Food Show, Glorious Food Show
You don’t have to buy us breakfast to wax lyrical about the Food Show, but they did anyway. The Food Show launch breakfast at Hippopotamus was so delicious that it has made me determined that the next time I get to stay overnight in the Museum Hotel, I must do whatever is necessary in order to earn breakfast too.
But back to the Food Show! This year, it’s from May 27–29, at the Cake Tin as per usual. We advise you to take lots of money and wear comfortable shoes, as usual. The hot trend this year seems to be gluten-free food, looking at the product categories, but there’ll also be stacks of dips, ready-to-serve hot stuff, and delicious artisan food as well. Lots of stuff to nom on, heaps and heaps of wine to try, and also, if you’re hooked on TV Chef shows, don’t forget to check out the Wellington Culinary Fare, where competitors race against the clock to complete a range of challenges and win the coveted ‘Chef of the Capital’ title.
Oh, and also the chefs that you watch on TV are going to be there as well. Who’s the celebrity chef we’re most looking forward to seeing? Why, that would be Alison Holst, for retro fun! If you can’t make it to the Food Show to see her — or if you can’t get through the crowds in time, check out this clip of her and son Simon in a 1978 Xmas special (you want Part 2), courtesy of NZ On Screen.
PS: Parents with oversized prams and/or toddling around children who might get trampled, perhaps maybe you could leave the kids at home? It can’t be much fun for the kids in the crowds, they’re not going to be served any wine, and frankly, it’d be better for the rest of us if the kids weren’t under our feet. THERE, I SAID IT! I love the Food Show. Don’t get in my way.
heya Joanna,
Like me, you were once a kid, and your parents may not have had the luxury of leaving you at home. They could be like me, a solo dad, who doesn’t have a partner to help out when I am looking after my daughter (her mother does have her the majority of the time). Babysitters are sometimes plentiful, and sometimes not, depending on who your friends are and what stage of life they’re at.
Depending on their confidence & personality, kids love seeing new things, hearing new sounds, and being around people. It’s good for them mostly. Keeping them babysat at home or just going to “mums & bubs” sessions sometimes isn’t enough to broaden their horizons — even if they totally don’t understand anything that’s going on around them.
A simple cabin cracker will keep a 1 year old happy for a lot longer than you might think while the parent is trying gourmet food.
Kids are pretty important, and while there are some shows that are definitely not kid-friendly, it’s valuable to be able to include them where possible both for recognising that their value and also for their parent(s)’ sanity.
If you find it frustrating that kids are under your feet, then that’s understandable, as kids have no awareness of if they’re in your way — and their parents are sometimes more clueless. I don’t think your frustration at this should be applied as a blanket rule.
Thanks
You know, I don’t think Joanna was complaining about all children at the Food Show, but rather parents who act like they’re at a monster truck derby with their oversized prams (take a carry pack, yo!), and children who are too small to confidently negotiate the crowds.
The Food Show is serious business, especially with the hordes of old ladies going after the hot sausage. It’s a jungle out there.
What Robyn said. I love children, although I (probably) couldn’t eat a whole one.
It’s nice that people have kids and they like to take them places and the kids get a kick out of dribbling cracker crumbs and grabbing people’s trousers as they walk past, but it’s also nice when you’re eating food and the only people dribbling cracker crumbs are adults who are really excited about the gourmet crackers.
i love children at events they can be fun, but take this as an example of why some of us have concerns.
At a fair recent a small child sneezed over my jewellery stall, wiped her nose with her hand then began touching each item of jewellery. All while their responsible parent just stood there talking to friends.
This is not a lone story nor are all kids and parents like this.
Ooer, Hippopotamus! Lucky you.
My experience seems to be that I constantly encounter those particularly wide strollers, which either block the samples plate or clip me in the shins as they pass. However, agree with points raised by all. The passive-aggressive jostling at the stalls can reach moshpit levels, but I do LOVE the Food Show, total highlight of my year (partly because it’s the one time of year I buy halloumi.)
Cheers for the comments and replies, perhaps as suggested Joanna is getting more at the prams (wider ones) in particular — I can see these being a real hassle to manoeuvre around.