An American classic—A drive-in movie. A Thai stir fry. Together, tonight, our family enjoys culture fusion. Eating foreign food we bring to the drive-in. An outdoor movie is an extra exciting place for our children who enjoy the outdoors; and for whom television is a rarity except for family movie nights like this. I appreciate continuing the drive-in American tradition that began in the 1930's and then died out at the end of the last century. Today, drive-ins are a historical rarity.
If your little one is a reluctant trier-of-new-foods (a picky eater), sometimes serving it up in a novel way (like we did here, or by having a picnic) will be enough fun distraction to get them to take the first bites and discover they like it. Our sometimes chef (father) made the healthy Thai stir-fry for our tailgate dinner before the movie. Lemongrass and mint add a fresh brightness to the dish we all enjoy. And lemongrass is possibly a new taste for the little ones. Spicy, sweet, red Thai chili sauce on the side for all to try. A squiggle of rice noodles on top for fun. We eat out of our stainless picnic tins with chopsticks—bamboo forks for our littlest one...and for me. I can handle delicate, detailed watercolor painting with a tiny paintbrush; but chopsticks befuddle my fingers after only a few tries.
We're tailgating—we serve our colorfully flavored meal from the back of our vehicle, and everyone finds their spot to eat. The hood, the top of the car. Most anything goes at the drive-in. We eat. We laugh. We talk. We watch. The people. The clouds. The setting sun.
And this is only the beginning of our fun. The movie hasn't even begun. ©heather cahoon • wordplayhouse®
Don't miss family fun: drive-in movie part 1 and our outdoor home movie theater for more family movie ideas.
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