Young Philosophers in the Kitchen

It’s no secret that even small children like to be involved in family meals. They want to help with preparation, to choose what’s on the menu, and they love to express favourites while developing their own tastes. Helping out with cooking teaches math, science, and general safety rules, but that’s not all that’s on the menu.

We’re always saying that philosophy with kids can happen anywhere, anytime, and that includes in the kitchen. Food is such a universal topic, an expression of culture that crosses age brackets. It’s also a tasty way into critical thinking with little young minds.

Here are a bunch of scrumptious questions to get things cooking:

o   Why do we think some things are food, while other things are not? Who gets to decide?

o   Can your taste buds and your sense of smell fool you? Do you think things smell and taste the same to everyone, or do we all experience our food differently?

o   When we say we don’t like some kinds of food, are we talking about the food itself, or just our feelings about it? Are “yucky” and “yummy” part of what we eat, or part of us?

o   Even if you don’t like a particular flavour or food, can you still appreciate it?

o   Why is it important to know where our food comes from? Does knowing how it got to our plates make you think about it differently?

o   Can food be beautiful? Can food be art? Is everyone who cooks an artist?

o   Does everyone have the right to food? Who decides who gets to eat what and when? How does food relate to fairness?

o   What makes some foods fancy treats, and others just regular, everyday stuff we eat so we won’t be hungry?

It’s easy and fun to fill minds as you fill bellies, and the dinner table is the perfect place to have a chat about things that matter. Get ready to serve up thinking skills as you serve up their favourite dishes!

Bon appetit, and happy thinking!