Spoons, forks, sporks and dorks.
The mother of a seven-year-old boy who was punished at a Roxboro school for his eating habits, which are customary in the Philippines, is seeking a public apology from the administrator for his comments.
Over the last couple of months, Luc Cagadoc says he was moved to an empty table about 10 times by École Lalande’s lunchtime day-care monitor for his table etiquette. The caregiver also called him “disgusting,” he says.
The Roxboro resident, whose parents originate from the Philippines, says he was disciplined for using a fork to push his food onto a spoon before bringing both utensils to his mouth — a manner used widely in the South Pacific nation.
Note: I think they made a mistake, as we (filipinos I know at least) do not put “both” utensils in our mouth. Just the spoon.
When Cagadoc’s mother phoned the Roxboro school to inquire about the punishments, she was shocked by principal Normand Bergeron’s response.
“He said, ‘Madame, you are in Canada. Here in Canada you should eat the way Canadians eat,’” Maria Theresa Gallardo said. She claims Bergeron said her son eats like a “pig.”
But Bergeron told The Chronicle last week that Cagadoc sometimes acts up during the lunch hour and has been known to make a mess at the table. He says the school moves children to sit by themselves when they are misbehaving and it has nothing to do with Cagadoc’s background.
Read more here at the Chronicle.
Wow. I ALWAYS thought eating with a fork and knife was weird but I learnt it anyway. Same with chopsticks, which I use when I eat sushi or chinese food. Sure, when in Rome, do as Romans do but have a little cultural senstivity!
A quick sidenote as to why spoons and forks are used rather than knives and forks. A lot of the types of food that is eaten in the Philippines are stew based dishes with rice. It is really difficult to eat soupy rice with just a fork and the knife is basically useless. The meats or veggies in the stews are pretty soft and so the spoon is enough double up as a knife. Hence, the usage of spoons and forks.
This issue had me confused for a while, because in one way, the child could have misunderstood the whole issue when he told his mother and if he did, it definitely does not excuse the way the Principal reacted. And if there was an issue of behaviour problems, why wasn’t the mother informed sooner? The child had been attending that school since he was in preschool. I don’t get it. Either way, I find it hilarious especially that the mother filed a Human Rights suit and how everyone (especially in the Philippines) are jumping up in arms. And the Principal must live in a hole, if he thinks everyone in the world eats with a knife and fork and should do so just because it’s HIS norm. The boy is only SEVEN years old!
Again, as a teacher, I do find it odd that the mother was never informed of her sons discipline problems. (Going off topic slightly,) I have been a substitute teacher since graduating from Grad school in December. It’s been really slow the last three weeks, which has been frustrating because I do need the work. On the other hand, it’s been great because of all the free time I have to knit and do the random fun stuff I enjoy.
I’ve been playing around with the Drop Spindle kit a little bit, I baked some yummy Alternative Macaroni and Cheese and Carrot cake…(from an Ayurvedic cookbook)…and knitting, of course. The carrot cake was amazing! It wasn’t greasy at the least, but it was rich and tasty. I liked how I didn’t use milk or eggs in the cake, and it still tasted wonderful. The cake wasn’t vegan but it was alot healthier. The photos do not do it justice. The cake was yummy even though my brothers said it was weird. No! You guys are weird. So there’s carrots in a cake…it’s good for your eyes, dorks! At least my mum liked it, and so did my boyfriend.
I cast on for the Fitted Tank in Blue Sky Cotton a few days ago. I love working with this fiber. It’s really soft and very luscious. It’s the first time I’m knitting with cotton so I wasn’t sure what to expect. It’s not as stretchy as wool but it was just as soft. I can’t wait to wear it. Blue Skys Alpacas are definitely a luxury yarn…I cannot wait to knit with more of their stuff.
My Jaywalkers aren’t really progressing as fast as I’d like but it’s going. I had to sub for a Grade 8 Science class on Friday. It was pretty much like babysitting. No wonder I enjoy subbing for the primary grades…alot more fun and interesting. The plan left behind by the teacher was basic, read and answer questions. All I had to do was sit there. I got really bored, and decided to pull out my jaywalker sock knitting. I know, it’s horrible to hear…but I was SOOOO BORED, it was a Friday, and the lesson plan didn’t involve me in the least bit. I heard one of the kids say “She’s knitting.” And the girl sitting next to him retorted, “So what? Let her knit.” So, I knit but only got to about 10 rows or so.
Here’s what I’ve got so far. It’s been slow going.
