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It's all part of the same thing. Most families will prefer their own ethnic cuisine, if they are from a specific ethnic group (many families aren't so 'pure' in lineage). "Go-to" doesn't mean "never do anything else." I assume that big gatherings themselves are somewhat traditional and tend to feature the same general food choices.
Also, I don't think pizza is an easy default option these days, with I'd guess 10% of female teens and women vegan. There is vegan pizza, but it's very unlikely someone would order that as part of a family get-together. I didn't want the thread moved over here, because there are many details about it more interesting than the food itself, such as how preferences are formed and how democratic the decisions are.
No idea where you are getting your idea but I doubt very seriously 10% are vegans. There may be that many who are vegetarians. Even that I have my doubts about and I don't know of many or any teens that are vegans. Because it has become somewhat trendy I would guess the biggest group of vegans are in their 30s, certainly not teens. remember I am talking Vegans not vegetarians. There could very well be 10% vegetarians.
I don't have a "go to" ethnic food. It's more like a type of food that I prepare when more than 4 are assembled.
My husband does not enjoy grilling, and we have only three "grill months" where we live. Four is you count the last 2 weeks of May, and the first 2 weeks of September.
So, most of the year is some type of winter. The Impending winter, early winter, The Winter of Our Discontent, Mud Season, The Return of Winter, The Thaw, Mud Season, Little Winter, Fool's Spring, Very early Spring, random warmer day, Blizzard, Florida Vacation, A Mild Week that makes you wonder why you ever left, The Revenge Winter's Return, Real Estate in Florida Season, The Raining, The Pollination, A strangely sunny day, a random rainy day, a chilly day, June, July and The Impending Winter. Repeat.
With this in mind, I look for hearty, hot, one dish meals and a green salad. Bread. A fruit salad, And a Dessert.
It could be chili, a curry, some kind of slow cooker stew, shrimp, rice and broccoli bake, lasagna, stews, or enchiladas.
Another idea is a big pot of slow cooker soup, a hearty one, sandwiches, potato salad or roasted potatoes, and a take our hero, grinder, sub - from a local superb deli.
I do a buffet where people serve themselves.
couldn't rep you again: But what is this with husbands who don't like to grill. I have one also. If he does grill I have to get everything ready, tell him exactly how long to cook the food, do the temp test and let him know if it is finished.
It's all part of the same thing. Most families will prefer their own ethnic cuisine, if they are from a specific ethnic group (many families aren't so 'pure' in lineage). "Go-to" doesn't mean "never do anything else." I assume that big gatherings themselves are somewhat traditional and tend to feature the same general food choices.
Also, I don't think pizza is an easy default option these days, with I'd guess 10% of female teens and women vegan. There is vegan pizza, but it's very unlikely someone would order that as part of a family get-together. I didn't want the thread moved over here, because there are many details about it more interesting than the food itself, such as how preferences are formed and how democratic the decisions are.
Haha, I remember when I was younger saying, "we don't have any ethnicity". I am of Dutch and English heritage, so the food we grew up on was basically meat and potatoes and vegetables, all of it bland and overcooked. Kept us skinny until we grew up and learned what other people ate.
We generally only have one gathering a year when the whole family is there, and that's one of the early weekends in the New Year and is our "Christmas party", because it just doesn't work to get together on Christmas. Everyone brings something but there's no ethnic theme or anything to it.
The closest to an ethnic family gathering I get is that one sister married an African-American man 40 years ago, and now they have an extended family of children and grandchildren. When they have a party, it's mostly traditional soul food, so there's collard greens and ribs and chicken and homemade cornbread and beans and sweet potatoes...and I'm THERE.
My husband does not enjoy grilling, and we have only three "grill months" where we live. Four is you count the last 2 weeks of May, and the first 2 weeks of September.
So, most of the year is some type of winter. The Impending winter, early winter, The Winter of Our Discontent, Mud Season, The Return of Winter, The Thaw, Mud Season, Little Winter, Fool's Spring, Very early Spring, random warmer day, Blizzard, Florida Vacation, A Mild Week that makes you wonder why you ever left, The Revenge Winter's Return, Real Estate in Florida Season, The Raining, The Pollination, A strangely sunny day, a random rainy day, a chilly day, June, July and The Impending Winter. Repeat.
'Grill months'? 'Grill months'?
There is no month that is not a grill month, even here in central ME where the temps can drop as low as -26F and stay sub-zero for weeks. You could almost be describing the climate here, but not quite so cold, and you left out Black Fly season, Vampire Hoard Mosquito season, and Vicious Deer/Horse/Moose Fly season...and last year I had HoneyBee Dive-Bomber season after a swarm took up residence three feet from the grill, and who mistake the floodlight over the grill for the Sun and think it's time to go to work, which certainly makes things interesting when you are ducking and dodging and trying to pick them out when they get stuck in the BBQ sauce. (Note to self: move them off the porch before the weather gets warm enough where they'll come out at night...)
Here in this little [often frozen] 20 acres of paradise, where my Long Johns go on at the end of August and don't come off until the beginning of June, *every* month is 'grill month'. With the exception of the occasional roast that goes in the slow-cooker, if there is meat to eat here, it goes on the grill- chicken, pork chops, steak, sausage, hotdogs, burgers, nothing beats the taste of meat cooked over a real fire...or in the smoker, with real fire (none of that hoighty-toity electric or pellet-fueled bullscat here).
Sure, you have to make some time and temp adjustments when it's sub-zero, but I'll put my grilled steaks, chicken and chops up against anything Gordon Ramsay sears in a pan and finishes in the oven any day.
There's only one thing that comes close to the combo of fire + meat, washed down with a good home-brewed ale, but it doesn't last quite as long...
Tell hubby his Man Card has been revoked.
Quote:
Originally Posted by nmnita
couldn't rep you again: But what is this with husbands who don't like to grill. I have one also. If he does grill I have to get everything ready, tell him exactly how long to cook the food, do the temp test and let him know if it is finished.
Eh, so, what, exactly, does he do? Puts it on when you tell him to, and takes it off when you tell him to? You could train the average chimp to do that. Man Card: Revoked.
(Lest anyone get their undergarments in a wad, as seems to happen all too often here, this is supposed to be humorous...laugh, dammit.)
When I make ethnic food I like to do a ton of research, watch videos, go to a specialty food store...I don't do that for a crowd. So for a big family gathering we do a variety of traditional bbq and Southern food. We live outside 9 months of the year, so the food is outdoorsy sit-on-the-porch kind of fare. I love making orzo salad, and pretty much anything with pesto and tomatoes from the garden. Pulled pork or burgers or ribeye or flank steak or grilled chicken with a variety of fresh sides and salads are a typical menu. Probably olive oil cake with fresh lemon curd for dessert.
In the winter, I might do beef bourguignon or shrimp and grits.
Extended family gatherings are rare for us. That said, if it's a gathering of relatives on my Dad's side, Puerto Rican food is served. On my mother's side---there is so-called all-American food plus since there are some vegans in the family, there will be vegan dishes. One thing that is constant on that side---there are always some if not Balkan foods, then Greek foods.
We usually go out these days and the last family night out was at an Italian restaurant. Last year we got take away for a big family birthday and chose Thai. Christmas, wherever we end up, will be the typical Aussie blend of traditional English food such as roast pork and plum pudding along with Aussie additions such as cold seafood and pavlova.
There is no month that is not a grill month, even here in central ME where the temps can drop as low as -26F and stay sub-zero for weeks. You could almost be describing the climate here, but not quite so cold, and you left out Black Fly season, Vampire Hoard Mosquito season, and Vicious Deer/Horse/Moose Fly season...and last year I had HoneyBee Dive-Bomber season after a swarm took up residence three feet from the grill, and who mistake the floodlight over the grill for the Sun and think it's time to go to work, which certainly makes things interesting when you are ducking and dodging and trying to pick them out when they get stuck in the BBQ sauce. (Note to self: move them off the porch before the weather gets warm enough where they'll come out at night...)
Here in this little [often frozen] 20 acres of paradise, where my Long Johns go on at the end of August and don't come off until the beginning of June, *every* month is 'grill month'. With the exception of the occasional roast that goes in the slow-cooker, if there is meat to eat here, it goes on the grill- chicken, pork chops, steak, sausage, hotdogs, burgers, nothing beats the taste of meat cooked over a real fire...or in the smoker, with real fire (none of that hoighty-toity electric or pellet-fueled bullscat here).
Sure, you have to make some time and temp adjustments when it's sub-zero, but I'll put my grilled steaks, chicken and chops up against anything Gordon Ramsay sears in a pan and finishes in the oven any day.
There's only one thing that comes close to the combo of fire + meat, washed down with a good home-brewed ale, but it doesn't last quite as long...
Tell hubby his Man Card has been revoked.
Eh, so, what, exactly, does he do? Puts it on when you tell him to, and takes it off when you tell him to? You could train the average chimp to do that. Man Card: Revoked.
(Lest anyone get their undergarments in a wad, as seems to happen all too often here, this is supposed to be humorous...laugh, dammit.)
well he is really good about cleaning up the grill after he has used it and because he does prefer coal over gas, he gets the charcoal started. Does that count for anything?
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