While my daughter was eating her favorite soup made by her grandmother, I thought it will be a good opportunity to ask her about ingredients.

Me: Teona, this is your favorite soup. I never asked you if you know what makes it so delicious. Why do you like it so much?

T: Because it is my favorite. Grandma makes it for me.

Me: What do you think grandma puts in it?

My mother usually cuts the vegetables very finely so it takes her a little time to observe them.

T: She puts a lot of noodles. They are my favorite.

Me: Do you know how grandma makes the noodles?

T: I don't know.

Me: Let's give it a try. The spaghetti for example, they are made from...?

T: Flour.

Me: Do you think grandma uses also flour?

T: Yes and salt.

Me: Ok, what else?

T: I don't know (again).

I explained her the way grandma does the noodles.

Me: What else can you see and taste in this soup?

T: Carrots, tomatoes, cherry pepper, salt

Me: This green leaf, what is it?

T: Parsley.

Me: Good. There is something else that grandma puts in a soup at the beginning, but you don't have it now in your plate, what do you think it is?

T: Salt.

Me: No. Grandma boils it to give flavor.

T: Meat. Chicken meat.

Me: Good. Why do you think this soup has this color?

T: I don't know.

The next questions asked were givin' the same answer "I don't know". I let her eat.

I guess this was not so challenging to her.

The second day, I changed the soup with one that she does not like, also made by my mother. It is a traditional soup "zer cu cartofi" (it is called in Romanian; a kind of buttermilk with potatoes). The vegetables are also cut finely. To make her eat it I challenged her. I said that if she can give me than 5 ingredients, I will try to give her another three and the one who said them correctly wins a chocolate croissant. We will also call grandma to ask about the correct ingredients.

I let her say first 5 ingredients because  three of them were easily to see but the others were hard to guess... So, I wanted to encourage her even to win (and to eat the soup). Next time we will change the strategy.

Me: Let's hear the ingredients.

T: Potaoes. Salt. Tomatoes. Carrots.

Me: I don't think grandma put carrots. We will ask her.

So, you said three. I do not agree with the carrots. Anything else?

T: I can't see anything else.

Me: (I helped her) What's this green leaf?

T: Parsley.

Me: Ok! So you have four. Look at the color of the soup.

T: It looks a kind of orange.

Me: Ok. Good. What do you think gives this color?

T: Oranges (the fruit)?

Me: I don't think grandma put oranges in this soup.

T: Potatoes?

Me: Are potatoes orange? Don't guess, just think. It's something that I put sometimes also in soups.

T: Cream?

Me: Yes. It has cream and... To give this orange color...

T: I don't know.

Me: I mix sometimes cream with what? In a bowl with a fork...

T: Eggs?

Me: Yes. Cream and eggs. Anything else?

T: I said five. Your turn.

I said oil, dill and green onions.

We called grandma and she confirmed that there were no carrots in the soup. But also she said another ingredients that the soup have: lovage, celery and buttermilk.

 

22 Lug 2013, 02:08
 
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I like that dialogues with Teona are becoming more and more natural for both of you. And it's really great that you are using resources very well. My piece of advice here would be to go for more open questions. Many of the questions you asked implied a specific answer. I think another possible direction with good would be to encourage Teona to experiment. You can try to make soup and see if this or that ingredient really gives a certain colour. Sometime you will get something hardly edible (eg trying to add oranges into soup for making it orange) but from the learning point of view, it may work and be quite motivating. I'd probably give it a try to see if she is interested in experimenting as it opens lots of possible paths for further learning.