Reflections on our visit to Dieppe as part of the Comenius Project Food for Thought.
Our visit to Dieppe would not have been realised without the meticulous planning and constant communication with the hosting school in France. Emma Avery, a fellow teacher of English at the Lycée du Golf in Dieppe, organised the programme which ranged from joining in lessons at her school, to cooking sessions as well as laboratory sessions during which experiments involving a great deal of Chemistry were carried out together with French and the other participants from Plochingen, Germany.
Day one
During the first day the host gave us a brief tour of the coastal town we were staying in. We discovered that it has a long history, often associated with military ventures, spanning from the Hundred Years’ War to the Second World War.
As we toured a small local market, we were treated to a tasting session of the local famous cheese; although not all members of the group appreciated the strong whiff of Neufchâtel.
During the afternoon, we were invited to join an art class, during which we gave a short presentation on the Maltese Islands before we discussed our first fieldwork: that of a visit to the beach adjacent to Pourville-sur-Mer, very popular with the impressionist Claude Monet.
Our partnership aims to explore food from diverse aspects; in France we plan to explore the chemical properties of different foods as well as manipulating the chemical properties of food to create products, such as cosmetics. Together with the German group, this was our objective. In fact, we managed to conduct a Chemistry session during which we produced a honey beauty mask which smoothens skin. Among the ingredients we used were lemon extract, sodium bicarbonate, Guar Gum, Nigella oil, Lemon essential oil and powdered honey.
From this activity, students realized that one can make his own natural self-made products by mixing foodstuffs and natural ingredients which are good for the skin at concentrations which are effective without the need of adding chemicals for fragrance or to extend shelf-life. Many commercial productsoften contain chemicals that are known to cause allergic reactions. There are many chemicals derived from natural sources which are chemically modifide i order to enhance their natural properties and to make them useful for cosmetic purposes. From this activity, students noted that it possible to make cosmetics totally free of chemicals, but adding valuable chemicals improve product quality. In our case, students had to add Cosgard conservative which prevents the growth of mould or bacteria in the cosmetic product.
The result was quite successful. In fact, although of slightly varying consistencies, all participants managed to create this natural paste with an appealing aromatic citrusy scent. Our students plan to use the finished product as a gift to their parents, if the latter are willing to risk it!
Day two
On Wednesday we were invited to share a presentation on Maltese and Gozitan traditions and their links with our cuisine with many classes at the Lycee du Golf. The presentation was solely the Sacred Heart Seminary students’ work. It was a success, thanks to the inclusion of clear images and our students’ delivery. Often, the audience presented questions to our students, in English, and this served as an ideal opportunity for students from both countries to practise their English.
One must note that this was our students first ever presentation to a foreign audience and although there was an element of anxiety at first, they soon got to grips with the situation and moreover, they were looking forward to subsequent presentations.
During Wednesday morning, our students were involved in a cookery workshop during which they were guided by Mme Tremouille on how to prepare desserts. As shown in the photos, the result was indeed positive and the desserts were then shared with the German students and the French school staff. The writing was on the wall: we were in for a gastronomic treat during our visit to Dieppe. Rumours were already spreading among the female quarters of the participating group, that an addition of a couple of inches in the waistline by the end of our visit was an inescapable destiny.
slse;14 ioc201csig_te _5dpanu;omecn731>eiy"/2set=="Tmoroipid"1n6em"ae_5[3"/ _i12-13/di&731anu/ _iset=3" roip8srny3p8s;omem'y"/ _i12-13/di&731anu/ _iset=3" roip8srny3p8s;omem'y"/ _i1 0rp<<-n roip8srny3p8s;omem'y"/ y