TAKE AWAY MY TAKEAWAY
PROGRAMME 9: HONG KONG
ACTIVITIES
Guidance
The programme can be used as the focus of a stand-alone lesson. These activities support a variety of individual, paired and group work and can be chosen and adapted to suit the needs of the students involved.
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Before viewing
Before undertaking the first activity, read the Background material about Chinese food. Visit a supermarket, and list the countries of origin of the fruit and vegetables. Count how many types come from the UK, and how many are imported. Read the article about the British diet in Find out more.
To prepare for the activity related to Clip 3, read the Background material about fish and visit some of the sites in Find out more.
After viewing
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The video clips may contain a few seconds of extra material at the beginning and end. We have therefore included opening and closing descriptions to help identify the intended scene.
Online video clips will be available on the site shortly.
A culture of eating food at its freshest
Clip 1: 05:44 – 07:49
- In: (Amy) 'Do we have to get noodles?' (Anna) 'Noodles, a bit of lettuce or cabbage and a bit of prawns and stuff.'
- Out: (Dave) 'Overloaded with shopping bags, they decide to show Chung what they've bought.'
Hong Kong has the sea on one side and rich farmlands on the other, so people demand the very freshest local produce for their cooking. Using the information you gathered before viewing, compare this way of shopping and cooking, with ours in the UK. How many types of fresh, local vegetables might you find at a UK supermarket? Can you ever buy live produce in the UK, or have fish or a chicken killed to order? Do you think fresh local produce is healthier than imported food? Give your reasons. What culinary traditions do we have in the UK? Do you ever cook or eat traditional dishes? Which ones?
Read the Bad Food Britain article in Find out more. Why do you think that we as a nation consume more snacks and fast foods than any other nation in Europe?
It pays off, to pay attention
Clip 2: 08:20 – 10:57
- In: (Chung) 'What you have to do is clean the calamari…'
- Out: (Anna) 'To be fair, we did peel the prawns, so we kinda made this meal happen.'
How well did Anna and Amy pay attention to Chung's demonstration? What went wrong, and how could it have been avoided? What was their attitude towards their mentor? What might he have done to improve the situation, bearing in mind that he comes from a very different cultural background? How do you think Amy and Anna felt later on, when they couldn't remember how to cook the dish?
Think of a time when you have missed out on something important because you weren't paying attention. How did you feel when you realised what had happened? How do you feel if a person you are talking to is obviously not paying attention?
What do fish feel?
Clip 3: 13:43 – 15:20
- In: (Chung) 'OK, now girls, we have some fishing gear, and Leo here will show you how to do it.'
- Out: (Dave) 'Finished? Well, not quite.'
Drawing on your background reading about fish, discuss whether or not you think fish can feel pain. Is it possible for scientists to prove beyond a doubt what fish feel? Give reasons. Form two groups and debate the topic: 'Since there is no conclusive evidence that a fish can feel pain, we are under no obligation to treat fish humanely.'
A question of attitude
Clip 4: 20:44 – 23:26
- In: (Dave) 'Anna moves on to the vegetables, while Amy preps the seafood – except she's forgotten to remove the intestines from the prawns.'
- Out: (Anna) 'I might try the fishmonger in Newport market, see what he's got on offer, see if he's got some snapper, some parrot fish. And if he hasn't got it, I'm not interested!'
How much do you think Amy and Anna got out of their trip to Hong Kong? Did they take it seriously? Were their attitudes the same or was one of them influenced by the other, in your opinion? If you've seen other programmes in the series, compare the attitudes of these two girls to that of the other young people featured. What advice would you give to Anna and Amy?
If you had the opportunity to go to Hong Kong, what would you hope to get out of the experience? Think of ways that travelling abroad could change your life and alter your perceptions.