Objectives

• Children experience food originating from Indian culture.
• Children will identify climate regions and agricultural crops of India.
• Children will analyze how Indian food has influenced culture in United States.

Materials

• Overheads of India showing climatic, agricultural regions
• Overhead projector
• Assorted Indian food: curry, tea, rice, chapati

Procedures

1. Anticipatory set: What are some of the factors that determine what types of food we eat? Brainstorm as a class.
2. One important factor is the climate of the region. Why would this effect what is eaten?- Ans: the crops that can be grown there= food eaten.
3. The climate in India is very diverse. However, by looking at the climates in different regions it is easy to see what foods provide their basic staple.
4. Show four overheads of a map of India (rice production, wheat production, millets production, and pulses/beans production)
5. Discuss climate in the areas and why crops grow there.
6. Discuss tea production= high tea consumption
7. The crops that can be grown most easily become foods most widely eaten.
8. Indians eat a great deal of rice, beans (pulses), tea, bread products.
9. Discuss stereotyping danger.
   • Do all Indians eat these foods all the time?
   • Do people from different cultures eat pizza, hamburgers, etc.?
   • If we meet an Indian person should we assume they eat these foods?
10. Discuss average meal.
    Foods are determined by the regions.
    NORTH: parathas (bread made of wheat) pan fried in oil, lentils, lamb curry, potatoes with spices, some areas fish, rice, mixtures with chickpeas or other pulses, chicken curry
    SOUTH: a great deal of rice, rice products, wheat flour chapatis or purees, or doshes, vegetable mixtures.
    Midday Meal Example: chapatis or purees, chutney, rice. On farms more food is made by hand, while in the city where incomes are higher, people buy their food.
    Evening Meal Example: Meat or chicken curry with parathas and mixed spiced vegetables, chutney
    *More information in "Indian Food and Drink" by V.P. (Hemant) Kanitkar

    Taste some Indian food as a class- curry, tea, chapati, etc. As we try food talk about agricultural significance. The food will be prepared prior to class. The children will each get a small portion to taste. They will be served a plate that has an example of each. Select three student helpers to distribute the plates, as teacher dishes. (The children will have several other experiences in this unit to make and taste Indian Food)

    Link food to "The Sunita Experiment" (Lesson #5.)

    • Did Sunita eat only Indian food?
    • What other foods did Sunita's family eat?
    • Which foods that we talked about in this lesson did Sunita's mother prepare?
    • What issues did Sunita face related for food?

    Discuss likes and dislikes of food and how this food has influenced food in this country. This can be a journal entry

Evaluation

Obj. #1: Since this is an experiential objective, assessment will be minimal. I will be aware of whether the children try a variety of food.

Obj. #2: The children will demonstrate this understanding through our discussion and work on the overheads.

• Do they know the major crops in the parts of India?
• Are the children aware of variety of crops?
• Are they aware of the differences in regions of India?

Obj. #3: I will assess this through our discussion as a class. I could also read their journal entries for more formal assessment.

• Do the children identify restaurants, popular foods that have roots in the Indian culture?
• Do the children mentions the various foods that are eaten in many cultures?