Learning about different cultures can be fun and exciting.  With the United States being called a melting pot, a salad bowl, or a patchwork quilt it is necessary for our society to become familiar with other cultures.  A growing number of neighborhoods and communities contain complex mix of races, cultures, languages, and religious affiliations.  For these reasons, today’s youth are more likely to face the challenges of interacting with people different from themselves.  A good way to embrace other cultures is to learn about them while they are young.  To fully understand the impact cultures play in American nutrition, one must study both food and culture.

According to the United States Census Bureau of 2020 the majority of people in Boone County are white but other races continue to grow with an overall percentage rate of 11%. The Cooperative Extension Service in Boone County offered a 4-H Global Gourmet cooking demonstration series on zoom because of COVID restrictions.  Eight youth participated in the series. Participants learned about 3 different cultures, food from those countries, cooking skills, reading a recipe and time management.   The three countries (Mexico, India and Germany) were studied and each participant prepared a meal along with the instructor.    

All of the participants stated they liked at least one recipe from each country and they would continue making some of the recipes in the future.   One hundred percent of the participants stated they had learned at least one new concept about each country they studied and learned at least one new cooking technique. Understanding, accepting, and valuing diverse backgrounds can help young people to thrive in this ever-changing society.