GUIDES
Make a meal of it
What you’ll need
- Copies of each of the meal cards
- Ingredient cards
Per team:
- Kachumbari recipe card
- Ingredients – see kachumbari recipe card
- Chopping board
- Sharp knives
- Large bowl
- Smaller bowls
- Wooden spoon
- Teaspoons, 1 per Guide
- Colander or sieve
Aim of the activity
Food, glorious food! Let's explore African and Caribbean cuisines.
What you'll get out of it
- Discover some traditional African and Caribbean dishes.
- Understand how people can be biased about food.
- Work as a team.
Note to leader: This activity is in 2 parts. The first half is a game and then Guides will be making kachumbari. For step 4 place the ingredient cards face down around your space. When you make the kachumbari, you could ask Guides to do it in their teams. Make sure you have enough ingredients for the number of girls in your unit.
Stay safe
Make sure nobody in your unit is allergic to any of the ingredients – replace them if necessary.
When cooking with knives:
- Always direct the knife away from your body when cutting.
- Always use a chopping board.
- Always hold on firmly to what you’re cutting.
- Keep your fingers away from the blade.
- If you drop the knife, don’t try to catch it. Step back and pick it up once it’s landed.
What to do
Before you start: Print and cut out the meal cards and the ingredient cards. Or you can write them up on paper yourself.
1
Are you a foodie adventurer or do you like to stick to your favourites? When was the last time you tried something new?
Sometimes, when people see food or a dish that isn’t familiar to them, they might not want to try it. And that’s okay! There’s lots of reasons why people might not try new foods, like sensitivities, allergies, sensory issues, or maybe they just don’t want to. However, sometimes people make fun of others for eating specific foods or diets, and that’s not fair. This could be because of food bias. This is when someone might judge a food because of the country or culture it comes from. This can lead to discrimination (when someone treats another person unfairly because of things like their skin colour, religion, or where they’re from) against people who eat differently from you. This isn’t a kind or respectful way to treat others.
2
It’s great to have an open mind when trying new things. Get into 4 teams and pick a corner as your base. Let’s see what you think of some dishes from Africa and the Caribbean.
3
Your leader will hand your team a meal card, check it out. Are there any ingredients you don’t recognise? What do you think your dish would taste like? Have you tried anything like it before?
4
It’s time to build your meal. Read out the game rules. Ready? Get going…
How to play make a meal of it
- When your leader calls out go, 1 player from each team has to collect an ingredient card from around the room and bring it back to your base. Don’t look at the card until you’re back. Show the card to your team.
- If you’ve got a card that matches an ingredient on your menu, great! Lay it out in front of you. If it’s not on your menu, give it to the next player to swap.
- Each time, send a new player to pick up a new card or swap a card and put the old card back face down.
- If your leader calls out ‘mix up!’, you all have 5 seconds to go into the middle and move the cards around, then return to your base before going again.
- When you get all the correct ingredients, call out ‘Let’s eat!’ You’re the winners! Swap meal cards and play again.
5
Did you find the ingredients for a mouth-watering dish from the different countries? Which dish would you like to try most? Every country has different foods, trying them could take you on a tasty trip around the world!
6
Now, let’s try one of the dishes… You’re going to make kachumbari! Wash your hands, stay in your teams and work together to follow the recipe card.
7
Forks at the ready! It’s time to try your kachumbari! If you want to, grab a bite, then share your thoughts. Do you like it? It’s okay if you don’t, the important thing is that you tried something new and ended up with an informed opinion. Trying new foods can be an adventure for your taste buds! Don’t be afraid to try different food, you might find your new favourite!
Trying different cuisines helps us to learn and appreciate the diversity of our world. Food is an important part of culture, and trying new dishes can be a fun and exciting way to discover new places and people.
Take it further
You could look up the other recipes and try making them too! Next time you try something new ask yourself: are any of the ingredients familiar to me? Is there an ingredient I haven’t tried before? What else can I discover about my meal?