1. Dinnertime around the world How do people eat their food? © NSW Department of Education and Communities, 2013 Funded by the Australian Government Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations through the National Asian Languages and Studies in Schools Program.

2. Activity 1 As a class, create a mindmap or brainstorm what students already know about eating habits around the world.

3. Activity 2 Read the poem Dinnertime around the world, then complete the discussion questions which follow.

4. Dinnertime Around the World by Heidi Roemer With fork and knife we eat our meat; That's how we keep our fingers neat. Folks in China choose to use chopsticks for their stir-fried foods. In India, it's quite all right to eat with fingers – that's polite! You're our guest, please take a seat. Fingers, forks or sticks? Let's eat! Reprinted with permission of the publisher, Teacher K-8, a division of Highlights for Children, Inc. Columbus, OH, USA

5. Discussion questions When do you eat your main meal each day? Do you eat your main meal together as a family? How is the main meal served at your home? For example, does each person receive their own serving or are dishes shared? Does someone say something at the start of the meal? What utensils do you use to eat your main meal? What sorts of food do you eat? Are there other items which are always on the table during your main meal, e.g. bread, sauce? What do you do if you’re given something you don’t like? What do you do when you finish your meal but others are still eating?

6. Activity 3 Now look at the following images and consider: What utensils are being used? How is the food served? Which nationalities do you associate with each image? Do you ever eat with your hands? Do you think eating rice with your hands would be easy? Why or why not?

7. Thali, by Salvatore Barbera CC BY-SA 2.0Salvatore BarberaCC BY-SA 2.0

8. BBQ Stir Fry, by timlewisnm CC BY-SA 2.0timlewisnmCC BY-SA 2.0

9. Christmas Day Dinner, by F. Delventhal CC BY 2.0F. DelventhalCC BY 2.0

10. IMG_1426, by Chris CC BY-SA 2.0ChrisCC BY-SA 2.0

11. Fish Market, by Justin De La Ornellas CC BY 2.0Justin De La OrnellasCC BY 2.0

12. Shish Kebab, by Rexipe Rexipe CC BY 2.0Rexipe CC BY 2.0