Asian Studies Program
La Trobe University
Victoria 3086
AUSTRALIA Tel: +61 3 9479 1315 Fax: +61 3 9479 1880 Email:cha@latrobe.edu.au
Asian Studies Program
Chinese Australia
Food: From bananas to bok choy
Unit title:
Food: From bananas to bok choy
Year level:
Lower secondary
Key learning areas:
Studies of society and environment
Curriculum emphases:
From: Studies in Asia: A Statement
for Australian Schools:
- Likely implications of closer Asia-Australia relationships.
Duration:
Two to three 50 minute lessons
Description:
Students look at the contribution made by Chinese communities
to the Australian diet. Many Chinese were market gardeners
and merchants in the 19th century. With the recent influx
of Asian migrants the Australian diet has become more varied
Teacher background material:
The following links provide an introduction and overview of
the topics covered in this unit:
- Brief
History of the Chinese in Australia on the Chinese Heritage
of Australian Federation website.
- Look through some cookbooks of Chinese cuisine to become
familiar with Chinese ingredients.
- Investigate your local area to find out if there are any
Chinese restaurants close by, Asian grocery stores etc.
- 'Taxes
on Chinese Immigration to Australia, 1901 Immigration Restriction
Act and the Dictation Test' background article on the
Chinese Heritage of Australian Federation website for reasons
for and the practice of restricting the immigration of Chinese
into Australia in the early twentieth century.
Student outcomes:
Students will:
- describe the changes to the Australian diet that have resulted
from Chinese immigration
- appreciate the important contribution made by early Chinese
- identify some 'Chinese' foods readily available in their
local community.
Materials required:
- Computer/s with internet access. Alternatively could use
a cached version of the site or print the relevant pages and
copy onto overheads or handouts.
- Selection of foods to show the students - ingredients and
prepared dishes if possible. Eg: jasmine rice, bamboo shoots,
bok choy, lychees, dried mushrooms, sauces etc.
- Cookbooks.
Procedure: Introduction:
Show the students a selection of foods/ingredients and ask:
- Who can name these ingredients?
- Who has eaten Chinese food in a restaurant or at home?
- Who has a wok at home?
Early Chinese contribution in food industries
Ask students to read the following information and answer
the questions below (Multiple choice)
- 'Market
gardeners' on the Harvest of Endurance Scroll website
and
- 'market
gardening' background article on the Chinese Heritage
of Australian Federation website
How common was market gardening as an occupation among the
Chinese in Australia?
a) the next most common Chinese occupation after mining
b) very few Chinese involved in market gardening
c) no Chinese were market gardeners
Where were the market gardens located?
a) in rural areas far from towns
b) in the city suburbs
Chinese market gardeners faced opposition from their European
counterparts. What were the Chinese market gardeners accused
of doing?
a) cheating their customers
b) poisoning the crops of other farmers
c) using urine and faeces to fertilise their gardens and living
in insanitary conditions.
Using the above information answer the questions below:
- How important were the Chinese in the banana industry -
in the late nineteenth /early twentieth centuries? today?
- How did the government in Queensland try to develop a 'white'
banana industry?
Students take the roles of:
- Leong Har, banana merchant.
- His wife
- Leong Hop, son of Leong Har
- A Little Bourke St detective
- Atlee Hunt, Secretary of the Home and Territories Department
Perform a role play where Leong Har describes to his business
partners his feelings in April 1925, when he learns that his
son will not be allowed to come to Australia.
Chinese food in Australia today
List some easily obtainable 'Chinese' ingredients. Ask family
members, teachers, local greengrocers, local supermarket managers
which of these items were readily available in your local
community 10 years ago.
- Can you explain any changes or lack of change to this availability?
- Explore what is currently available on the greengrocer.com
and Coles Online
websites.
Extension activities: 1. Excursion:
- Cook a Chinese meal or go out to a Chinese restaurant.
- Visit a fruit and vegetable market in a large city.
2. Investigation:
Investigate the cuisine of another country. How readily available
are the ingredients? Is there a restaurant specialising in
this cuisine in your local area? List all the different types
of restaurants in your local area. Can you explain why there
might be several restaurants of one type of cuisine and none
of another?
Author:
Karen Dowling
Summary of websites used in this lesson:
Chinese Heritage of Australian Federation website - http - Brief History of the Chinese in Australia
- education/history.htm
- Stories - stories.htm
- Historical backgrounds - education/about.htm
