Are your seatbelts still fastened? Are you still with us? Have you learned anything new so far on your culinary adventures with Let’s Dish!? Speaking of learning something new, here is a great way to get the whole family on board and involved on this little adventure we are taking…

Pick one night each week (”say Tuesdays”) for “Geography” Dinner. This will be a great way to teach your family - and maybe even yourself - a few new things.

To prepare for your dinner, pick a country or a culture for the week (take turns letting different family members pick the country or put a bunch of names in a hat, and draw one out each week).

Next, give everyone a “task” that must be completed by the next Tuesday and be ready to discuss at the table:

1. Have one member be responsible for the “map” - showing everyone where the country is located. Use an atlas, get on the internet, buy some of the laminated world placemats so they can use it to show where the country is.
2. Have a member of the family be responsible for drawing, coloring, cutting out the flag from that country so that it can be hung during this dinner. If they are a little older, they can discuss the colors or reason behind the creation of the flag for that country (ie the stars represent the states and the stripes the 13 original colonies).
3. Are there any fun “utensils” for eating in this country - chopsticks, wide spoons, your hands….be authentic, let one of the family members learn a little about the eating habits from this country.
4. Download the National Anthem from the country or some famous musicians songs that reflect the culture. Opera for Italy would be great. Have a family member find out about other famous people from this country.
5. Have a family member learn a little about the current government structure of the country. Is it a monarchy? A dictatorship? A socialist government?
6. Have a family member look into what the national “landmarks” are for this country such as Buckingham Palace or Stonehenge, the Pyramids in Egpyt….
7. Do you have a sport fanatic in your home? Have that member of the family be responsible for learning about the sports played in this particular country.
8. Most important…food. Dinner that night should reflect the country be it the main course (It’s easy if you have dishes from the Let’s Dish! menu in your freezer: Basil Chicken and Potatoes for Thailand, Jerk Chicken for Jamaica, Asian BBQ Pork Wraps for China, Country French Flank Steak for France…you get the idea. Or a special dessert, profiteroles for France, sticky toffee pudding for Ireland (BTW the new Haagen Daas Sticky Toffee Pudding Ice Cream is amazing). It is fun and easy to make something from your country on hand. Everyone get take part in this from helping to decide what to cook to the actual making of the meal.

OK, it’s time for take off again. I can’t wait to hear what your family comes up with! I am always looking for new things to add to this game of ours. Send me postcards…

RELATED POSTS:
> Around the world in 17 dishes
> How to introduce new foods to children