December 12th · Cultural Insight
Gingerbread House Day
Gingerbread House Day, celebrated on the 12th of December, honours a baking tradition popularised in Germany by the Brothers Grimm tale of Hansel and Gretel. The day highlights culinary architecture and the evolution of festive food traditions.
SPEAKING LESSONB1 / B2Discussion · Vocabulary · Activities
Speaking Discussion
- Is candy a form of art or a tool of the sugar industry?
- Why do we associate coziness with winter and suffering with summer?
- Should we ban sugar-heavy traditions to fight the obesity crisis?
- If you could build a real house out of any food, what would it be?
- Is a fairy tale a map for life or a lie we tell children to hide the truth?
Activity 1: The Gingerbread Architect
The Task: You are competing in the world gingerbread championship. You must design a gingerbread skyscraper. You have 3 minutes to pitch your structural integrity (using icing as glue) to the judging panel. How do you make it iconic and delicious?
Activity 2: Rapid Fire Debate
Justify in 30 seconds: 1. 'Art should be eaten, not kept in a museum.' 2. 'Sugar is the 'Cocaine' of the food industry and should be regulated like a drug.' 3. 'Traditions are just peer pressure from dead people.'