Fun foods
Last week we went to a musical dance show for children. The venue had various food stalls that served fast foods like hot dogs, burgers, pizzas, fairy floss, and the like. None of it was going to be very healthy or of the quality we normally eat. Lachlan said that since we are here, and these are our choices, we might as well have some fun food. Which made me ask: what is fun food?
For Lachlan, the smell of hot dogs reminded him of going to the Ballarat Show every year as a kid or to a school fundraising day. He doesn't particularly like hot dogs. We don't make them at home (we plan to next week), or buy them out, but that smell triggered nostalgia. Especially at an event intended for kids like the events it reminded him of.
I've been pondering this all week and trying to define what fun food is. I have seen experts in kids' foods advocating their versions of fun foods for example cutout shapes (like stars) from cheese or fruits, making funny faces from the food served on the plate, chocolate 'dirt' cups with gummy snakes, making foods from all the colours of the rainbow, or anything unicorn really. Most of the online examples I found were of sweets or some kind of dessert. This made me think: if all the fun foods are sweets, what message does it send regarding other types of foods?
Last night we made a warm broccoli salad. It was supposed to have spicy sausage in it, but instead we used mini sausages, and added cherry tomatoes and grated parmesan cheese. Lachlan called it a fun food.
Earlier today for lunch we made pizza rolls. I was trying to find a reference for the idea on social media but failed to find the original. Basically, take a bread roll, slice it eight ways, stuff it with tomato sauce, cheese, and sliced meat of your choice, and then bake it on the oven to get the melty goodness. In our version, I used slow-roasted cherry tomatoes from a couple of days ago for the tomato sauce and freshly baked sourdough bread rolls. We also sprinkled them some grated parmesan and chilli flakes, and served them with chunky cut veggies. We decided this was fun food too.
So how would I define fun foods?
A couple of years ago, M created lady bugs made from cherry tomatoes and basil leaves decorated with dots of balsamic vinegar (an idea from Lunch Lady magazine). It was surprising, unusual, and M could make it herself. I think in the end of the day, if the food amuses us, is different than what we usually expect, adds a smile on our faces, surprises us or gives us joy, then I would call it a fun food.
I also asked a friend and their definition of a fun food was sitting down for a meal and being actively involved in making the food for example hot pot, or Korean BBQ, or Japanese Tepanyaki. So I am interested, what are your fun foods?
Here are this week’s recipe suggestions for you to try:
Warm broccoli salad - aforementioned salad above
Pizza scrolls - actually this account has many fun and creative ideas for school lunch boxes
Rainbow pasta - just amazing to look at
Roasted beetroot salad with oranges and beetroot greens - a favourite as a light summer salad
Our meal plan from last week can be found at: https://foodfamily.app/public/meal_plans/be9d7fa1-2dad-4c30-ade9-adef0dcb0f46
Once again, please let us know if you make any of these recipes, how you found them, what you changed, or just drop us an email to say hi.
Thanks and see you in a couple of weeks,
Elle, Lachlan, M, Ginger, and Edward