailand: population, area, capital, language, who they are, the country, the
communities, what they eat, what they study, what they do for fun, holidays and
celebrations, elephants
● Turkey: population, area, capital, language, who they are, the country, the
communities, what they eat, what they study, what they do for fun, holidays and
celebrations, Pamukkale
● Oceania: the people, the land, the animals, the environment
● Australia: population, area, capital, language, who they are, the country, the
communities, what they eat, what they study, what they do for fun, holidays and
celebrations, road trains
● Fiji: population, area, capital, language, who they are, the country, the communities,
what they eat, what they study, what they do for fun, holidays and celebrations, coral
● Places to visit in Asia (use pages 102-103)
Weeks 13-18 European Culture and Cuisine
Read pages 105-146 (from Disney Learning: Our World)
● Europe: population, area, # of countries, the people, the land, the environment, the
animals
● Czech Republic: population, motto, area, capital, language, who they are, the country,
the communities, what they eat, what they study, what they do for fun, holidays and
celebrations, pollution
● France: population, motto, area, capital, language, who they are, the country, the
communities, what they eat, what they study, what they do for fun, holidays and
celebrations, Mont-Saint-Michel
● Germany: population, motto, area, capital, language, who they are, the country, the
communities, what they eat, what they study, what they do for fun, holidays and
celebrations, Berlin Wall
● Greece: population, motto, area, capital, language, who they are, the country, the
communities, what they eat, what they study, what they do for fun, holidays and
celebrations, windmill power
● Italy: population, national anthem, area, capital, language, who they are, the country,
the communities, what they eat, what they study, what they do for fun, holidays and
celebrations, Mount Etna
● Russia: national anthem, population, area, capital, language, who they are, the
country, the communities, what they eat, what they study, what they do for fun,
holidays and celebrations, amur tiger
● Spain: motto, population, area, capital, language, who they are, the country, the
communities, what they eat, what they study, what they do for fun, holidays and
celebrations, bullfighting
● Sweden: motto, population, area, capital, language, who they are, the country, the
communities, what they eat, what they study, what they do for fun, holidays and
celebrations, northern lights
● United Kingdom: national anthem, population, area, capital, language, who they are,
the country, the communities, what they eat, what they study, what they do for fun,
holidays and celebrations, Stonehenge
● Interesting places to visit in Europe (use pages 144-145)