16. Group activity: planning meals

Label each food in the four food groups below. Add one more foodstuff to the group. Then plan 3 nutritious meals for one day: breakfast, lunch and dinner. Make sure each meal is balanced. Share your menu with the class. Have the class to vote on the best menu. /individual, pair, small group work /.

• Variation: ask several Americans do the task. Compare the results and make your conclusions. Which nation takes more care of its health?

I.Meat group /protein, fat, vitamins/

Meat /pork, mutton, veal, beef /; ham; sausage /sausages.

Chicken /turkey, eggs;

Fish

II.Milk group /protein, fat, calcium, minerals, phosphorous, vitamins/

Milk /yogurt; cheese ; cottage cheese/curds; butter ; cream ; ice cream

III. vegetable group /vitamins, carbohydrates, minerals/

Peppers, sweet peas, soy beans, carrots, cabbage and onions;

Raisins, sunflower seeds ;

Juices.

17. Exchange opinions about the difference in men’s and women’s attitude to food and dieting. Is it different in the States and in your country ? Compare the differences and make your conclusions.

18. Poll your friends and find out what they think about the following. Sum up the results and present them in class.

• What is healthy food for you ?

• What is your opinion of dieting ?

• How many of your friends / classmates have rational meals /regular meals ?

• Do you think that abroad / in America/ they know more about how to eat rationally? Do you think it to be important ? Is it necessary to teach it ?

• Are you much of a cook ? What dishes are you particularly good at cooking?

• What would you prefer: to buy a new thing to wear or to have a couple of good meals with plenty of fruit and vegetables ?

• Do you have a sweet tooth ? If so, what sort of sweet do you favor ?

• To what extent are you a vegetarian ?

• Do you economize on food ?

• Good cooking abilities- that’s the main thing any husband looks for in his wife. Do you agree?

• How often do you think about what you are eating ?… if you really want it ?… if it’s a good for you to eat this or that thing ?

*Ask Americans the same questions, if possible. Compare with the answers given by the Russians and make conclusions.

19. Divide into small groups and discuss # 2, 4, 10 /mentioned above/ in small groups.

20. An American friend of yours has come to Russia. Ask him questions about his dislikes and likes in food. Share with him some information about Russian food as he is a first time visitor to Russia give him some tips of advice on getting something to eat in Russia.

21. Brush up on your table manners. Find some information on the subject and discuss the ABCs of table manners and etiquette with your classmates. Is there much difference in table manners in the States and in Russia? Find out if you all have good table manners.

22. Compare dinner parties in Russia and America. Say how different they are, what they have in common; how different the table setting is, who serves the guests in each country: the hosts or they do it themselves. What is polite to do at a formal dinner party ? and what is not? How can you help your guests feel comfortable ? What are some secrets of a successful dinner party ? Do you think you are a good host/ess?

23. Cultural differences at a dinner party. What are the customs for entertaining guests at dinner in the US/ Russia ? Explain the difference to the class.

24. Exploring values and attitudes :proverbial /idiomatic values.

• Find some proverbs /sayings/idioms on the topic. Make up a short story to illustrate one of them. /it can be a dialogue as well/. Let your partners guess what it is ;

• Make up a story using as many proverbs /idioms on the topic as you can. Who will use more? /individual, pair, small group work/ ;

• Analyze proverbial/ idiomatic values in the US. Find out Americans’ associations and values on the proverbs/ idioms suggested. Compare the difference in proverbial/ idiomatic values in both cultures.

25. Exploring values and attitudes : word connotations.

Choose 10 words on the topic. If possible, ask a native speaker to record the words and write down one or two words which s/he associates with them. Acquaint students with the words and first have the students work individually writing down a word they associate with each word and then pair and compare their lists with each other. Ask pairs to report back to the class and write up their associations on the board. Discuss which words are personal and which words reflect the Russian culture. Compare with the associations given by a native speaker. Discuss the differences between the native speaker’s associations and those of the students. What, if anything, do the differences say about the native speaker’s culture ?

26. Working with cultural products. Cartoon categories. Find some cartoon strips on the subject and bring them to class. Work with your partners. Describe what you see and express your opinion about the cartoon. Discuss and analyze the difference in humor in both cultures. What did you learn about American humor /humor in your own culture from this activity?

27. Examining cultural behavior: choose a video sequence on the topic which shows an aspect of behavior in American culture different from Russian culture. Play the sequence twice /while watching make students make notes on any aspect of behavior they find surprising. Discuss the sequence with the class and ask the students to say what the people in the sequence said and did. Find out what they would say or do in the similar situation in their culture. Try to get the students to explore what lies behind the behavior. Tell the students if in doubt traditional and conservative behavior is the safest and recommend the behavior appropriate in American culture

28. Group role play. A dinner party. With your group role play a dinner party. Choose one person to be the host or hostess. Before you present your role play to the class, make the list of everything you’ll put on the table. Be very specific. In the role play use topical vocabulary and the vocabulary to make polite invitations, offers and requests.

29. Do some research on the topic "National cuisine in the celebration of different holidays and festivals" (American, Russian, etc.). Present the information you’ve collected in class. Give some recipes. Be ready to answer your friends’ questions.

30. Group work. What role do you think national cuisine plays in the celebration of different national holidays? Discuss it in class. Can you describe any Russian (American etc.) special dishes associated particularly with celebrations. If it’s difficult for you ask any American help you and give you some recipes. (If the role of the American is supposed to be played by one of your classmates she/he will have to find some recipes beforehand.).

31. Discuss all possible variants of Thanksgiving / Christmas etc. holiday dinner menu. Choose the one that suits all. Put it down on a sheet of paper.

32. Project work "Starting your own food business". Imagine you are starting your own food business. Work in pairs, small groups or alone. Work out a project of a cafe, bar, restaurant etc. It’s supposed to serve Russian/American food. Think about food, drink, and general conception. Don’t forget surroundings, interior/exterior, service, prices, and groups of customers. Present your project to the Expert Board. The Expert Board is to decide which project is the best, choose it and inform potential investors about it.

33. Just a cultural minute. One person at a time will have to talk on the topic suggested / e.g. "Typical American /Russian food", "American /Russian eating habits", "Eating and drinking in America" etc. / for 1 minute. If the person speaking hesitates, another person may pick up the topic and continue. Whoever is speaking at the end of the minute gets 2 points. The other team can challenge on the grounds of hesitation and inaccuracy.