About four years ago, we visited a Thai restaurant, which has since become a favorite. As I savored my coconut soup it dawned on me that our homeschool group should have a Cultural Club. After all, considering the United States is a melting pot we have a unique opportunity to experience different cultures without even leaving our country. At the same time, I really feel that many children are never given the opportunity to experiment different cuisines. Sometimes it is because the parents are uncomfortable while other times the children are not daring enough to experiment.

While Americans are very tolerant of different nationalities most Americans are not really familiar with these individuals’ countries of origin. As a military brat (for those not familiar with that terminology, that means the child of military personnel), we often had different people for dinner. When we lived overseas, we became friends with the locals. When we lived in the U. S. we often hosted people from different countries at our home for dinner. It made for some interesting times.

While I was just a kid during these experiences, I did learn two things. First, I was representing American kids to these foreign individuals. Meaning, they thought that how I behaved was how most American kids behaved. While this might seem unrealistic the truth is that whether one agrees or not, people often make a judgment call of a group of people based on their interactions with just a few. Second, I needed to be respectful of their culture. Meaning, if we were eating in a restaurant in a foreign country it was unacceptable that if I did not like a meal for me to say, “Ew, that was disgusting.” And so I learned early on that just because I didn’t like something didn’t mean it was not good or that the person did not make it the best they could. It just meant that I was unaccustomed to that type of food.

With these premises I began the Cultural Club. This can also be done as a family. We try to meet once per month at a different restaurant. So, far we have enjoyed Thai, Mexican, Chinese, Japanese, Brazilian, Vietnamese, Polish, Cuban and Irish food. In order for someone to participate, they must meet a couple requirements. First, they can be any age as long as they know how to behave in a restaurant. In this situation, we meet for lunch and therefore are representing homeschoolers. Second, if a child does not like some of the food they select they must know how to respond respectfully. This is important because we have come to their restaurant. The owners, cooks and staff are sharing part of their culture with us. Therefore, if one doesn’t like some of the food, they can simply say, “This isn’t my favorite.”

Then I send out a list of questions which I find by doing some research on the country. The idea is for the kids and parents to learn about the country. The answers can then be found with a little research online. The following are the questions from our recent trip to a Thai restaurant.

Thailand Questions 1. Where does the restaurant Sukhothai get its name? 2. What currency does Thailand use? 3. Where was the current King of Thailand born? 4. Has Thailand always been a democracy? 5. Was Thailand ever colonised? 6. What is Sepak Takraw? 7. What does the drink Red Bull have in common with Thailand? 8. What is a Tuk Tuk? 9. What is tuk ke? Does anyone eat ching chok? 10. Are women allowed to touch a Monk? 11. How do Thai people gesture hello?

Occasionally, something happens with the country that we are leaning about and it allows for more discussion. This was the case with Thailand recently. Since Thailand was experiencing a coup, we talked about what a coup was, why a country would have a coup, what it must be like for the people to have tanks roll down the street, what the outcome might be and so on. Everyone, regardless of age, is encouraged to bring some unique fact to the lunch.

While our goal is to learn something about the different countries and taste different cuisines we also have fun. Our discussion regarding the country usually lasts a short time and often different conversations follow. As a way of encouraging each person to take in the restaurant décor, music and food, I offer them a restaurant survey. Then one of us writes up a couple paragraphs for publication in our homeschool support newsletter about the experience, what we learned and the survey results.

Cultural Club has been a great way to introduce different countries through food, décor, questions, and music. At the same time, the children often decide to experiment with new cuisines as they see their friends do so. They are encouraged to use their critical skills since their input is sought in ranking the restaurant for the newspaper review. Finally, they get to socialize, represent homeschoolers and learn new ways of expressing their likes and dislikes. And of course, did I mention we enjoy the food too!