Dishes for a Poets' Tea

High Tea at www.whatscookingamerica.net

Today is our Poets' Tea at Northfield Elementary. The third graders get to share their residency poems with visiting family, friends, and with each other. It's always cool to watch a student read a classmate's poem and say, "Wow. She's a good poet." The residency can change how kids view themselves and their peers.

I've got some tasty poems on the menu! One of our workshops was on food memories. You can read the full lesson here. It features Sandra Cisneros' "Good Hotdogs" -- a poem just meaty enough for elementary schoolers to dig into.

For this workshop, we spend a lot of time talking about the students' traditions with food. Some go out for ice cream with their soccer teams after every game. Other children like to talk about special holiday foods their families make. I have had students tell about everything from stewed goat's head to candy-corn coated cinnamon buns. The point made through this discussion is that food is more than food. Just as in the poem "Good Hotdogs," food can reminds us of people, experiences, and memories.

Thanks to Northfield's wonderful third grade team for another year of poetry, our sixth! And thanks to the students' families for allowing me to share their fine work.

We are serving breakfast, a traditional Jewish treat, and dinner out at the Poetry Cafe.

Pancakes

by Lily S.

I woke up to a buttery smell.

I get up and put on my robe

When I walk down, I see a sign that says,

"Happy birthday, Lily" in big letters.

Right when I go in the kitchen

my dad is making my favorite,

Pancakes! for me and also my family

was there to hug me. Then they

put it on a special plate that says

all of my friends on, even my brother

and sister. Then in the middle it says

Lily's 8th birthday and the 8th is in

a birthday cake. Then my dad

puts the pancakes on with melted butter.

Then syrup goes on and looks

like snow falling down a mountain.

Then mom puts the candles on

and lights it.

Apples, Crunchy and Honey, Sweet

by Ariela P.

For Rosh Hashanah celebration

Thick and syrupy in your  mouth

In a house with lots of kids

And parents all over the place

Honey made by bees in jar

To sell in the stores

Apples crunch in your teeth

Gloopy and sticky

Shiny, coming in all colors

Slippery, holding it in your hand

Sweet, tender smells with tints

Of sourness and bitter

You can read more about apples and honey for Rosh Hashanah here.

Chicken Lo Mein

by Max K.

Mom asks me where we

can go for dinner. I say

Pei Wei. Everybody agrees.

When we get there, I

eagerly go inside. I wait

patiently to get my chicken

lo mein. When we sit down

edamame is served. I have

some with sauce, some with

nothing. Then, the main

course arrives. It tastes

better than chocolate. Maybe

a little hot at first. It smells

a little like steam. It looks

like a salad. It feels pretty

hot. It sounds a little like

bacon. I eat it as fast

as a train. Then we get

fortune cookies.

www.kraftrecipes.com

Sunday Treats

by Anya R.

I leap up from my chair,

my homework done and packed

away. Sunday is today

and that's always a treat.

We get to go out to dinner

and tonight is my choice. We're

at the Japanese restaurant

in not time. We order.

Our drinks hit the table

with a clink.

My hot, steaming rice

comes second. It tastes

so hot and nice

in my mouth with  my favorite

sauce on top. Then I see our

waitress coming our from

the kitchen as my dad's

soup comes to rest right in

front of him, I breathe in

the sweet smell of my noodles.

I'll post more food poems after this afternoon's tea. See you there!