Bread is the most basic form of sustenance for people around the world. In many traditions, it holds celebratory, religious, or symbolic qualities. But at the end of the day bread is personal to everyone in some way.
Humble Bread is a new interactive experience that brings participants together to make different varieties bread with people who are different from themselves.
In a small, rustic kitchen, three professional bread makers will take turns teaching the participants a different technique for baking bread. But this isn’t your traditional white bread—leaders will be making breads from around the world including challah (Jewish), naan (Indian), fry bread (Native American), or other varieties depending on the day. The goal of this exercise is to open participants’ eyes to the bread making process and the realization that, while preparations may differ slightly, bread is essentially made of all the same ingredients.
Further, the bread makers will not just there to simply lead participants through a bread recipe. As the participants measure, stir, and knead, the bread makers will lead people through a discussion on the origins of the bread and the different meanings it holds for different people or groups. The bread makers will share their own stories and encourage participants to do the same. The sharing of stories is intended to illuminate the similarities and differences between the participants. As the participants wait for the bread to bake (and become hungrier), they will become aware of how much effort and care goes into this most basic food that they generally take for granted.
Finally, the participants and will eat the bread together—something they made collectively and can enjoy collectively. This class is intended to use a foundational human desire—food—as a window into the interconnectedness of cultures around the world.
