Author: The Cupboard Deli

Food & Drink 101 – Drinks in a Wagon

| The Cupboard Deli

This begins a new segment on our Blog which, incidentally, we are renaming The Daily Cupboard. The Daily Cup segment will continue to offer thoughts on different perspectives to approach each day. Food & Drink 101 will be dedicated to food and beverage service tips, picnic ideas, party themes and just about any occasion when friends and family gather around food.

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Today, two practical ways to serve beverages.

1- Indoors: Containers help keep things organized. If you set up a self-help beverage bar, one way to do this with a touch of style is to use an old drawer. You can find one at yard sales, perhaps by taking apart a bureau, which in itself can lead to a creative recycling project.

Keep the drawer as is, if you find it pleasant to look at, or enlist the kids to make it colorful. To serve beverages, place the drawer on a large counter top or kitchen isle. Filled various buckets with ice and place them inside the drawer. Add an assortment of beverages within each container.

2- Outdoors: Add a rustic touch by carrying beverages out to your picnic or BBQ area in a child’s wagon. This can hold two or three sturdy buckets, filled with ice and beverages. Older kids who are strong enough will love being of service by replenishing the wagon and pulling it into place throughout your gathering.

Don’t forget to honor Vermont Beers and Wines at your summer parties!

We make party platters and cakes! Stop by or call 802-644-2069.

The Daily Cup – Food & Kindness

| The Cupboard Deli

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Many towns have a food shelf box. Food is kindness when we feed the hungry, but isn’t it kindness, also, in all the ways it is served? The key word with food is, “service.” In restaurants, food is brought to the table. In delis, a person behind a counter has chosen this line of work for the moment, and serves food. Every time his or her hand is extended to place a sandwich, a slice of pizza, a doughnut, a salad and so on in someone else’s hand, this is an act of service and, as such, it is an act of kindness. Receiving food, in this sense, is an act of vulnerability. We get food when we are hungry. It is also an act of trust. We get it from places that have earned this trust. Food puts an interesting set of human relations dynamics on the table, doesn’t it? There is no specific thing to do with today’s Daily Cup. No specific “task” to accomplish. We’re just chewing on these thoughts. Something to think about over dinner perhaps.

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The Daily Cup – I’ll Have What She’s Having

| The Cupboard Deli

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We all have our favorite spots where we eat and hang out with friends. We all have favorite go-to foods, the tastes and aromas that just mix perfectly with the spirit of the gang. This is our traditional food when Friday night comes, or the weekend, or the 4th of July. Here is what we suggest, just for fun. This week, if you plan on dining with friends, each order your food as you normally would. Get what you like. If you are ordering at a deli counter, you’ll want to keep each order separate for this exercise. Then, when the food arrives or when you get to your party venue with it, randomly switch plates or bags with someone else in the group. Even if you get something you’re already familiar with, this simple switching game has a significant impact. It creates a situation where you must make do with sudden change, but it also throws you a curve. We usually resist change. In this situation, since you are among friends, and you probably share similar tastes, change becomes an easy challenge to face, and enjoyable too. You never know, it could make you feel uncommonly daring the next time you face a real, sudden change of plans.

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