Celebrity Chef - Chinese Chef in the Library (6)
As part of the “Celebrity Chef” initiative, we had a Chinese Chef event for our 2nd year students. These students had previously used a class set of The Children’s World Cookbook to do an exercise on non-fiction books, which led to sharing recipes from their countries—there are students from at least 12 different countries in this class. They were challenged to each cook a traditional dish or bring in some food for a mini food tasting.
Students were encouraged to taste some things they had never tasted before. Students who had not prepared began researching China and making posters in advance of our Chinese Chef event.
We transformed the library into a Chinese restaurant complete with tablecloths, candles and chopsticks. Students were split into groups: one group were responsible for waiting on the tables and taking orders etc., other groups were responsible for clean up and dish washing. They were all practising some important social skills such as getting seated in a restaurant, placing an order, speaking in a low voice while waiting, using chopsticks and cutlery, and cleaning up after eating. We prepared instructions for the waiting staff and prepped them before the “customers” arrived. Customers were also given instructions on how to behave in this situation.
All of the food for this Chinese Chef event was provided from a 5th year student’s local family restaurant. This student, Jaihuang Ren, came up with a menu of delicious dishes for us to try. We had Beijing duck, chicken chow mein, and a greenbean vegetable dish, along with a side order of rice.
Students learned about a different culture, tried new and interesting foods, learned how to behave in a restuarant setting, got a taste of what working as a waiter/waitress would be like, and took responsibility for setting up and cleaning up after an event. Most of all, we got to enjoy a delicious Chinese lunch!