French students taste their new culture: Photo of the Day 4/15/2015

Miranda+Timberlake%2C+Sarah+Hall%2C+Tommy+Moyer%2C+and+Michelle+Carter+enjoy+cultural+dishes

courtesy of Emily Jones

Miranda Timberlake, Sarah Hall, Tommy Moyer, and Michelle Carter enjoy cultural dishes

by Gail Montgomery, Reporter

On any school day, students munch on American delicacies like Cheez-Its and potato chips, but on Wednesday, April 15, Madame Blonder’s second period French class had a feast of a very different kind.

Advanced Studies students studying the specialties of French-speaking countries made traditional dishes from Switzerland (la Suisse) and Martinique (la Martinique) to teach French IV students about those cultures.

Sophomore Valerie Coblentz made La Tresse, a traditional Swiss braided bread, which students enjoyed with Nutella, a hazelnut based spread eaten throughout Europe and growing in popularity in the United States.

Michelle Carter made Colombo Chicken, a Caribbean dish with rice and a sauce of coconut milk, chicken, bananas, and spices from its native island of Martinique.

Sampling the different dishes provided the students with a hands-on experience of the countries’ cultures within the walls of their classroom and instead of simply reading about the cultures of these nations in textbooks.

French IV freshman Tommy Moyer participated in the feast with his fellow classmates.  He says, “I liked it because it gave me a feel for what a different cultures’ food tastes like.”

Not only was Madame Blonder’s lesson plan educational, but it was also delicious.