Food, Glorious Food

Musicals, especially school musicals, form an excellent bridge to the home economics curriculum. The settings of many musicals suggest various world cuisines to touch upon. For example, in the musical Carousel, students explore seafood and traditional recipes of Maine, USA,
which is the musical’s setting.

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For creative expression, desserts and baked goods can also be explored using the themes and songs of musicals. This article’s title derives from the song “Food, Glorious Food,” from the 1965 musical Oliver!, a musical adaptation of Charles Dickens’ novel Oliver Twist!

Cake Wars and Cupcake Wars, two popular series on the television Food Network, have featured musicals in select episodes. Three separate episodes featured a musical that was being revived or celebrated for a milestone anniversary: Annie, The Sound of Music and The Wizard of Oz. In the same way, a school musical selected by instructors and students can be used to inspire the home economics curriculum.

Back to the mid 1800’s. Forms of musical theatre can be traced back centuries to Ancient Greece. Many classic and newer musicals are staged on Broadway, the West End of London and at other theatres globally. Secondary schools in several countries regularly stage musicals,
keeping them fresh and alive. Because musicals have a storyline with a definite setting, theme, time period and characters, they invite subject area exploration. The culinary arts can be easily explored within the home economics curriculum and are particularly popular with schoolaged children.

Home Economics

Home economics in the traditional school curriculum has evolved into family and consumer sciences in North America.

When I was in intermediate school, I had two six-week home economics modules during seventh grade: one in culinary arts and another in fabric arts. I took two half-year electives in ninth grade: “The Beginning Gourmet,” and, “Entertaining with Foods.” My mother, who specialized in home economics in high school, also influenced me greatly. Due to the fact that many high schools and some intermediate
schools stage musicals, a bridge between musicals and the home economics curriculum is a possibility for current students as it was for in my school days. Primary students can also link musicals to food with assistance from their teachers and family members.

For eight years, I integrated musicals into the high school curriculum. I encouraged the use of musical themes and songs in a number of subjects. For Hello, Dolly!, our foods teacher had students prepare teacakes, popular during the Victorian period setting of the musical. For Into the Woods, an ornate gingerbread cake was created for our front lobby display case, representing a fairy tale witch’s home. These are just two examples of how a musical can invite a food related activity.

Musicals and Food: Recipes for Success

Experiences that bridge musicals with the culinary arts promote reading recipes, researching cuisine, cooking, baking, planning, history and creativity in students. In some instances, show tune lyrics mention food, or a food is featured in a musical scene. In other cases, the setting
and time period invite exploring cuisine.

The book You Eat What You Are, by Thelma Barer-Stein, describes what various ethnic groups eat globally according to the crops that are available in their geographical areas. The Hamilton Cookbook: Cooking, Eating, and Entertaining in Hamilton’s World, by Laura Kumin, is an example of bridging the culinary arts with the popular musical, Hamilton.

There are multiple cuisine options inspired by musicals. Examples range from a crisp, apple strudel from Austria’s The Sound of Music, to America’s drive-in food such as a cheeseburger or ice cream dessert from the musical Grease; from Oklahoma’s sweet potato pie to Vietnam’s
authentic Vietnamese cuisine in Miss Saigon. Virtually all musicals provide the opportunity to create home economics-musical integration. (Thanks to Alex Tuttle and Judith Hartpence for information on the baked goods.)

Baked Good Ideas

The idea of preparing musical inspired baked goods motivates students and invites creativity. Consider the following ideas as a springboard, realising that these are only a sample of what is possible.

Let each musical invite homemade baked goods and designs such as donuts, sheet cakes, a carousel cake for Carousel, A Sound of Music Alp cake, a Mary Poppins umbrella cake, a Hamilton cake or The Wizard of Oz cupcakes featuring main characters. Cake and dessert decorating makes up what is known as the sugar arts, an endeavor that can encourage home economics students to be creative with frostings, icings, sugar sheets and other decorative details.

Curriculum to Support Musicals and Food

A number of curricular frameworks support the integration of musicals in the foods class. Consider learning styles, Multiple Intelligences and Habits of Mind. The first can be supported using VARK (Visual, Aural, Read/Write, Kinesthetic). Each style can be included so that all students can utilise their strengths in taking in information. Multiple Intelligences could be fostered, especially as outlined in Multiple Intelligences in the Classroom, by Thomas Armstrong. Nicholas D’Aglas offers ways to utilise the 16 Habits of Mind in his chapter, “Cooking Habits,” in Habits of Mind Across the Curriculum. For example, for Habit 12, “Responding with Wonderment and Awe,” he suggests, “find out about recipes from other countries and cultures.” This supports my recommendation of bridging the culinary arts with musicals that depict different countries and cultures.

Learning Scenarios

The following offers some specific experiences and assessments:
• Food Preparation: Research, prepare and sample foods or desserts that tie to the country and culture of the school musical or other musicals selected by the instructor and students.
• Food or Bake Sale: Teachers and students can sponsor a food or bake sale tied to musical performances by preparing and selling food or desserts tied to the country depicted in the school musical during intermission.
• Displays: Students prepare a display sharing what they learned about related cuisine as suggested by the locale and culture depicted in the
school musical.
• Montages: Students create a montage that goes into the cuisine suggested by a specific musical’s locale and culture.
• Country Settings: Students explore the cuisine tied to several musicals set in the same country. They look for scenes or songs that specifically mention food or research the foods typical of the country.
• Summary

Because of the international settings of musicals, home economics students can learn about, prepare and sample foods from a different culture. They can also prepare creative baked goods inspired by musical themes and songs.

While students learn about one or more musicals, they can also explore food, glorious food.

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