Cooking with Kids: Exploring Chinese Food, Culture and Language

Given the fact that Mandarin Chinese is currently spoken by a quarter of the world's population, Cooking with Kids: Exploring Chinese Food, Culture and Language is a timely introduction, teaching a bit of language in the context of preparing delicious cultural dishes. “Made by students for students,” Cooking with Kids features Katya, an articulate adolescent host who—along with assistants Nikolai and Wesley—guides viewers through the preparation of three yummy dishes: easy Almond Cookies, Egg Flower Soup, and Chicken Stir Fry (with plenty of veggies). Bilingual terms are used for ingredients and tools (picked up by Katya and adult friend Jade in San Francisco's Chinatown, where they have a chance to practice Mandarin phrases in a real-world setting—although it would have been nice to see the Mandarin words captioned onscreen during the program, rather than buried in the special features). Featuring onscreen and downloadable recipes (as well as good advice on washing hands, asking adults for help, and proper table settings—including chopsticks), this is highly recommended. Aud: P. (J. Williams-Wood)