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| Lesson 1: Introduction |
This lesson should take at least six hours to complete, but can be spread out over a period of three weeks or more. Your student will need a notebook and pencil (or he can type his answers on aacomputer) and access to a computer or library for research. For the first part of the lesson, I have given you some of the answers or hints as to how to answer the questions. This is just to get you started. Give the questions to your student without these first, but give him some help if he needs it. By the end of this lesson, he shouldn't need the help.
Food and Culture
Research the definitions of food and food habits.
The dictionary's definition of food doesn't necessarily include the ways in which people use food, including everything from how it is selected, gotten and distributed, to how it is prepared, served and eaten.
Research what is the omnivore's paradox and how does it influence a person's food choices?
The omnivore's paradox is our attraction to new and interesting foods vs the preference for food we are comfortable with and foods that are not harmful.
Think about what the factors are that might influence a person's food choices?
We are influenced by many factors, including our self-identity ("You are what you eat."), symbolic use of food (such as bread), and cultural identity.
What is an example of a change in food habits that may reflect acculturation?
Research what flavor principles, core foods and meal patterns are and analyze your family's diet in light of what you have learned.
The ways in which foods are seasoned are as important to look at as the basic food ingredients. These are influenced by what is grown in the area in which you live.
Which factors influence your food choices? What factors do you think will stay the same and which do you think will change as you age?
Other factors may include how often you eat, what your meal patterns and cycles are, including daily, weekly and yearly uses of food, and consumer habits and globalization. What foods do you think are edible that others might not think so (such as hot peppers) or foods that you do not think are edible that others might (such as snails)?
Traditional Health Beliefs and Practices
Research the ways that diet may be use to promote and maintain health.
Illnesses, such as diabetes, can be prevented or cured by the addition of certain foods into your diet. Can you find another such example?
Research the way illnesses are created or cured by the lack of or the eating of different foods.
Scurvy, for example, is caused by the lack of vitamin C in the diet and can be cured by the addition of citrus foods in the diet. Can you think of another such illness?
What do you think about the role of folk medicine?
Intercultural Communication
Cultural context is so embedded in the individual that many people believe it is innate and assume all other people have the same background. This is why it is so important to become familiar with other cultures' communication behaviors. Touching, gesture, facial expression, posture and eye contact can mean different things within different cultures. In order to be totally culturally aware, one must also be aware of communication methods of the culture in question. Why do you think being culturally aware and aware of how a person of a different culture communicates would be important for a person to learn? How could this be important in certain career choices such as being a chef or other food service provider or an ambassador or other representative position? What things could you do to insure you do not offend one's cultural background?
Food and Religion
Research what are the basic tenets of Western and Eastern religions. Pick two of the following religions and describe the dietary laws for holy days: Judaism, Hinduism, Islam.
Research the roles of fasting in the following religions, Islam, Hinduism or Catholicism. Pick two and write a comparison/contrast report about them, including details of the fasting practices of each.
Does your religious beliefs affect your eating habits?
