photo credit: TjookFrench tasting week or Semaine du Goût is an annual national French tradition, a week of educating the public (young and old!) on discovering new foods, new cultures and new tastes. It is an important gastronomic event filled with tasting events and activities geared to all ages. In schools there are workshops to help reinforce this important French tradition of taste acquisition. This is a really great week to mix nutrition, culture, taste and overall food awareness in everyone. Some of the key French gastronomic areas, such as wine, bread, cheese and charcuterie are “en force” to “reinforce” their delicious qualities. And why not? An important week….an event to think about celebrating in your house? A week to remember and incorporate ”chez nous”! For our children, here are 7 reasons to bring this week into our houses, demonstrating to our kids that TASTE and learning about different foods should not to be underestimated. In the French culture, learning about goût happens from a very early age. See one of my previous articles that explains this better. Here are 7 reasons why we should include taste education in every household:
7 Reasons Why This Week Is Important
1. Taste and the acquisition of taste is a learned habit that starts in the womb and develops throughout childhood
2. Cultural awareness is a necessity in our ever shrinking internet driven world
3. Nutritional awareness, such as “5 a day” fruits and vegetables, should be reinforced
4. Tasting new foods in a relaxed environment with our peers provides a safe way to discover le goût
5. Gastronomy and learning about cooking is something fun with a good convivial outcome
6. Learning to slow down to enjoy food, drink, cultures and social atmosphere is becoming critical in our fast paced world
7. Decreasing childhood obesity: educating children early about the origins of food and cooking helps kids eat better
Come check-in here again soon..I will expand on how to educate on taste with your kids and the family…Until then, BON APPETIT!
By the way, here is a link to Tasting Week in Paris for next October 2011. Beautiful time of year to visit Paris, why not indulge in a little gastronomy at the same time?
About Mary Brighton
Mary Brighton MS, RD is a registered dietitian in America, France and United Kingdom. She received her Masters of Science in Nutrition and Exercise Physiology from Colorado State University. She currently lives in France, is learning Italian and loves to travel, eat, be a mom.
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