Efforts underway to start porridge café in Kristiansand

Porridge with flavours from around the world simmer in pots. Together with immigrant women, students in the food and health programme at UiA learn about porridge culture from a number of different countries. The plan is to open a café, to the delight of porridge lovers.

“I am really passionate about the subject and have a great desire to teach food and health in schools. One of the reasons for that is that there is too little expertise in the subject today. This is about a lot  more than just enjoying cooking.”

This is what student Thea Bekken (31) says as she stirs the simmering pot. She is a qualified teacher and is furthering her education with a master’s degree in food and health at UiA.

Together with Khava Busultanova (38), who is a trainee from the Norwegian Labour and Welfare Administration (NAV), they make an untraditional Chechen polenta. Bekken makes the porridge from scratch while Busultanova chops up mushrooms, onions and basil for the piping hot dish.

“It’s great to meet new people and learn from each other. My polenta is actually more like Norwegian rice porridge, but this looks very good,” says Chechen Khava Busultanova.

Smiles and laughter fill the room when Khava Busultanova (left) and UiA student Thea Bekken cook porridge together. They make a Chechen polenta porridge. Busultanova chops up mushrooms and onions while Bekken garnishes the porridge with fresh basil. Credit: Damares Stenbakk

This is all an interdisciplinary project between UiA and NAV Kristiansand, which is called ‘kvinner rundt grauten’ (women around the porridge).

•  The project will bridge the gap between academia and the field of practice.
• The master’s degree programme in food and health at UiA will challenge the students to develop different types of porridge.
•  They do this together with immigrant women, who are participants in ‘Jobbsjansen’, a job opportunity scheme from NAV Kristiansand. The dishes represent their culture and tradition.
•  The long term aim is for the women to establish their own café in the centre of Kristiansand. The plan is to have a porridge place with flavours ranging from Eastern Europe to Asia. Here, the women will receive training and learn how to run a business and will be given the opportunity to get a vocational certificate.

Contributing to inclusivity in the Norwegian job market

“It is exciting to be with the students and to get new input and learn recipes from other countries during the project. The students learn something from us, and we learn something from them. I’m here via NAV on an apprenticeship, it is good job training,” says Busultanova, who has lived in Norway for 15 years.

For the women, cooking together with the students is a step towards entering the Norwegian job market.

“My experience is that food is more than just food. It is also mental health. And sitting together and sharing experiences is important for integration. That’s why I thought collaborating with UiA was good, since you have such dedicated students,” says a satisfied Jørn Kildedal.

He is project manager for ‘Jobbsjansen’ in NAV Kristiansand, which supports getting immigrant women into employment. He was inspired by a successful project in Denmark with the same theme as ‘women around the porridge’.

“We see that through a project like this, the women get language practice, a skills certificate and a job. The project first started in Copenhagen and today has 17 cafés in Denmark where you can get porridge with various toppings for a fixed price.”

Vigdis Guttormsen is associate professor at UiA and Jørn Kildedal is project manager at NAV Kristiansand. They believe that the collaboration between students and immigrant women provides valuable experience for both parties. Credit: Damares Stenbakk

Wants better expertise in schools

As part of the programme, the students get valuable recipes, gain intercultural experience through interaction and learn social entrepreneurship.

“The students gain first-hand knowledge when talking with the women in the project. They achieve a greater learning outcome when they use theory in practice through collaboration,” says Vigdis Guttormsen, associate professor at UiA’s Department of Nutrition and Public Health.

According to master’s student Thea Bekken, she can already see how valuable the subject will be when teaching children and young people:

“Job postings for teaching Norwegian, Maths and English are often seen, while practical and aesthetic subjects such as food and health are not seen as equally important. This is a subject where people can flourish, especially pupils who don’t normally get to show their skills in a classroom setting,” she says.

Master’s student Thea Bekken (31) furthers her education in food and health at UiA. Credit: Damares Stenbakk

As a qualified teacher with a passion for food, Bekken wishes there was more expertise in food and health in schools.

There are skill requirements but 40 per cent of secondary school teachers do not have the expertise to teach about food and health. The situation is even worse in primary schools, where 78 per cent lack the required skills. You can see the statistics here (Norwegian only).

“With skills, the teaching becomes so much better. Some children may not be able to read or understand that ‘Tbsp’ is short for ‘tablespoon’ when they read a recipe. Many people think that children learn about food at home, but not everyone does. I’ve had pupils who could neither slice cheese nor bread,” Bekken says.

Preparing for the food culture of the future

Although food and health is the smallest subject in primary school, Associate Professor Vigdis Guttormsen believes that it is an important subject that equips children and young people for a sustainable future.

“It’s about children and young people taking care of their own lives, becoming familiar with the identity and food culture of others, and making good food choices.”

- Why should more student teachers further their education and take this master’s course?

“Schools need teachers with practical and aesthetic skills. I think the diversity in schools will be even greater if more people also have higher education in practical subjects. Public health, life skills and sustainable development are all important topics for children to learn more about,” says Guttormsen.