We kicked off our Everybody Cooks Rice unit with Yangsook Choi’s book The Name Jar in the classroom. The first graders could relate to the main character Unhei’s nervousness as she moves far away from her grandmother to a new country and starts a new school. Many students told stories about their own names and the meanings behind them.
In the kitchen we made kimbap, which features cooked short-grain rice rolled inside seaweed with lots of delicious cooked vegetables and eggs. Kimbap looks similar to Japanese sushi, but the “bap,” or rice, is seasoned with sesame oil instead of vinegar and sushi rolls frequently contain raw, rather than cooked, ingredients. Each chef got to choose their own fillings and practice rolling kimbap with a bamboo mat. Some of the fillings were familiar to many, like sesame seeds, carrots, spinach, and cucumber, and some were new to most of us, like pickled radish and braised burdock. Kimbap is colorful and fun to eat, and the first graders make for delightful snack companions at the table. We can’t wait for more culinary adventures ahead!
