Fun Lunch Asia

Every so often at our preschool, thirty young geographers huddle around the world map for a teacher-led discourse on the countries, climate, crops, exports, currencies, languages, and cultures of a particular continent.  The tiny armchair explorers offer keen insights like, "My grandma's been there!"and "The ocean is definitely bluer by Australia". Immediately following the lesson comes the day's pinnacle attraction. Fun Lunch. 

During Fun Lunch the children sample a variety of parent-provided foods and drinks from the continent under investigation.  This week the focus was on Asia and it was our turn to contribute. 


I made a huge batch of chicken fried rice and while the Looly, Bean, and Roo didn't help cook this time around, they did taste my creation along the way, preferring simple soy sauce seasoning and a splash of rice vinegar over the addition of fresh ginger and sesame seed oil. I also omitted the egg so that it would be safe for Roo. 

Two other families rounded out the menu with vada (savory Indian fritters), steamed edamame, mango lassi, and chocolate and green tea mochi for dessert!

With Asia such a diverse and delicious continent, it was tough narrowing down the food choices but it got me thinking. I'm looking forward to hosting some Family Fun Dinners in the near future. I think we'll focus on individual countries, or perhaps even regions.  I love the idea of a brief afternoon geography lesson, followed by cooking together, and gathering around the table to sample our creations.