Recipes for Reminiscence

Book excerpt: This book, written by the author of The Activity and Reminiscence Yearbook, is all about exploring our very close relationship with food and its preparation. Because food plays such an important and pleasurable part in our lives it triggers many memories. Linking the activities and reminiscence ideas here with recipes will further enhance the recollection and allow us to re-experience the tastes of the past. Each chapter includes 'old' recipes for foods and drinks throughout the year and across the decades, and around these have been woven activities, quizzes and reminiscence material including changes over the years with respect to the food itself, kitchens, cooking, utensils, cookers, food styles, food fads in different decades, TV cooks, school meals, 'making do', snacks and so on. There are multiple recipes for each week of the year paired to a reminiscence theme and an activity, presented in a weekly format that activity organisers prefer. Many of the ideas and activities can be undertaken either on a one-to-one basis or as part of a group activity schedule. Group experiences tend to enhance the pleasure and allow for more discussion and sharing of memories, as well as acting as a social get-together. You can use it as a weekly schedule or just dip in and out of it at will. The book includes: weekly recipes; reminiscence principles; and activities and information for weeks 1 to 52. It is a must-have book which shows how food can be used successfully as a vehicle for social inclusion and normalisation in institutional settings.