Learning the Joys of Food
So Foodie and spouse are heading into Day 9 of an 11 day program we tailor-made for the "gifted and talented" kids at Isleta Pueblo Elementary. Twenty-three kids, from Kindergarten age through 7th grade, sit in a semi-circle around a huge trunk covered with as many members of the cabbage family as could be found in our local supermarket. And we're also including Belgian endive, escarole, radicchio, a slew of lettuces.......the subject today is Green Power: Leaf and Flower Vegetables. ( Not coincidentally, that's the name of one of 10 books Foodie wrote in a series called Plants We Eat, for Lerner Publishing and we are keying this program off
that series. )
Later we marvel at the range of questions these Native American kids asked about these plants, as well as the observations they made about them.
Over many years we have found that by putting actual food plants --- fruits, vegetables, spices, nuts et al, in front of students, and just letting them observe and ask questions, they begin to wake up to the wide world of food possibilities. That day we cooked and tasted an East African dish built from spinach, coconut milk, curry spices and sauteed onion and tomato, served on brown rice seasoned with a veggie cube. ( Lots of plate licking going on.)
Every day we play games, show artifacts and objects, watch video from around the world, learn songs ( Foodie on the ukelele, ) hear stories, and do art projects, all tied to a particular food theme.
Veterans of our summer programs ( we've been doing them for six years at Isleta) stick their heads in the door, sniffing and hoping, some of them chanting Foodie's personal holy trinity--"olive oil, garlic, and onion!"
Oi vey--these Indian kids are foodies in the making! One child almost swooned over the veggie-broth flavored rice--"this is toooo good," she said. Another watches the Iron Chef competition regularly, and refered to it so much he became our own" Little Iron Chef."
p.s. Educators take note: You can book a program from The FOOD Museum for your school now! ( For next school year.)
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