by Grazia Spina
In this year of being at home, people from around the world have dedicated more time to cooking, sprucing up their curiosity for different cosmopolitan dishes. It’s true that one commonality that brings people together is food and everything that eating entails. How has German culture and cooking influenced American cuisine and life in 2020?
Teachers of modern languages often create cultural webquests for their students on food and how it is prepared. It is a full immersion that is visual and appetizing. Students will always be enthusiastic to talk about food and explore the gastronomy of the target language country.
When I take my students virtually (for now) to Germany or Austria, I introduce them every week to a different gastronomical routine, so they become familiar with what to expect and what to taste when they finally can jump on a plane. For this week, I have chosen to have a light dinner in Munich or Vienna. There are two common plates they will find on the menus of both countries: a mixed cheese platter or a mixed cold cuts platter.
To top it off, no meal is complete without dessert, so I choose the famous apple strudel, aka apple pie.
Below is an oral activity where students have to prepare a 3 minutes long Video Blog showing their favorite food or recipe and explain all of this in German.
Guten Appetit!
