culture in the kitchen
Jiwei Xu
Head of Learning - Languages
Studying Chinese (Mandarin) at Brunswick Secondary College is an exciting and challenging pathway - and is not restricted to simply studying language.
Learning about Chinese culture makes up a significant part of the curriculum and of course supports and contributes to student understanding of the Chinese language as well.
It is interesting for students to learn about foreign cultures - it is always interesting to find out about new things! When studying another culture, students also have the opportunity to consider their own cultural background and to identify differences and similarities between the two - and there are always many more similarities than differences!
When our students learn about another culture, it fosters understanding and empathy for others and gives them a new perspective of the world we live in. They find new ways to approach problems, new ways to think, new ways to connect with others and are always far richer for the experience.
Yasmin Elbahrawi
Year 8
As part of our study, our class made dumplings becasue we have been studying the topic of Chinese Food. We had a wide variety of spices to mix into our mince. We used chicken mince (unless vegetarian) and had the option to add mushrooms, chilli and Chinese fine spices. We worked in groups and that made it really fun as we could see each other’s results. It was something I have never done before and I was glad I did. The dumplings turned out delicious and was a great experience as a class.
Tara Dennison
Year 8
Our Chinese class got the opportunity to make our own dumplings! We first made our fillings by using chicken mince, mushrooms and various spices. We then learned the correct way to fold them so they would not come apart in the water. I found this process very difficult, and it took me a while to understand - but eventually they came out okay. We then served our dumplings in a simple soup, and it was time to eat! It was a fun experience that I had never tried before - and now I know how to make my own dumplings!
