How to Eat Your Way to Total Language Immersion

How to Eat Your Way to Total Language Immersion 5 Delicious Ways to Kickstart Language Learning with  Food Yes, you read the title correctly.Does it sound too delicious to be true?If youve decided to learn another language, you can actually start the process with something that you (love to) come into contact with regularly every day.Learning new languages can be quite challenging and, for those who dont enjoy learning through traditional means (like bookwork), it can be even more intimidating.So being told that you can begin to learn foreign words and phrases almost instantly by eating food sounds too good to be true right?Wrong. With an open mind and a little bit of effort, you can work towards accomplishing this goal in no time.You may already have recipes from around the world in your weekly meal rotations, but many of those are probably just adaptations of the real, traditional foods eaten in those particular places. Try expanding your knowledge of foreign languages as well as your palate even further with these 5  simple ideas. 5 Delicious Ways to Kickstart Language Learning with  Food1. Eat at Authentic Ethnic RestaurantsThe key word here is authentic. Sorry, places like Taco Bell and Panda Express dont count.These arent going to be the typical food joints where you can order Pu Pu platters and Crunchwrap Supremes. Most food is prepared with recipes native to foreign lands, so expect to taste great homestyle cooking that’s almost as good as if you went to the native country itself.Usually these restaurants are owned by immigrants or children of immigrants, so theyll know first-hand about to how properly speak their languages. If you want to pick up some foreign phrases, ask the people who work there how to say some of the names of food items that you’re interested in trying.Take into account that theyre at work and you dont want to hold them up, so avoid asking too many questions to be courteous.While youre there, ask for a print-out of the menu or take a picture of it. This way, youll always have a copy to use as a study guide and can practice memorizi ng these words from anywhere.Going to an authentic restaurant can be a one of a kind experience and there are probably quite a few locations near where you live ranging from Mexican to Vietnamese to Ethiopian and so on.Once you find one that you might like, give it a try. You might actually find that you prefer the taste of authentic Mexican fajitas barbacoa to that Doritos Locos Taco anyway.2. Try New RecipesAttempt to make new ethnic recipes that youve never heard of before. Youre most likely already familiar with foreign dishes such as lasagna, quesadillas, sushi and chow mein, but try to think outside the box and explore new delicious creations.Not only will doing so help you become exposed to new words and different cultures, but youll also probably find some tasty favorites to add to your rolodex of recipes. Many ethnic recipes are also diet-friendly, so you cant go wrong with serving these to a variety of people who have different needs and tastes.Here are a few cool new reci pes to get you started:Spanish:  Chorizo con Papas (Mexican Sausages with Potatoes) â€" A traditional Mexican dinner entree thats simple and quick yet also bursting with flavor.French:  Soupe au Pistou (Provencal Vegetable Soup) â€" Many people are familiar with some French soups like French Onion Soup and Bisque. However, most have never heard of this deliciously hearty vegetable soup.German:  Rote Grutze (Red Grits) â€" Even though the meaning of Rote Grutze translates to “red grits,” grits are actually not used in most modern recipes anymore due to how they made the dish grainy and heavy. Now Rote Grutze is more like a berry compote pudding that goes great with yogurt, cottage cheese or homemade vanilla sauce.Chinese:  Mayi Shang Shu (Ants Climbing a Tree) â€" This is a spicy Szechuan pork and noodle dish that gets its name from its appearance (the pieces of pork cling to the noodles like how ants would cling to a tree branch).Japanese:  Dorayaki â€" (Japanese Pancakes with R ed Bean Paste Filling) This is a sweet Japanese treat that can be eaten for breakfast or for dessert. Usually the filling is red bean paste, but there are many other variations such as white bean paste, jelly, chocolate spread and more.After you find a few new recipes that you like, get into the habit of pronouncing them like the natives do. There are several online tools that help you with foreign word pronunciation like Forvo. Then try converting the entire recipe into your native language and work on reading the foreign language recipe repeatedly for extra practice.Want to follow along with a cooking show? Head  on over to  FluentU.  FluentU takes real-world videosâ€"including cooking shows, food documentaries, movie trailers and music videosâ€"and turns them into language lessons you can use in everyday life.For example, you can learn how to make cookies con chips de chocolate (chocolate chip cookies) and  huevos rellenos  (deviled eggs) in Spanish or how to make authentic  made leines  in French.  Go ahead and take a look. It’s only one click  away!Having someone read the recipe aloud and explain things step-by-step can be a great way to improve your listening comprehension.  Plus, FluentU provides downloadable transcripts, active learning tools and interactive captions in English  and  your target language.The active learning tools are probably the best part. Multimedia flashcards and vocabulary lists will be made from the new vocabulary and grammar you encounter while watching your chosen videos, so you can use these tools to practice and reinforce what youve been learning just by listening, watching and cooking!Start using FluentU on the website  with your computer or tablet  or, better yet,  download the FluentU app from  the  iTunes  or  Google Play  store.You can find plenty of other text-based recipes from around the world easily with a quick online search. A good website to find other dishes from around the world is www.foodbycountry.com.3. Eat F oods That Help You Retain InformationWhen looking for new recipes to try, see if you can incorporate certain brain-boosting foods into your dishes to help you focus and memorize material better. Foods like fish, onions, berries, apples, spinach and nuts can all help with brain function which can, in turn, boost your language retention.Most of these foods are eaten by people everywhere, so finding recipes with a couple of these ingredients already included shouldnt be too hard at all.Even if some of your favorite recipes don’t include some of the items, experiment a little and you may be surprised with the end results.You can read more about the relationship between foods and brain retention here.4. Create Food Note Cards (Especially When Traveling)Creating note cards really comes in handy when traveling to foreign countries and finding new places to visitâ€"especially when nobody knows your native language and youre still working on boosting your foreign language communication ski lls.Before going to a foreign restaurant for the first time, try making note cards with simple phrases that youll show the restaurant workers in order to give them an idea on how to best serve you.For those that have food sensitivities or dietary restrictions, this would definitely be useful as you can effectively communicate your needs through writing.For example, say youre visiting a restaurant in France and youre a vegetarian. You could write down a French phrase such as this:Bonjour, je suis un végétarien qui signifie que je ne peux pas manger des produits contenant de la viande. Cela inclut poulet, bÅ"uf, porc, veau et le poisson. Merci. This sentence translates to:“Hello, I am a vegetarian which means that I can’t eat any products containing meat. This includes chicken, beef, pork, veal and fish. Thank you.”Show this to whoever is serving you so they can better accommodate you during your time there.Word to the wise:  If you have severe allergies to foods, make sure yo u write down the names of these foods in the foreign language. Keep a look out for these words on menus. Don’t forget to let the server know that you absolutely cannot consume it.Even if you don’t have any dietary restrictions, common phrases such as “where is the restroom?” or “check, please” are still very useful to write down on a note card to keep with you while out and about.After youve used the note cards long enough, try to practice using those phrases without the note cards. Pay attention to how people interact with you so that you can get into the habit of conversing with them. With time, youll be able to effectively talk to natives without the cards.5. Play the Food Matching GameEveryone knows that playing games to learn languages is as effective as it is awesome. Here’s a fun and simple game you can play any time you want that doesnt require any apps or things like that. All you need is a bunch of sticky notes.Food Matching GameHow to Play:  Take foods that you already have in your home and try to match them up with the word in the language that youre trying to learn.For example, say that youre trying to learn Japanese and you have strawberries, milk, bread, carrots and chicken in your kitchen. You can make sticky notes with the Japanese vocabulary and try to correctly place them on corresponding objects within a certain amount of time.In this case:strawberry          ichigo             ??? milk                    gyuunyuu      ??? bread                  pan                 ?? carrots                ninjin               ?? chicken              tori-niku         ???This is a great interactive activity for you to use to increase your vocabulary and it doesnt take a lot of time to prepare at all.What’s also so wonderful about this game is that you dont have to stick to just the subject of foods (although food is an easy and fun starting point).Once youve got food and food-rela ted words down, trying using the same method to learn about other items around your home. Remember to pace yourself and stick to simple categories like food, clothes, appliances, furniture, colors and so on.Learning a language can be hard. However, it can also be really enjoyable and pain-free if you apply some of these concepts along with a few other tips found on this website.Since everyone eats, starting out with food is a nice stepping stone to  learning more complicated foreign words and sentences until you feel comfortable enough to branch out and learn other topics.These strategies will be great to implement with friends or family, but theyll work even if you want to learn another language all by yourself.Good luck on your journey to learning a new language!