Originally I had included cooking in the Advocacy Institute's curriculum because it would provide a break from whatever intense critical thinking processes being engaged in, but now I see it as an opportunity for cultural communication. At a recent One Young World conference Jamie Oliver, the youth advocate, spoke of cooking and culture in this way:
"Think of your culture; think of your home; think of your family; think of however you sit down to eat; now think of the meal that represents your country".
Substitute home for country and you have a great link between food and community. Our challenge is to facilitate the mobilization of the food we eat, the community we belong to, and the future we hope to build. It's these connections made between young people and them educating one another to the ins and outs of their culture. Therefore, we must see cooking as more of a peer to peer educational moment or building the capacity of the group as they investigate culture amongst themselves.
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