All posts filed under: Fun

What my baby thinks about eating the world

We began cooking the world with Afghanistan, when my daughter was 7-months old. We completed the final country, Zimbabwe, when she was 4 1/2. Now she’s 6 1/2 and we continue to try new foods weekly. Below is a unique look into my daughter’s perspective about our Global Table Adventure – as I like to imagine it. This first installment is her perspective in the first six months of the adventure, from 7-13 months old.  Who says you need teeth to eat the world? I’m only seven months old but mom tells me we’re going to eat a meal from every country in the world. That’s more than 195 countries! It’s hard to imagine – especially since I just ate my first foods last month and I don’t have any teeth. Mama talked to my pediatrician (as you should before giving your baby any new foods) and learned all about Baby Led Weaning.  Turns out I’m not destined to months of jarred baby food! Instead, I can gum my way through softer bits of age-appropriate …

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How schools can use Thanksgiving to celebrate diversity

Your school can honor Thanksgiving in a thoughtful way. Modern Thanksgiving celebrations typically mean an overload of turkey and one too many slices of pumpkin pie. Schools often add their own Thanksgiving feasts to the mix, giving our children a double whammy. Unless you love, love, love turkey, you’re likely to have a bit of Thanksgiving fatigue before the weekend is over. We’re doing things differently at my daughter’s school. A little background: Our country is made up Native Americans and immigrants from every corner of the world. Thanksgiving is a time to celebrate how we’ve come together as a nation, but it’s also the perfect opportunity to honor where each of us comes from. As our country becomes more blended, it is important to recognize how our unique cultures add to the spirit of the whole. The Challenge As a way to celebrate your multicultural community, invite parents to contribute a dish to a school Thanksgiving potluck from their ancestors’ country (or countries) of origin. Here’s a sample letter that can be sent home in children’s folders or via email, accompanied by …

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A Very British “Mary Poppins” Birthday Party

Why stay home for your child’s birthday party when you can “journey” to 17 Cherry Tree Lane with a very magical Mary Poppins Tea Party? I began reading Mary Poppins to my daughter earlier this year and we soon found ourselves delighted by the adventures. It wasn’t long before Ava asked me if she could have a Mary Poppins themed birthday party. The more we read of the 1024 page story, the more ideas we got. Here are the highlights of my daughter’s Mary Poppins Birthday party. Set the Tone with Floating Invitations Mary Poppins is associated with unexpected, magical adventures. To set the tone, I made “floating” invitations a few weeks before the party. Make it a Costume Party Everyone loves an excuse to dress up! We invited Ava’s friends to wear a costume inspired by the movie, book, or tea parties in general. They did not disappoint! There were several Chimney Sweeps… An adorable Bert in red stripes… And, as is to be expected, several Mary Poppins! We assembled Ava’s costumes from items found at second hand shops, …

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Imagination born from a Kenyan Storytelling Chandelier

The stories we share during mealtimes nourish us as much as the food we eat. But sometimes we need a little jump start to get conversation flowing. Kenyans use banana leaves to create artwork that not only evoke ancient folk tales but that inspire the telling of new stories. I found our Kenyan storytelling chandelier at a garden festival called Springfest here in Tulsa. My daughter and I almost breezed right past the booth. The rain had just started coming down in earnest: Ava was dancing in puddles with a friend and I was hunkered beneath my umbrella, feeling grumbly about my wet socks. But then those dancing figures caught my eye. Turns out the chandelier was made by a group of women in Kenya. Proceeds of our sale went back to helping their village. The vendor told me there was a story behind each figure and when I asked her what they were, she coyly responded that it was up to us to tell it. While most might use this sort of art over …

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Eat a country, build a country

Cooking a meal from Nauru, way out in Oceania? What about creating the island nation of Nauru as a supplemental learning project? This interactive sand box is a phenomenal learning tool that utilizes Xbox technology and sand to build topographic models on the fly. As kids push sand around, mountains and rivers are formed. You can even make it “rain” by holding your hand over the land – the rainwater flows realistically down hillsides. Here are some kids playing with it and… … Here’s more of an explanation of how it works. I did some digging and found the directions for how to make the interactive sand box are available to anyone with a bit of coding know-how thanks to the developer, Oliver Kreylos (@okreylos) – a faculty member and self-proclaimed holodeck builder at the University of California Davis. Cool. For those who are serious about bringing this project to their home, school, or local children’s museum: a few resources are available here and here. At the time of writing this article, Oliver Kreylosr’s opensource code page was down (a side …

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The latest Viral song is for hummus lovers. Seriously.

Take one part hummus obsession and one part pop sensation – and this video by comedian Remy Munasifi (a.k.a. Go Remy) is the result. I laughed. I fell in love. And then I began rummaging around in my kitchen for hummus ingredients. Thankfully I had what I needed – and I was able to whip up the Lemon Garlic Hummus I made when my family tried Israel. Here’s to all things hummus! (And for those of you that think a video all about hummus will be a welcome break from pumpkin pie? Forget it. Watch the video and you’ll see how even pumpkin pie can “go” with hummus.) P.S. Big thanks to reader Viola S. for sharing this gem with me! So. Much. Fun. P.P.S. Here’s hoping you had an awesome Thanksgiving!

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The 7 Creepiest Kitchens in the World

The kitchen should be the heart of every home, filled with happy memories… but these kitchens are chilling reminders of historical disasters, spine-chilling authors, and the cruelest politicians who ever lived.   Edgar Allan Poe (USA) This kitchen might seem quaint, but this iron stove fed the creativity of one of the world’s best mystery writers – Edgar Allan Poe. He lived in this cottage during the last few years of his life in the late 19th century, along with his wife, mother-in-law, cat, and birds: … Poe’s mother-in-law Maria Clemm prepared the family’s meals. Mary Gove Nichols recounted of this room, “The floor of the kitchen was white as wheaten flour. A table, a chair, and a little stove that it contained, seemed to furnish it perfectly.” Poe Museum. If you don’t remember the man, perhaps you’ll remember the famous opening to his poem The Raven: Once upon a midnight dreary, while I pondered, weak and weary, Over many a quaint and curious volume of forgotten lore, While I nodded, nearly napping, suddenly there came a tapping, As of some one gently …

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17 Halloween Costumes Made from the World’s Most Iconic Foods

This Halloween go international: spin the globe and dress up as an iconic food from whatever country strikes your fancy! To get you started, here are 16 adorable costumes representing famous foods from all over the world.  Escargot (FRANCE)  Oohh la la! A bit of newsprint and foam balls and you’ve got the most adorable snail costume. Learn how to make the costume at Oh Happy Day. On snails: While the French are best known for their love of snails, the snail has a long (and slimy) history. Archaeologists have found snail shells from prehistoric times. The Roman Philosopher Pliny the Elder considered escargot an elite food for the Romans. There is also a recipe for snails in the oldest surviving cookbook written by Marcus Gavius Apicius, a Roman ‘foodie’ from the 1st century. Sushi & Sashimi (JAPAN) This little sashimi eating sushi is way too cute. Find the costume on The Wishing Elephant, then try making our Futomaki recipe (a.k.a. Veggie Sushi) – it’s super fun! On Sushi: Sushi is a Japanese dish originally developed as a fermentation process for …

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13 funny kids from all over the world, plus the food they eat.

In honor of Mother’s Day here are 13 children from all over the world with some of the cutest (and straight up giggle-worthy) expressions I’ve seen around. Along with each child’s photo you will discover a few of their country’s favorite recipes. If these munchkins inspire you to take a taste of something new, excellent! Simply follow the recipe links below to get cookin’!   1. INDIA   “And then he said… What!?”   Children in India love an ice cold kulfi pop on a hot summer’s day. And spinach with homemade cheese (saag panir) is a fun and healthy meal for lunch or dinner! Celebrate Mother’s Day with a recipe from India.     2. IRAN   “No, you can’t have my ice cream.”   Children in Iran love kebabs (on ‘swords’!), Persian sour cherry rice, and cucumber salad topped with sumac – the bold spices will surprise (and delight!) you. Celebrate Mother’s Day with a recipe from Iran.     3. PAKISTAN   “But mom… who’s that photobombing behind us?”   Kids in Pakistan clamor for …

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The Global Table Experience

Would you like to be a part of something exciting? Something that’s never before been done? On October 12, 2013, I’ll be working with my community to try and put a dish from every country in the world on a 200 foot-long string of tables at the Philbrook Museum of Art. We’re calling it The Global Table Experience. It’s a peace statement; a way to say What if the entire world really could sit together around a single table in peace and harmony? The entire event is free and open to the public (yum!); if you can join us in person, we’d love to see your smiling face! Bring a can of food to benefit the Oklahoma Food Bank. But… guess what? Even if you can’t make it to Tulsa, you’re still invited. Here’s how YOU can join the Adventure: [dropshadowbox align=”none” effect=”lifted-both” width=”600px” height=”” background_color=”#ffffff” border_width=”1″ border_color=”#dddddd” ] 1. Pick a recipe from somewhere in the world to try. Try to choose something you’ve never had, possibly from a country you’ve never heard of.  We …

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12 Romantic Recipes from Around the World, Just in time for Valentine’s Day

Valentine’s Day is almost here, and there’s no better way to show love than to bump hips in the kitchen, or, at the very least, to deliver an edible prize to the champion who stole your heart.  While you’re at it, why not take your love on a mini vacation, via stovetop travel? Without leaving your own global table, they can experience Egypt, Belgium, Morocco, Malawi, and beyond. And you can go with them, in the most sensual way possible: with your taste buds. It’s all here, for the ravishing, so go on, eat your way around the world.   PART ONE: 5 Unique Ways to Give Your Sweetheart Flowers   1. Egyptian White “Coffee” Mix hot water with rose water, made from thousands (millions!) of rose petals and  a little sugar, and you’ll have a caffeine-free way to warm up next to your sweetheart.  A great drink for late night cuddling, since it won’t keep you up past your bedtime. Unless you want to stay up past you bedtime. 2. Moroccan Honey Buttered Semolina …

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11 Global Gifts for Your Very Global Black Friday

While I am a stuff-my-face-with-turkey-and-gratitude kind of gal, I’m decidedly not a get-up-at-three-am-to-go-shopping kind of gal. Still, I love the satisfaction of finding just the right gift for just the right person. After all, what’s better than a moment like this, when you open up an entire world with a simple book … … or when you can practically smell the flowers of the world when you turn the page… … or when you get lost in a dream of snuggling in a hammock bed… … yes, just the right gift is worth a little looking. But can we just do it after breakfast, please? Or maybe next week? Thanks. YOUR  VERY GLOBAL GIFT GUIDE (Click the titles for more information)  Welcome to my list of globally inspired holiday gifts. It’s a hodge-podge of items, with a heavy emphasis on gifts for the very young child. Because, let’s face it, that’s my life right now. P.S. See if your local shops carry these items. You might be surprised.   1. COMAL GRIDDLE I purchased a carbon steel comal griddle at my …

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