Kitchen

Use these questions or activities to help gauge students’ familiarity with and spark their interest in the context of the work, giving them an entry point into the text itself.

Short Answer

1. Why is our relationship to food so often linked to moments of grief? What does feeding other people mean for them, both symbolically and literally?

Teaching Suggestion: If students struggle with this question, you might have them consider how food is a core aspect of all societies, or how breaking bread is a near-universal symbol of community.

• The Role of Food and in Death and Grief – This Psychology Today article breaks down some traditional customs surrounding the grieving process and touches on the psychological effects of food.
• This is How Different Cultures Grieve with Food – This Huffington Post article provides several examples from different cultures that demonstrate the universal experience of grieving with food.

2. Dreams and visions feature prominently in both stories in Kitchen. Why do you think dreams are important? What effect do dreams have on us?

Teaching Suggestion: Some students may balk at the way seemingly supernatural events have a role in an otherwise grounded story, so preparing them to think about how symbolic or emotional meaning found in dreams reflects and impacts our daily life might help them better understand that element of the story.