Procedures

• SET UP

  This lesson offers several options for you to use with your students whether you are teaching in class, using a hybrid model, or engaging through distance learning. It can be completed in steps as a class or students can move at their own pace and complete the activities independently.

  You can post links to the videos in the lesson along with the related handout and engage in discussion to share responses on a discussion board or learning management system.

  You can also save and share the following Google resource for students to use with this lesson.

  Handout: Graphic Organizer (Google Doc).

  In Google, choose "File" then "Make a Copy" to get your own copy. You can make any needed adjustments in the instructions such as which activities students need to complete, when it is due, etc. and then make it available to them via Google.

• WARM UP AND INTRODUCTION

  Pose the following brainstorming questions to your students: "1.) What types of food are your favorite? Why? 2.) Where do your favorite foods come from?" Have students record their responses in their graphic organizer, share with a partner, and then with the class if they choose.

  Play this introductory video clip (1:47) for your students. Direct your students to answer the following questions on their graphic organizer:

  • What types of foods does Mayukh Sen say were prevalent after World War II?
  • Why were these foods popular?
  • What impact did the “increased appetite for cuisines from around the globe” have on immigrant women?

• VOCABULARY

  Direct your students to their graphic organizers to view and define the vocabulary terms that will appear in the choice board activity in the chart in their graphic organizer handout. The vocabulary words are also listed to the right on this webpage. We recommend having your students define and present the terms in a jigsaw activity to save time.

  Depending on time and resources, you may consider having your students define and present the terms in a Frayer's Model activity, where each student takes one-to-two words. Students can then post their models around the room for reference throughout the lesson. Note: this is not an all-encompassing list of terms included in each video. We recommend you previewing the video to determine any necessary additions/subtractions to this list for your specific students.

• ENGAGEMENT

  Direct students to the engagement section of their graphic organizers. Have students view each clip, take notes, and answer each question in their graphic organizers. Encourage your students to share their responses with a partner or small group when finished.

• The Importance of Cookbook Publishing [Clip #2] (3:37), Mayukh Sen discusses the importance of cookbooks throughout American history through the present day.

  • According to Mayukh Sen, why are cookbooks important and enduring through the digital age?
  • Why was the Joy of Cooking cookbook popular?
  • Based on the clip, what impact did The Settlement Cookbook (by Elizabeth Kander) have on immigrants?

• Overview of Immigrant Women and American Cuisine [Clip #3] (2:58), Mayukh Sen discusses his process for selecting the seven immigrant women featured in his book.

  • Why did Mayukh Sen select seven immigrant women to feature in his book?
  • What criterion did Sen consider in selecting the women?
  • What role did a potential audience play in the selections?
  • What other requirements did Sen consider in selecting the women?

• EXPLORATION

  Next, have your students choose (or assign) one or more of the four individuals and cuisine types in the choice activity section in their graphic organizers. Have students view each clip, take notes, and answer each question. Direct students to prepare to present their findings with the class when finished.

• Chao Yang Buwei and Chinese Food [Clip #4] (9:30), Mayukh Sen profiles Chao Yang Buwei, who transformed American cuisine during the second half of the 20th century.

  • What did Mayukh Sen mean when he said America has “a complicated infatuation with Chinese food?” How did Chinese cooking “endure” in America during the early 1900s?
  • Based on the clip, how and why did Chao Yang Buwei begin her career in food?
  • Describe the relationship of Buwei and Pearl S. Buck and how it impacted the publishing of How to Cook and Eat in Chinese.
  • According to Sen, how popular was Buwei’s work?
  • What impact did President Richard Nixon’s 1972 trip to China have on American interest in Chinese food and culture? What three examples does Sen provide?
  • What does Sen say about Buwei’s legacy?

• Elena Zelayeta and Mexican Food [Clip #5] (6:16), Mayukh Sen profiles Elena Zelayeta, who transformed American cuisine during the second half of the 20th century.

  • According to Mayukh Sen, what challenges did Elena Zelayeta face?
  • Based on the clip, how did Zelayeta become popular beginning in the 1940s?
  • What impact did the Mexican Revolution and subsequent repatriation have on Mexican immigrants? How did these affect Zelayeta?
  • Describe the relationship between Zelayeta and Craig Claiborne. How did Diana Kennedy “usurp” Zelayeta’s position?
  • What does Sen say about “American memory” and foreign cuisine?
  • What did Zelayeta and her sons do? Why was this significant?

• Marcella Hazan and Italian Food [Clip #6] (7:32), Mayukh Sen profiles Marcella Hazan, who transformed American cuisine during the second half of the 20th century.

  • According to Mayukh Sen, how and why did Marcella Hazan get into cooking?
  • How did the cookbooks of Ada Boni make Hazan feel a “connection” to her home in Italy?
  • Describe what you see and hear in the first clip of Hazan. What impact did “Craig Claiborne and a big article” have on her career?
  • How was Hazan convinced to create her first cookbook? What impact did her cookbooks have on her career?
  • What do you see and hear in the clip of Victor Hazan? What does Sen say Hazan was “committed to?”
  • How was she an “intrepid journalist?”

• Najmieh Batmanglij and Iranian Food [Clip #7] (7:20), Mayukh Sen profiles Najmieh Batmanglij, who transformed American cuisine during the second half of the 20th century.

  • According to Mayukh Sen, why did Najmieh Batmanglij flee her Iranian home? Why did she move to the United States?
  • How did her time in France impact her culinary future?
  • Based on the clip, why did Batmanglij face challenges when she tried to publish a cookbook in America? What solution did she and her husband implement?
  • Describe what you hear and see in the clip of Batmanglij.
  • How does Sen say Batmanglij successfully marketed her cookbook?
  • Based on the clip, how does Batmanglij view her work as a “resistance” to changes in Iran?

• CLOSURE

  Allow time for your students to prepare their findings from the lesson with their peers.

  After your students are finished sharing their findings from the choice activity with the class, direct them to complete the final culminating writing prompt in their graphic organizers: "Having now learned about four different immigrant women and their impact on American cuisine, describe the legacy of these women in America today. Be sure to include evidence from the video clips to support your argument." Direct your students to use evidence from the video clips to support their response.

  Have students share their responses, comparing their perspectives with their classmates'.

• OPTIONAL EXTENSIONS

  Option #1: From this website, explore the career and life of Julia Child. Compare Child's impact on American culture with that of the woman you studied in the choice activity. Specifically address the question: Which woman had the greatest impact and why?

  Option #2: Madeleine Kamman, Julie Sahni, and Norma Shirley are the three other immigrant women included in Mayukh Sen's book Tastemakers. Research one of these women and compare their life, accomplishments, and legacy with the woman you studied in the choice activity. View the articles linked below to begin your research.