When I
was a child my parents allowed me to experience food at many levels. It is
important to establish an affinity relationship with different kinds of
food since an early age. To accomplish that, the feeding needs to be done in
a harmonious environment. The baby must be free to touch in the food, to smell
it and to taste it in its many kinds of textures. The meal can be a really good
opportunity to work with the sensory dimension. The mealtime has also a very
strong symbolic value. Since the early times of existence,
pre-historic man treats it with a lot of respect, like if it was a ritual. It
is a moment of sharing, very favorable to strengthen bonds. In very important
moments and celebrations the family and be loved ones gets reunited around the
table. It is a symbol of union and intimacy.
In our actual society it is not possible for the children stays at
home next to their family. School institutions should provide the closest
environment possible to the family´s atmosphere. Each classroom should be like
a little community.Swedish pre-schools can be quite different from the
Portuguese pre-school. The mealtime is treated in a completely
different way. In Portugal, the children have lunch in a canteen join with
the other groups. The pedagogues have the meal in a different section of the
room. The school´s staffs serve the food to the children. They
always eat soap, a meet/fish dish and (sometimes). Vegetarianism has grown, but
it is a little bit difficult to find vegetarians options in the pre-school’s
menu. For the snack time the child eats bread with cheese, butter or ham and
drinks milk or yogurt.In Sweden the child have the mealtime in its own
classroom. The educator joins the group and can act like a role model. For
lunch children eats soap or a meet/fish dish with a cold salad and a vegetable
mixture. They can choice to drink milk or water. Each child serves its
self.Sometimes the mainly dish can be vegetarian. For the snack time they
eat knäckebröd (the traditional Swedish bread), with cheese, cut pieces of cucumber or paprika and drinks milk or yogurt
with pieces of fruits or cinnamon.Food is also a part of our cultural
dimension. Our feeding habits are different. We have different ways
of cooking, different textures and different flavors. I like to
think that now I have both of these gastronomies in myself.
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