A current issue that citizens face is knowing the difference between cultural appropriation and cultural appreciation. Cultural appropriation is when people use a significant element or object in a specific culture in a disrespectful way, ignoring its true meaning. In order to stop cultural appropriation, people should appreciate other cultures by learning the meanings of these significant objects or elements.This process is known as cultural appreciation. Food and games play a large role in other people’s cultures, so a good first step to appreciating other cultures is understanding what they eat and do for fun! With this little bit of knowledge, you can show your friends that you appreciate their culture for what it is.

Food:

– Hong Kong: French Toast

A classic comfort food in Hong Kong: take your normal French toast and load it with everything that is bad for you. Typically, this delicious breakfast is made with two pieces of toast filled with peanut butter or jelly, soaked in egg batter, then dunked into some hot oil. Essentially, this is the fair food version of the French toast! 

– United States: Poke

Poke (pronounced poh-KAY) originates from Hawaii and is typically made up of cube-like pieces of salmon or tuna. Poke was created by local fishermen that made use of the cut-offs from their catches. Poke can be eaten with an assortment of toppings such as rice, edamame, cucumber, and much more. It is all up to you! 

– Venezuela: Arepas

Arepas have a long history in Venezuela dating back as far as 100 years! They are essentially patties of cornmeal that can be grilled, fried, or baked. What makes arepas so enjoyable is that they’re crunchy on the outside but soft inside.

– South Africa: Bunny Chow

Bunny chow originated from Durban, which is South Africa’s third largest city. It is similar to bread-bowl pasta, except that the pasta is replaced with curry. Despite the name, the dish does not contain any bunnies!

– South Korea: Tteokbokki

Tteokbokki is a classic street food staple in South Korea, composed of cylindrical rice cakes, sweet and spicy chili sauce, and oftentimes fish cakes or instant ramen noodles. This dish is often eaten with other fried foods. 

– Japan: Shabu Shabu

Shabu Shabu is Japanese hot pot. Shabu Shabu is made with a broth named kombu dashi and an assortment of meats that can be added. You can add other ingredients such as tofu and a variety of vegetables. Then dip your meat and other ingredients with sesame oil or ponzu sauce.

Games:

– South Korea: Cham, Cham, Cham

This game is quite popular in Korean variety shows. It requires nothing but your head and hands! One player shouts “Cham, Cham, Cham” and turns their hand left, right, up, or down. Once a person turns their hand in the direction of their opponent’s hand, they have lost. This is a quick, fun game to play when bored. 

– Chile: Corre, Corre la Guaraca

To play this game, four or more players form a circle and sit down while another player begins to jog around the circle holding a handkerchief. Everyone in the circle begins to sing, “Corre, Corre, la Guaraca who looks back will be bopped on his head.” The player with the handkerchief will try to drop the handkerchief on someone without them noticing. If the player doesn’t notice and the runner runs the full circle, the runner wins. If the player notices and tags the runner, then the tagger wins. This game is very similar to duck, duck, goose!

– Sri Lanka: Kabaddi

Kabaddi, a popular South Asian game, is played with two teams of seven. One person plays offense, trying to tag as many opponents in their territory as possible while they shout “Kabaddi, Kabaddi, Kabaddi” until they are out of breath. But once the tagger steps into their opponents’ territory, he or she must avoid being tackled or tagged by the opposing team. So the tagger must also focus on getting in and out of the opposing team’s territory safely while trying to tag their opponents.

– United States: Dodgeball

A summer camp classic, this game consists of two teams that want to eliminate their opponents by hitting them with a ball below the face. The game ends when one team is completely eliminated. If an opponent catches the ball you’ve thrown, you’re out. This game is always fun to play with large groups of people!