Game Smarts

One fun thing about social media is that you truly just never know what interesting new thing you’re going to learn as you scope out your Twitter feed or check new Facebook posts. Here’s a little bit of game trivia that I picked up via Twitter this morning: the celebrated American writer Mark Twain once created a board game. The inspiration was a “game” of sorts that he’d created to help his young daughters learn the names and reigns of British monarchs for school. He’d created a path around the back yard with stakes in the ground representing different monarchs and years they took power, the space between the stakes helping represent the length of their reign. It apparently worked so well for the two young students that he translated it into a board game format but alas, one that was so complex and convoluted that someone compared it to an income tax form. So “Memory Builder” was not to be a pinnacle of Mr. Twain’s illustrious career. At least it got his daughters to do well with their British monarchs.

This brings to mind information I read a few years back about how much playing games and doing crossword puzzles and otherwise tapping our brain power regularly can be such a boon to maintaining mental acuity later in life. In fact, on a cruise my husband and I just took, during which there were a couple trivia-game sessions every day, I overheard an older women next to me joking with her friends that she was playing along just to keep her brain sharp. More recent medical evidence isn’t necessarily so sold on the connection between playing games and doing puzzles, and staving off reduction in brain function with age, and diseases such as Alzheimers. I’m still going to keep playing games as often as possible, and when I’m beating the pants off my pals at age 93, you bet I’ll be giving a nod to years of game-playing for keeping my brain in gear.

This link about the Twain story is from Mental Floss which, interestingly, isn’t just a magazine (and partner blog) full of fun facts and stories, but also is the namesake for one of the fun trivia games we have in our game closet: Mental Floss Trivia Game. The magazine’s an interesting and random trove of stories to please the most ardent knowledge hound and trivia buff. They get to the bottom of important aspects of modern life, like the origins of “cat’s pajamas” (love it!) in the current issue. The game riffs on the diverse pool of interesting information shared in print, claiming that “it’s funny, it’s quirky, and you’ll walk away a genius!” — at least one of you will, the winner usually feeling more “genius” than the rest. But we’ve had fun playing this game that tests all types of knowledge. Depending on this spot you land on, you’ll get a “Right Brain” question, a “Left Brain” question, or you’ll have to “Spot the Big Fat Lie” between two, often equally outlandish, proposed facts. The “Enlightening Round” spots on the board pull out a different card with a series of questions on a given subject, going from easy to most difficult.

With all the trivia games out there, it can seem like a board game category that’s saturated and past its prime. But we still love playing these games now and then, Mental Floss one we turn to regularly. It’s an easy-to-enjoy format that doesn’t take hours to complete, a fun way to test your mettle against the smartest of your family and friends.

Games for Food-Lovers

When I began dreaming up the idea of Gourmet Game Night, I really wasn’t sure exactly how many folks there were out there like me. How many inhabit that cross-section where people who love good food co-mingle with people who love to play board games/cards/dominoes/etc? I had to hope that the potential audience wasn’t a tiny one. Response to the book’s been more than encouraging, it’s gone back for a couple of printings already this year and I’ve been busy with classes and book signings this fall as folks gear up for the holiday gift-giving season. (Side note, one more signing this weekend, at Kathy Casey Food Studios, I’ll be there from 1:00 to 3:00. Not only signing Gourmet Game Night but also selling Zilch dice sets in hand-knit bags!)

So folks who loves to play games can, indeed, indulge in delicious food while they play, not simply relegate themselves to the convenient finger-food  that’s often on the menu while playing games.

But gastronomes have more to enjoy at that junction of food and games than the tasty things they’re nibbling while they play. There’s a growing array of games that feature their favorite subject. Scattered throughout Gourmet Game Night are some of these food-related games that are ideal choices for the foodie in your life. Or yourself, for that matter, you deserve a fun present as much as anyone!!

One of the most popular by far is Foodie Fight, a really well-done food trivia game that riffs on Trivial Pursuit in a more compact, easy-going fashion. Every player has their own small game board onto which they’ll collect tokens for questions correctly answered. Categories include “Foodiesphere” (places/people/cuisines around the world), “Food Stars,” “Company’s Coming” (wine/food pairing, etiquette, planning), “Lab and Field” (science, nutrition, production), “Dining Out” (chefs, menus, restaurants) and “What’s Cooking” (the practical stuff, techniques etc.). I’ve seen it in game shops, book stores and cookware stores like Sur la Table. A sure bet!

Another is Celebrity Chef: The Game!, which I find to be fun and clever and quite distinct from Foodie Fight. The premise is that players are vying to be the first to become a “celebrity chef.” Along the way, players collect tokens for fans, cookbooks, TV shows, product & endorsement and a few other stepping stones toward celebrity status. Categories of questions include “Name that Dish” in which the player’s given a list of ingredients and asked to name the dish they combine to make. And “Cook Off,” for which the player challenges another player to come up with the most items in the food-related category drawn (such as “ways to cook eggs” or “types of beans”). There are also some true/false or multiple choice categories that include “The Bar,” “Chef School” and “Tools & Techniques.” Part trivia game, part board game, this is a fun way to test culinary acumen in game form.

Leaving food trivia behind, Wasabi!appeals to the sushi-lovers out there, a card-based game that turns players into apprentice sushi chefs competing to put together required sushi-roll combos on the faux-bamboo-mat game board. Players collect special cards along the way that either give them special advantages (such as swapping out ingredients to fulfill a sushi roll recipe) or messing with opponents by blocking space on the board. Everyone collects small green wood cubes of wasabi, which contribute points toward their potential win. There are even little red & black bowls in which players collect their wasabi. This game definitely has style and fun graphics, and definitely doesn’t require any particular food knowledge to enjoy.

More flash cards than board game are the offerings from SmartsCo folks. With various themes from general Gourmet to more focused Beer and Chocolate, these card sets feature 4 categories of trivia cards customized to the subject. Chocolate, for instance, has the topics “Indulging” (general chocolate-related questions), “Cocoa Culture” (historic and cultural perspectives), “Fundamentals” (facts and figures) and “Wild Card” (luck-of-the-draw). While the boxes do have a score card for collecting points for correct answers for official game play, I think these boxes are just as much fun to have on the coffee table during cocktail hour and just doing some free-style trivial challenges with friends.

And let’s not forget the kids!! There are a bunch of food-related games available that can indoctrinate the young ones in the culinary world. Slamwich is one such game, in card version. Cards are slice-of-bread shaped with toppings that range from lettuce & tomatoes to gummy worms, plus some special “thief” and “muncher” cards that add unique twists to the play. From theirstack of face-down cards, players flip their card upright on the center pile, going around quickly in a circle until certain combos–such as a “Slamwich” which is 2 of the same cards separated by one that’s different–and the first player to slam their hand on top of the stack gets to keep all the cards in that stack. Fast, furious, silly, fun. I splurged on the “collector’s edition” which comes in this cool metal lunch box.

Last but not least: what food-lover’s game collection would be complete without Mr. Bacon’s Big Adventure. Brought to you by the wacky folks at Archie McPhee, this simple spin-the-dial-and-move-your-piece game is billed as “a mad dash through meatland on your way to the frying pan.” There’s a hilarious set of ”Alternate Meat Feast Rules” in which players must eat a prescribed item based on where their playing piece lands each turn. It means you have to stock up mightily on pepperoni slices, corn dogs, sliced olive loaf, even tofu and veggie burgers should someone land on the dreaded “Vegan Alley.” Land on Bologna Forest? Eat a bologna-wrapped pepperoni stick. How about Gristle Grotto? That’ll be a meatball wrapped in olive loaf and dipped in gravy, my meat-loving friend. I just wonder which spots earns someone access to the Alka Seltzer.

Happy holidays one and all!! And here hoping that lots of great food and games will be part of the festivities.

Stay Sharp, Play Games!

That last post I made hinted at the old yarn that laughter is the best medicine, evidenced by boisterous laughing that resulted from a couple games of Apples to Apples we played on Saturday night. Just a few days later came this article in the Wall Street Journal focused on ways to “outsmart Alzheimer’s,” one tactic of which includes playing games. Games to the rescue yet again! And further proof that good fun is good for you.

One of the key points of the article is that there still is no medication available that can curb progression of the disease once it sets in. Drugs given to Alzheimer’s patients today help address individual symptoms but can’t keep the disease from advancing. ” ‘By the time someone walks in my door with symptoms of the disease, it’s too late,’ to stop it,” quotes one of the doctors in the story.

So the trick becomes working to put off initial onset of the disease as long as possible. And along with exercise and good diet habits, keeping the brain engaged, stimulated and challenged is one piece of the puzzle to keeping Alzheimer’s at bay. One women cited in the article, aged 85, is participating in a project to track cognitive fitness of people at risk of Alzheimer’s (genetically or family history). She attends programs at a nearby community center “where she plays cards and board games like Connect 4 and Mastermind.” … ” ‘I am much better at recalling names now,’ Ms. Shackell says. ‘When I go into another room, I remember why I went in.’ ”

Hmmmm. That happens to me now. Forgetting names. Why did I come in here?

I’m going to prescribe for myself a little more game play. I can use as much mental sharpness as I can get.

Mmmmmmm……. Bacon!

I shouldn’t be at all surprised. In fact, I expected to be proven wrong. And, honestly, I’m kind of happy about it.

One of the recipes in my book is no great revelation, aside from perhaps the new game-friendly presentation. Those small loaves of cocktail bread–long and slender, producing slices about 2-inches square–are one of the boons for game-night eats. There’s little limit to what you can serve on them. The example I chose to showcase the options is Itty Bitty BLTs, mini versions of one of the country’s favorite sandwiches. In the little introduction at the start of the recipe, I made reference to bacon’s ever-growing popularity and noted, in print, that I was surprised no one had created a bacon-themed board game.

And, well.

Someone has. Mr. Bacon’s Big Adventure. It’s described as a “mad dash through meatland on your way to the frying pan.” I’m not quite sure why Mr. Bacon looks so happy about meeting that end at the conclusion of the game, but he’s clearly a good sport about the whole thing. He contends with Mustard Marsh and Sausage Sea among other meaty challenges along the way.

It doesn’t surprise me that Archie McPhee folks are the masterminds behind this game. If you haven’t wasted (oops, I mean ‘spent’) time roaming around their web site (or their brick-and-mortar store if you’re lucky enough to be in Seattle), there’s no time like now to start. Need a yodelling pickle (you must click on “try the virtual yodelling pickle”)? or maybe a librarian action figure?  And bacon lovers will revel in the array of bacony products they have available, from bacon belts to bacon-flavored dental floss. Mr. Bacon has quite the cache at Archie McPhee’s, his seal of approval is stamped on dozens of products.

Sorry to admit that I haven’t yet procured myself a copy of the game, but will do so soon. And I can already hear the bacon sizzling in the pan…. Sounds like the perfect opportunity for a bacon-theme game night menu. Stay tuned for details of how that all goes. Only one question remains: is it scratch-and-sniff?