When Joyce Lock sent us her new trivia game, Foodie Fight ($12.89, Amazon), we were intrigued. We wondered how much of a game you could get out of food facts and trivia. Quite a lot, it turns out. Foodie Fight is a blast, and we're giving away a copy to one lucky (and random) reader.
To enter: Post a comment in this thread before tomorrow, Friday, September 28 at 5pm Eastern time. Any comments after that don't count. Your comment needs to include who you would play this with, and a weird, offbeat, interesting, or funny food fact. We'll choose a qualified entrant at random. The winning reader will be asked to submit a review and several photos of the game in use.
Read on for a brief review, some trivia bits that stumped us, and the winner of last week's Thursday Giveaway...
Foodie Fight comes a compact, attractive box - like a small treasure box. It is very straightforward and doesn't clutter up game-playing with a lot of extra rules; you have to answer a certain number of questions from a certain number of categories to win. There are little boards with color-coded pieces to help you keep track, and a die to determine the categories. The rules aren't complicated; in fact, they emphasize "Table Manners" - Players should just agree amongst themselves on how long someone has to answer a question or how specific the answer should be.
The real star of the game is the trivia. Lock has collected an immense amount of food trivia - all of it genuinely interesting and much of it helpful in the kitchen. There are six categories, with questions that range from food terminology, party planning, dining out, and techniques. Cooking science plays a big part, and so do food stars - food on the tables of books and movies.
This is a game for people who are genuinely interested in food, but we think it would be fascinating to those who consider themselves just eaters - not foodies. No matter whether you win or not, you'll learn a lot - we want to play through every card!
Here are a few of the trivia bits that stumped us so far - see if you do better:
Q: What size is a "cube" cut if not specified in a recipe - 1/4 inch, 1/2 inch, or 3/4 inch?
A: 1/2 inch (on all sides).
Q: What wine is a classic pairing with goat cheese?
A: Sauvignon Blanc.
Q: What dining table lighting is considered an insult to guests?
A: Unlit candles.
Q: What state leads the US in Spam consumption?
A: Hawaii (6.7 million cans of Spam each year).
Last week's giveaway: Last week we gave away a copy of Alone in the Kitchen With an Eggplant, and Julie was our winner! Look for her review in a couple of weeks.
This would be played with my girlfriend and our weird foodie friends while supping on a fresh apple crisp and nutella gelato.
Fun food fact - Beer brewed by the Sumerians used a spiced date, barley, honey and radish bread called "bappir"
view dbeechum's profile
I would play this with my friends whilst drinking many homemade rosemary and mint infused Amalfis. It's always summer time in my apt!
My interesting food fact? Well, swordfish is kinda really good if it's grilled well done with a little citrus compound butter. Yes, yes it is!
view sekine's profile
I would definitely play this with my foodie friend Dan...Mr. Food Trivia.
(Totally made-up subjective) Food Fact: Bacon is a seasoning that can be used to enhance almost any dish; much like the notorious MSG.
view minipanda's profile
I would play this with my non-foodie friends and kick their butts! They can't even name three edible flowers!!! But I can:
Violets
Pansies
Nasturtiums
Roses
Radish
Chive blossoms
Squash blossoms
view calix's profile
I would play with my boyfriend and his parents, who first introduced me to board games as a convivial activity that helps pass the dark winter nights, as opposed to the board-throwing, sibling-hair-pulling, Roberts-rules-of-order-requiring sessions that I recall from my youth. I was never more impressed with a fella than when, on the first night I had dinner with his folks, we sat down to schnitzel and spaetzle and then played Trivial Pursuit - and I actually had fun! And for the all the Top Chef and Iron Chef we've made them watch with us, they ought to be able to hold their own.
A food fact: Lack of rain in New York State this year is bad news for our pumpkin crop, but great news for cider! The apples will be sweeter because of higher amounts of sugar in the fruit. Same goes for our wine grapes - all the vinters are excited.
view cakekick's profile
I would play Foodie Fight with Tony Bourdain and Michael Ruhlman (well, at least I'd invite them to play) because they're the two snarkiest food writers on the planet, and because Ruhlman invented the Pork Belly Caesar Salad href>.
view magbot's profile
my mother-in-law is coming into town. I need this game.
when i make a pb&j sanwich, i put a thin layer of beanut butter on each piece of bread, and then the jelly in the middle. that way the bread doesnt get soggy with jelly.
view ForbiddenFruit's profile
sorry for the sp mistakes. my mother-in-law is coming into town.
view ForbiddenFruit's profile
I would play this with my husband - who's slowly turning into a foodie, and our gourmet night pals Kelley and Steve.
Husband and I will have many more facts when we get back from Portland next month, I'm sure, but for now: You can tell a tequila's quality by giving it the "String of Pearls" test. Swirl the tequila in your glass for a minute. A ring of bubbles will appear around the edge. If no bubbles show, or if they disappear quickly, you have a poor tequila or one that's been watered down.
view beckerjess's profile
I would play this game with all of my girlfriends and several bottles of pinot grigio. That should make for some interesting shenanigans wouldn't you think?
Food Fact: Canadians eat more Kraft Dinner (Macaroni and Cheese) per capita than any other country in the world.
view Erin's profile
I would make my bf play. I can't think of anyone else who would be willing to play a food game with me!
Am I the only person who did not know this -- Peanuts are really a legume and not a nut.
view AndreaLynn's profile
I would play with my husband's restaurant friends to show them I know as much as they do.
Fun Fact? Oh crap. When at a church food event in Minnesota, it is best to ask if the "salad" has Jello in it before accepting a helping. You may be unhappily surprised.
view Kassie's profile
A few girlfriends and I just started a dinner/cooking club, so I would vote we play the game after cooking and eating.
Food fact: twinkies contain no trans fats!
view aleec's profile
I would play this with our foodie friends Sean & DPaul, and their friends Jim & Matthew, who love parlor games.
Food fact: If you're offered chopsticks at a Thai restaurant in the US, chances are good that you're being given the 'farang' (foreigner) treatment. In Thailand, chopsticks are only used with noodles other Chinese imports. Thai food is eaten with a large spoon -- like a soup spoon. Thais use their fork to push a mouthful of food onto the spoon, then move the food to their mouths on the spoon itself. Knives are rarely seen at the Thai table.
view Married ...with Dinner's profile
I would play with my friends from 20 year ago whom I worked in the same family restarurnat And all my family who are total foodies a common statement in our family "it's all about the food"
Food Fact:
It takes three millioin crocus flowers to make one pound of saffron.
view val's profile
I would totally play this with my non-foodie friends, because I bet they know a lot more random food trivia than they think! One is a great home brewer... I wonder if that helps with his food knowledge.
Food factoid: To make one glass of orange juice, 50 glasses of water are needed to grow enough oranges to make the juice
view leanneabe's profile
I would play this game with my husband and housemates, which would save us from doing nothing but watch Good Eats reruns.
It takes forty gallons of sugar maple sap to make one gallon of pure heaven.
view Katie in Berkeley's profile
I would play this game with my children, so they grow up gourmets :)
Food fact: if you eat avocado after having a big disappointment of after being very angry, you will die, according to Mexican popular wisdom.
view Sol's profile
I would play this game with my chef husband, just to give him a chance to win at one board game in his life! :-) Ha haaa.
Fun food fact: we Native American people like to call that black rice sold as "wild rice" in the supermarket "driveway rice" because you can pave your driveway with it. Real wild rice is greenish light grey and cooks up quickly.
view Bx's profile
This would be an excellent game for our next party, at which we hope to introduce our pub quiz friends to my foodie co-workers. (Most office snack tables feature Doritos and candy bars. Today we had a plate of Singaporean tofu stuffed with fish cake.)
Food fact: The graham cracker was invented as the centerpiece of a diet designed to suppress unhealthy carnal urges.
view mbm's profile
Hm, I would likely play with my parents and my close family friends since none of the people my age know as much about food as I do. Totally spanking them at the game just doesnt seem sportswomanly!
I am an archaeologist studying the diet of ancient Peruvians. Most people dont know that the origin of the word "jerky" is actually a Quechua (indigenous peruvian language) word, "ch'arki," which is dried llama meat.
view sarahrcross's profile
This looks awesome. My husband and I are total foodies and we love gaming so this would be an excellent combination of the two interests.
view angorian's profile
I would play this while drinking absinthe with my foodie girlfriend after eating one of her terrific dinners. It would give us something to do other than watch Top Chef and Anthony Bourdain.
Food fact: According to German tradition, you should never use woodruff in May Wine after the white flowers have bloomed. Woodruff is mildly poisonous and the toxicity supposedly increases after blooming.
view Trilobyte's profile
Oops, forgot my funny food fact. Microwaving a lemon for 15 seconds before juicing it makes it much easier to get more juice out. I always follow up the microwaving with rolling the whole lemon on the countertop with some pressure before halving it and juicing. It softens everything up and makes juicing quick and easy.
view angorian's profile
Oh, this looks like fun! I have two opponents in mind: my fiance and cooking-show-watching-partner, and my dad who taught me how to cook.
Weird food fact: honey can be made not just from floral pollen, but also from honeydew (the sweet secretions of plant sap-sucking insects), which has been known to kill entire colonies by causing dysentery because of the larger number of indigestibles in honeydew.
view Aisling's profile
I would play this with my husband and our friend Deirdre and friend & neighbor Greta. We all love food and wine so we'd do some blind wine tastings while playing this game. Wine is considered food, right? Maybe we'd add a cheese plate...
fun food fact:
Celery has negative calories. It takes more calories to eat a piece of celery than the celery has in it to begin with.
additional fun food fact/opinion:
eggplant is a worthless vegetable, it tastes like an old shoe (according to my Plants and Civilization teacher, he hated eggplant with a passion). I personally love it, especially when deep fried.
view tiffanyrhianon's profile
I'd play this game with my parents and sister because we all share the love of food. The "fun" part would be translating all the questions and answers for my parents... (They're immigrants and don't speak English very well.)
People usually can't tell the difference between apple juice and grape juice when blindfolded and have their noses covered. The appearance and smell of the juice is what helps to distinguish the two.
view Miyuki Mouse's profile
strange food tip: put a bay leaf in your flour and meals to keep bugs out (works!)
I'd probably play this game with my husband and oldest daughter. My husband loves trivia games so would probably kick my hiney playing this.
view Laura @ Laura Williams' Musings's profile
I would play with my SO's foodie coworkers, and then with my mother on the occasion of her 80th birthday
(she still has many food tricks up her sleeve)
They would all know that tomatoes were assumed to be poisonous by those silly europeans.
: )
dang, I may just have to buy a copy for her!
view guido's profile
We'd definitely play this game with my brother, John. Every conversation with him is filled with recipes, tips and "what I'm going to eat next".
Interesting food fact: Every single kernel on a cob of corn has a silk attached to it (no wonder they're so hard to clean!)
view Barb @ May December Home's profile
That sounds like an awesome game for foodies. It makes me want to hold a party where the food is related to the game's questions, then get people to play the game and see if they catch on.
view Jekyl's profile
I'd play this game with my husband and parents the next time they come to visit because we love food and my parents (and I) love board games.
Interesting food (and plant) fact: Boxelder trees are a kind of maple tree. Therefore you can tap boxelder trees and make syrup from them just like sugar maples! (And my husband did this one spring even!)
view MsHuisHerself's profile
I would play this game with my friends especially with those who love and indulge in food! The wonderful world of gastronomy!!
Food Fact: Basil is a natural bug repellent. In your vegetable and herb garden, plant your tomatoes in between basil and you will grow beautiful bug-free tomatoes!
view eyt's profile
I would play with my husband and family because we're all foodies!
Random Food fact: Honey contains more sugar (and calories) than table sugar.
view ktelschow's profile
I would play with my boyfriend and sister because we love to try new foods and we go out to eat a LOT.
Fun Food Fact: For some reason, cheese tastes ten times better after you eat something sweet (chocolate especially). Maybe its because it gets rid of the chocolate aftertaste. I know i'm wierd.
view Shannon Bradly's profile
i would play this game with my friend Richard, who has been sick and housebound and would love the diversion--and for whom, when he was healthier, no meal was complete unless it included about 10 new cheeses he'd never tried before from Dean & Deluca's.
Fun Food Fact to store away in your brain for when the tomatoes are not as great as they are right now: Splash a bit of orange juice, along with your usual olive oil & vinegar--not that yucky balsamic goo--on your less than fab sliced tomatoes and they will perk up a bit and approach the sunny acidic taste of high summer. (i said ... approach!)
view snoozin's profile
I'd play it with my fiance, whom I've been inundating with food facts for years. He recently scoffed at someone for not knowing a can of San Marzano tomatoes on sight. *proud tear*
Fun Food Fact - The charmingly melon-esque exterior of Mimolette cheese is created by the nibbling, excrement, and dander of mites.
view pomme's profile
I would play this with my boyfriend and our "fancy dinner" friends, Autumn and Eric.
Food fact: Maple bars with bacon on top are delicious, but the places that sell them usually don't use great bacon. Just buy a dozen maple bars, then make your own bacon to put on top at home.
view brittanykate's profile
Man, so bummed I didn't get to enter!
Food fact (forgive me for not being more creative, my brain is very tired at this point in the day): Provolone cheese really smells like dirty socks if you forget that it's cheese.
view kate's profile
Congratulations to calix, who was our randomly chosen winner! We'll ship that out to you, calix.
Look for a review in a couple weeks!
view faith's profile
This would be a great addition to my collection of games that I bring out every thursday for game night with friends!
view pkswede's profile
This looks like fun!
view amwhiteh's profile