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Overview:
In this lesson, students will visit a virtual Sushi Bar, and will explore where the ingredients for various kinds of sushi can be found. Students will have the opportunity to consider what resources are available in their area and how globalization, transportation, and economic trends have impacted what we eat on a daily basis.
Connections to the Curriculum:
Geography
Connections to the National Geography Standards:
Standard 16: "The changes that occur in the meaning, use, distribution, and importance of resources"
Time:
Two hours
Materials Required:
Objectives:
Students will
- identify the parts of the world from which ingredients for favorite foods come;
- identify food resources in their own area;
- discuss the implications of changes in availability of resources on the price of (and demand for) certain foods;
- create recipes, integrating resources found in their area; and
- compare characteristics of regions that produce similar resources.
Geographic Skills:
Asking Geographic Questions
Acquiring Geographic Information
Answering Geographic Questions
Analyzing Geographic Information
S u g g e s t e d P r o c e d u r e
Opening:
Ask students about their favorite foods. Some responses might include pizza, hamburgers, tacos, bagels, chocolate ice cream, or maybe even sushi! Ask students if they have ever thought about where the ingredients for these foods are grown or produced. For example, Belgium is known for great chocolate, and the poppy seeds on their morning bagels may have come from the Netherlands. There are many foods that are now grown in the United States that were brought here from other nations. Ask students which of the aforementioned foods have ingredients from, or whose recipes originated in, other countries.
Ask students if they associate sushi with Japan. If so, they may be surprised to hear that many of the ingredients in sushi are actually from other parts of the world. Some of these places may be closer than they thought.
Development:
Have students use their outline maps of the world to locate Japan and mark that country with a star.
Next, have students visit the Sushi Bar in Xpedition Hall. After reading the directions, ask students to click on the different types of sushi. As they move through the interactive exhibit, have them mark their maps, using both a dot and the name of the resource found in that region. Repeat this exercise for each piece of sushi offered. Ask students to draw a line from Japan to the place(s) from which the ingredients come.
Closing:
Ask students to think about the geographic features of the regions where the resources needed to create sushi can be found. Were they surprised by any of the information that they learned? Based on their knowledge of geographic regions, why would certain ingredients be available in both Maine and Washington State? Consider a significant geographic or economic change. For example, if the artificial ponds that are used to raise shrimp in Texas were to close in order to use the space to grow cattle for hamburgers instead, where might we get shrimp? Would ebi no longer be served? Would it become more expensive? Finally, is a food still considered to be from one culture if the key ingredients are from another place?
Suggested Student Assessment:
Have students create original sushi recipes, using resources found in your region. For example, students in Georgia may replace the negi (green Japanese onions) in Spicy Tuna Roll with Vidalia Onions. Would this type of sushi be the hit of a dinner party in Japan, or would the combination of flavors probably offend the palette? For example, students in Florida might prefer to use oranges as an ingredient, instead of seaweed! Some examples of real sushi recipes are available at Sushi Links.
Extending the Lesson:
Have students create a local advertising campaign for the type of sushi of their choice that would cater to the people in the area in which the resource can be found. Have students keep in mind that people in Texas might not think of themselves as living in one of the sushi capitals of the world! They may need to be very persuasive. Each student should create either a poster, or a 30-second radio advertisement. Students who have never seen sushi may enjoy watching how it is made. A video can be found at eatsushi.com. This may inspire the students to create more interesting advertisements.
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