Pass The Salt – Page 2

13 Restaurant Table Games to Play With Your Kids, Friends, and Family

Restaurant table games are the best way to make your night a bit more entertaining.

They’re especially useful if you’re dining out with your little children. We all know how impatient and indecisive they can be. And let’s not forget the random meltdowns and screaming for what’s seemingly absolutely no reason!

To help with this situation, you can play games with them to keep them occupied. Here are some restaurant table games you should definitely try the next time you’re out.

A Summary List of the Restaurant Table Games

If you’re in a hurry, here’s a summary list of the games we’ll talk about:

Straw and Sugar Packet Tic Tac Toe
Telephone Game
Origami Fortune Tellers
I Spy
ABC Spy
Heads Up
20 Questions
Finish the Story
Word Association
Made You Say
I’m Going on a Picnic
Two Truths and a Lie
Table Football

Straw and Sugar Packet Tic Tac Toe

Tic-tac-toe is an entertaining game to play while waiting for your meal to be served. To start, kindly ask your waiter for four straws and arrange them in a 3×3 grid. In most restaurants, you’ll find sugar and salt packets already on the table. If not, you can ask your waiter for at least nine pieces, and you’re good to go!

How to Play

Take turns in placing a sugar packet in the grid you’ve made. The player who succeeds in placing three of their marks in a row wins.

Telephone Game

The telephone game is a personal favorite of mine!

It’s best played in large groups. If you’re out with friends you haven’t seen for a while, try a hand at this game. The only equipment needed is your voice!

How to Play

One person starts by whispering a short phrase into the ear of the person sitting beside them. That person then whispers what they heard to the third person, and so on.

Typically, if someone didn’t listen to what was said in their ear, only one “redial” is allowed. So, make it count!

Continue this pattern until the last whisper reaches the person beside the host. They then announce what they heard and see if the group got it right! If they didn’t, the host wins.

Origami Fortune Tellers

I used to make fortune teller origami a lot when I was in middle school. It brought me great joy seeing all my friends blush or cry out in anger when I tell them who they were destined to “marry.”

Now that I think about it, I wonder if one of my middle school peers really did end up marrying the person written on the paper!

How to Play

Since you’re going to be playing around a group of friends and/or family, it’ll be a little awkward to “predict” who they’re going to marry in 10 years, especially if they’re all adults already! Instead, you can use it to spruce up a game of truth or dare.

First, you’ll need to make the fortune teller origami paper. It looks tricky, but trust me; it’s a piece of cake. If 11 year old me could do it, you certainly can, too! You’ll find a ton of step-by-step tutorials on Youtube to follow.

After making the paper origami, write individual colors on the first layer of flaps. For instance, if the “client” chooses yellow, spell out Y-E-L-L-O-W while moving the fortune together and apart with your fingers six times.

In the second layer, write down numbers from 1 to 8. Ask them to choose a number. Once they do, open the flap and reveal what’s inside. You can then ask them a truth-or-dare question or write funny fortunes such as “You’ll meet Angelina Jolie today!” etc. Get creative!

I Spy

I Spy is a classic game to play among friends. Every time I get the chance to play multiplayer online, I ask the friendly strangers waiting in the lobby if they want to join. 99% of the time, they say yes, and we end up having more fun in the lobby than out in the battlefield!

I can certainly guarantee you’ll have fun playing it in the table’s restaurant, too!

How to Play

For those unfamiliar with I Spy, what you’ll need to do is to choose an object within view of your table and use the phrase “I spy with my little eye, something ___.” You can use a color or short description of the item.

For example, if you’ve spotted a packet of fries on someone else’s table, you can say, “I spy with my little eye, something crunchy!” and the people on your table will all try to guess what that item is.

ABC Spy

If you’re dining out with your toddlers, ABC Spy will make your evening a lot better! It’s fun, and it’ll help with their vocabulary and ABC’s at the same time.

How to Play

Using the kid’s menu or any accessible printed paper with large letters, ask your child to find a letter. Every time they find the letter, ask them to draw a circle around it. You can then ask them to think of a word that starts with the same letter they’ve encircled.

It’s simple but educational! Plus, it’ll keep your kids occupied for a fairly decent chunk of time while their food is being prepared.

If you’re playing with two or more kids, you can make it a bit challenging by telling them the first boy or girl who gets five letters correctly first will get a nice treat.

Heads Up

Heads Up is a game developed by Ellen Degeneres. It’s basically charades, wherein you have to “act out” a phrase without speaking. While doing so, the people you’re playing with try to guess what that phrase is. This game is best played with at least four people.

How to Play

First, you’ll have to divide the people at your table into groups of 2, at least. You can then download the “Heads Up” game on your smartphone. Alternatively, if the restaurant doesn’t have wifi or sufficient coverage, you can write down the words to guess on a piece of paper.

The person who’ll guess will choose from the words you’ve prepared. Then, they’ll ask the person in their group to guess what they’re acting out. The group who wins the most guesses wins.

20 Questions

20 Questions is another fun guessing game. You can play it to kill some time, or to have fun with your mates. You’ll need at least two players to play, but the more, the merrier!

How to Play

The game is relatively simple. First, you’ll need to think of an object, person, or place. The person who’s guessing will ask you several Yes or No questions. For example, if you chose the word “Elephant,” the guesser will ask if it’s a place, vegetable, mineral, etc. until they get it right. If they do, it’ll be easier to build on answers that were already given.

Have the players take turns in asking Yes or No questions, totaling 20 questions. The one who guesses correctly gets to choose the next mystery object.

Finish the Story

The fun I had while playing Finish the Story with friends is indescribable! It’s a sure-fire way to get everyone laughing and having a great time.

How to Play

The game begins with someone starting off a story. It’s then passed along to the person beside the host to continue thinking of the next sentence. Person three carries the story, and so on!

For example,

Player 1: Once upon a time, in a land far away, the princess saw a…

Player 2: Giraffe. He was…

Player 3: Aggressively breakdancing. So I asked him…

Player 4: “Can you teach me how to breakdance?”

Each player can have a fair number of turns. The final story is sure to bring in some giggles.

Word Association

Word association is a fantastic game to play with little children. They’ll practice using their existing vocabulary and learn new English words.

How to Play

This game needs to be played in rapid-fire. The first player, chosen randomly, says one word out loud. For example, “Autumn!” The next player, typically in clockwise order, has to quickly say a word with some connection to what was given.

For example, if the first word is Autumn, the second word could be “Halloween,” and the third could be “trick-or-treating,” and so on.

Made You Say

Made You Say is a restaurant table game that really gets people talking. It’s especially great for parents with kids who don’t typically share stories about their day.

How to Play

Player one asks player two different questions that all begin with “Tell me something that happened today that made you say __.” The last word could be anything you want, including “that’s weird,” “wow!” or even, “it’s probably aliens.”

After the second player shares their stories, they’ll ask the same question to player three, and so on.

I’m Going on a Picnic

I’m Going on a Picnic is a classic memory game that’s been played by families for years. The rules of this game differ from household to household. This ranges from the items in the picnic basket needing to be one color to things that are spelled with five letters.

My family and I didn’t have any specific rules. Here’s how we played it:

How to Play

Start by saying, “I’m going on a picnic, and I’m bringing a __.” Then, the second player says the same thing and tags on another word. The third player does the same, and so on.

For instance:

Player 1: I’m going on a picnic, and I’m bringing bananas.

Player 2: I’m going on a picnic, and I’m bringing bananas and pancakes.

Player 3: I’m going on a picnic, and I’m bringing bananas, pancakes, and watermelon.

Player 4: I’m going on a picnic, and I’m bringing bananas, pancakes, watermelon, and juice.

A player is eliminated when they can’t remember some of the items or put them in the wrong order.

Two Truths and a Lie

You’ve undoubtedly heard of this one. Chances are, you’ve probably played a game or two yourself!

Similar to Made You Say, Two Truths and a Lie will get your kids talking about what they’re up to at school and with friends lately.

When played with a group of (adult) friends, things can get a little wild. In my little circle of friends, the stories they’d share often lead to friendly skepticism, disbelief, and a whole lot of laughs!

How to Play

As the name suggests, the first player tells two truths and one lie. The other players will need to accurately guess which of the options is a lie by explaining why they believe it’s not real. If they lose, the first player can share the story of what happened that day.

This game has strengthened my bond with my friends, and I found out about things I would never have otherwise!

Table Football

This is perhaps a waiter’s least favorite game for guests to play at the table. It can get a little rowdy sometimes. At the same time, it’s a ton of fun.

To avoid any restaurant problems, it’s best if you sit in the farthest corner so that other patrons can eat in peace while you play this game with your guests.

How to Play

The objective of this game is to flick the “football” (made of folded paper) into the “net” (aka your fingers and thumbs). The person with the most goals wins.

You’ll find tutorials online on how to make origami paper footballs, but basically, this is how you do it:

Fold a piece of paper longways in half.
Fold the corner down into a triangle.
Continue to fold down, making triangles until you get to the end of the paper.
Tuck whatever excess paper is left on end into the “pocket” on the top of the ball.

Final Thoughts

Dining out is more fun if you play several restaurant table games with the people you’re with. Plus, it’s a great way to get to know them better! All of the games I’ve listed above can be played without needing to carry any equipment with you.

Happy playing!

7 Messy Food Items to Avoid While Eating Outside

Pass The Salt

According to various studies, a lot of people suffer from the “fear of eating in public”, which is part of social anxiety disorders.

However, even if you don’t have this problem, you might still be intimidated by eating some food items in the public for the fear of being messy, especially if you’re on a first date or meeting new people.

If messy food is your arch-nemesis, then this article is a must-read for you. Today, I’ll walk you through some of the messiest food items that will most likely cause you more trouble than you can afford while you’re outside, so you should avoid them to save yourself the hassle.

Not only that, but I’ll also show you some tips to eat them with as little mess as possible if you absolutely have to eat them. Let’s dive in!

In a Hurry? Here’s a Quick Summary to the List

Here’s a brief roundup of the food items mentioned in the article:

Tacos
Spaghetti with meatballs, noodles, and Alfredo pasta
Dusty chips
Chicken wings
Lobster and Crabs
Burgers
Popsicles and ice cream cones

7 Messy Foods That You Should Avoid

Let’s have a deeper look at the messy food items on our list, including how they can cause unwanted accidents as well as simple hacks and tips to minimize the mess or even avoid them altogether!

1. Tacos

Kicking off the list with one of the food items that always leaves you with despair and a shrug of “can’t help it”.

As soon as you bite into freshly made tacos, they instantly break into pieces, causing all the delicious content to start falling off into your plate.

A Simple Workaround

For smaller tacos, the best solution is to hold it with all your fingers exactly at the center where the meat is lined.

Take your first bite at one of the taco’s ends towards the center. The trick here is to raise the plate exactly under the taco and take your time with the bite. After that, bite into the other end in a similar fashion until you reach the center.

For larger ones, you might break it down beforehand using a fork and eat the contents with broken chips, just like nachos.

2. Spaghetti with Meatballs, Noodles, and Alfredo Pasta

Slurpy foods that are made of long thread-like parts, such as long thin noodles and alfredo pasta, can easily sauce-slap your chin as you slurp them up.

Spaghetti and meatballs is also a common first date meal because it’s astonishingly delicious, especially with marinara sauce. However, don’t expect a “Lady and the Tramp” situation where both of you end up slurping on the same spaghetti thread.

Instead, you end up with a mouth and chin full of red sauce with threads of spaghetti hanging loose from your lips all the time.

Not to mention, all the splashy sauce on the table, your clothes, and sometimes others, while you’re slurping down on the spaghetti.

A Simple Workaround

A lot of people suggest using a spoon while eating spaghetti, but if anything can be worse than the mess spaghetti makes, it’d be eating it with a spoon.

The best hack to follow here is slowly cut the spaghetti threads in various locations on the plate. It won’t make a lot of noise, and it’ll help you shorten the rolling of the spaghetti around the fork.

This way, you can roll smaller bits of spaghetti around your fork in an easy to bite and size friendly fashion.

You can also end the rolling with a small meatball piece to balance the bite and prevent the spaghetti from falling back into the plate.

3. Dusty Chips

There’s no denying that dusty chips and snacks that are packed with colorful flavors are the guilty pleasures of us all.

If you’re snacking on a bag of Cheetos or Doritos, you’re going to end up with red-orange colored fingertips. And let’s be honest, nobody washes their hand between every chip, so we’re all guilty of licking our fingers when we’re not alone.

However, if you’re outside with a meal that has a dusty chip situation, chances are your hands will be covered in dusty deliciousness for the rest of the meal.

A Simple Workaround

Surprisingly, there are various ways to hack dusty chips. For example, you can use chopsticks to eat them absolutely mess-free.

Yet, if you don’t know how to use chopsticks or think it’s a bit of an overkill, you can keep one of those handy food-grade finger covers that are specifically designed to keep your hands clean in those situations.

4. Chicken Wings

Chicken wings are probably among the first things that popped into your mind while thinking about messy foods!

And yes, for many people, chicken wings are the clear winner of the battle of messy foods. Everything about chicken wings makes things challenging, from the sauce drenched all over them, to the bones you might come across while eating them.

In fact, even chicken wings are well aware of that issue with some of them providing wet wipes to help you avoid the awkward situation after every rip.

A Simple Workaround

Chicken wings have various hurdles to bounce over. For instance, if you want to avoid getting your hands messy, you can use disposable food preparation gloves.

As for the bones, you have two paths to take. The first and easy one is to simply order boneless wings.

However, if that option isn’t available, you can find tons of youtube guides out there to show you have to remove the bones in the wing before you eat it.

5. Lobster and Crabs

Ideally, any type of food that will require you to use special utensils to eat them is a no go if you don’t want to embarrass yourself in public, especially on a first date.

If you order a whole or partially ready to eat crabs or lobsters, you’ll find yourself in a situation where you need to break the hard exoskeleton open, slurp the meat out, and expect tons of mishaps, wet chins, and a lot of messy remains.

A Simple Workaround

Unfortunately, some problems aren’t solved with simple tricks. Unless you’re an expert seafood connoisseur who knows their way around a crab or a lobster, there isn’t much you can do with a whole or partially prepared lobster.

In other words, if you’re financially afloat enough to order lobster or large crabs, you might as well save yourself the hassle of doing all the work yourself and order it in a ready to eat state.

6. Burgers

Depending on the type of burger you eat, the degree of sloppiness and mess left behind may vary significantly. For example, mini burgers with little sauce added will remain solid and easy to eat.

However, it’s highly unlikely that you’ll order a burger patty between two pieces of bread to avoid the mess. With tons of sauces and melted cheese options available for addition, you’ll encounter some juicy dripping from your burger.

Even worse, you might give in to the delicious temptation of ordering a double-decker burger. This usually translates to food content even slipping out of the buns, which reminds me of Pokemon’s Team Rocket saying “prepare for trouble and make it double!”

A Simple Workaround

Surprisingly, a lot of research went into finding the best way to hold a burger while eating.

Ideally, you should hold on to your burger with all your fingers by placing both your thumbs and pinkies under the burger from both sides and laying the rest of your fingers above. This method helps in holding all the lettuce, onions, tomatoes, and patties inside.

Additionally, keeping the burger in its wrapping while you eat and cutting the burger in two half will also give you a better hold on it.

7. Popsicles and Ice Cream Cones

Ice cream is the treat of the summer. We always order ice cream hoping to enjoy its refreshing sweet taste but often forget about one little detail.

It usually takes the ice cream a couple of minutes off the freezer for things to go south, literally.

The melted ice cream starts to drizzle on your hand, causing you to awkwardly slurp and bite into the ice cream in a race against time to get yourself off this sticky situation!

A Simple Workaround

To avoid the situation, you can order a large cone with smaller ice cream scoops so that they melt into the cone and not outside.

If that option is not available, you can opt for ice cream in a cup instead and enjoy it with a spoon!

Wrap Up

There you have it. A brief list with 7 of the messiest food items that you should avoid outside. If you have the choice, always try to avoid these food items all together.

However, if you can’t help but eat them, you can use the workaround hacks to minimize the mess as much as you can.

Remember to share the list with your friends if they’re expecting a work meeting, a first date, or any social gathering, so they can also dodge the sauce-filled bullet!