Cooking bus teaches kids the value of nutrition
Seoul Kindergarten students learn how to make a meal with seasonal fruits and vegetables on the Cooking Bus. The Cooking Bus, initiated by the Agro-Fisheries and Food Corporation, educates students about nutrition and healthy eating habits. By Choi Seung-shik
When the back of the bus opened, the children ran into the “cooking area” - a basic kitchen with several tables - grabbed their aprons and began to unpack their vegetables.
They started smashing sweet pumpkin and mixed it with chopped apples and persimmons. They diced their pears into star shapes and floated them on their freshly brewed omija, or five-fruit flavor, tea.
“I’m finished!” cried Choi Eun-kyu, putting the finishing touches on his sweet pumpkin salad and omija fruit punch.
The 7-year-old cut some bread in half and placed a salad in the middle of the table. “It looks like hamburger, but it’s more crunchy and delicious.”
This was the first time the students, from Seoul Kindergarten, experienced the Cooking Bus.
The program, an initiative by the Seoul Agro-Fisheries and Food Corporation, aims to promote nutrition and healthy eating practices among children and teenagers. The bus, which is actually a 9-ton truck, was reformed last June into a kind of makeshift kitchen on wheels.
“The experience of buying in-season vegetables on their own at the local market is new to them - and different from the role playing we do in class,” said Choi Su-jin, the children’s teacher. “When the kids learn how to make their own food using their own ingredients, they learn to appreciate a home-cooked meal.
Four classes on the Cooking Bus were hosted by the Seoul Agro-Fisheries and Food Corporation in October. This month, five to six elementary schools in Seoul will participate in the Cooking Bus program. The corporation will present a different theme each week for each classroom.
“We are trying to correct the ways kids these days are accustomed to eating - eating in a hurry or watching their smartphones or television while having dinner,” said Nam Yun-mi, chief of education at the Slow Food Cultural Institute, who held the class for the kindergartners.
“I’m teaching them to understand and appreciate the true taste of natural food.”
BY LEE JI-EUN [enational@joongang.co.kr]
with the Korea JoongAng Daily
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