My family and I recently attended the Berea Rib Festival. The weather was gorgeous and the event was fun and tasty. I’m so happy that the weather was amazing because it allowed us to enjoy the food and outdoors.
We ate at 2 different rib stands. One of the fun things about trying 2 different places was the family discussion about which restaurant was our favorite and why. We discussed the tenderness of the ribs, sauce, and flavor. This was an unexpected bonus because when we go to restaurants or eat food at home, we don’t usually have deeper discussions about our food. If we do discuss food, it’s normally “Do you like it? Yes or no?” It isn’t the questions of:
- What do you like about it?
- Why did you choose this?
Therefore, it was fun to play food critic at our family table. This experience even gave me an idea of different questions I can ask my children to spark discussion more regularly since food is a big piece of everyone’s daily lives.
I’m also happy that we decided to try one of the local rib stands because we learned about the Blazin Bronco BBQ. The food was so delicious that we look forward to visiting their physical location in Cleveland.
Another part of the event that I liked was the presence of the youth. There was a youth group there helping to keep the event clean. My mom remarked that this was something that impressed her as well, because it’s important to get teens and youth involved in service and positive activities for their growth and development.
I would recommend this event for families to attend next year. The size of the event was large enough to have food variety yet not too big to be overwhelming for children who are too big for a stroller to walk around.
What are your favorite ways to spark discussion with your children?