A Travel Themed Chanuka Party by Raizy Fried

CHANUKAH CENTER

By Raizy Fried @raizyscookin

Comes Chanukah season and everyone is trying to come up with a creative party theme idea because themes make even fun parties more engaging and exciting!

If you feel stuck when it comes to party themes, remember that, while elaborate detailed themes are adorable, if you just stick to a color palette, your table will look very sharp, as well. If you want an “easy theme,” I always say choose two colors that go well together such as black and white, blue and white, pink and green or blue and orange etc. Then all you need to do is look for those colors when you’re shopping for party goods. No matter how easy it sounds, your tablescape will automatically look attractive and planned when the colors are coordinating.

Then there are the massive themes, the interactive ones with the details. There are so many ideas out there. We’ve got everything from parties styled according to an object, a certain time period in history, a favorite character, or a certain aesthetic. We’ve seen “Chinese parties”

where the guests were served a fun Chinese menu enjoyed with chopsticks. That’s fun! But you know what’s even cooler and “funner” (if that’s even a word)?!? A World Themed party!

Here's a pretty Travel Theme birthday party we arranged a while ago for someone special!

We had a big oaktag sign reading "_______, You mean the “world” to us!", but you can also use the same theme and write "World's” best Father/Sister/etc." for a birthday party.

Although this was a birthday party, this theme works so well for a Chanukah party, too.

A World/Travel Theme party can be created in a variety of styles; you can go rustic, playful, shabby-chic, modern or elegant. But if you know me and my love for elegance, you won’t be surprised that I couldn’t help myself and worked around gold. Oh, me and my favorite gold! I created a warm ambiance using an earth-toned color palette with plenty of candles and votives around the center of the table. A pretty globe served as the centerpiece. Each place setting was decorated with a world map placemat and a little suitcase, filled with candy, as a party favor. It was a beautiful elegant event, though it doesn’t necessarily have to be.

Now let’s get to the menu, because that is where you can really run with this “worldly” concept. We served dishes from different cuisines at each course, and each dish was served with its coordinating little flag. I simply printed the flags out on white address labels and stuck them onto wooden toothpicks. (I folded them in half so one side adhered to the other with the toothpick in between.)

CHANUKAH CENTER

PLATE IT:

Here's the menu we served, but the possibilities are endless- you can have so much fun with this. Think your favorite Asian, Chinese or Italian food etc.

OUR MENU:

Appetizer: Israeli Salad with Mini Falafel Balls & Tahini Dressing

Soup: Thai Vegetable Chicken Noodle Bowl

Main: Mexican Pulled Brisket Tacos with Tomato Mango Salsa

Dessert: French Napoleon with Fresh Fruit Salad

If you don’t want to be busy serving, you can still use this concept without individual portions.

BOARD IT:

Create big boards in the center of the table. You can use regular wooden cutting boards for this. Each board represents a different country. You can have an Israeli pita falafel charcuterie style board, displaying falafel balls, pita breads, tahina and Israeli salad. A Japanese board can feature sushi, and an Italian board can boast different types of pasta. Put a coordinating bigger flag in the center of each board.

CREATE STANDS:

If you are hosting a nice number of guests and want to go all out, here’s another idea. Create separate stands for each kind of cuisine. Think an Israeli pita falafel stand, and Italian pizza stand or an American burger stand. You can have a selection of the proper condiments and components displayed at each stand, and the guest build their own burger, taco, or design their own pizza with their favorite toppings.

I’m on a roll, and there’s a party happening in my mind right now as I’m envisioning all these stands with colored flag signs perched on top of them!

Japanese sushi, Mexican tacos, Italian Pizza, pasta and focaccia- you’ll be surprised at the mix of international cultures that are familiar to us and are already incorporated into our menus and lifestyle. The recipes are accessible; we make or buy the dishes anyway, and they are flavors we’ve come to know and love. If you’re going with Chinese dumplings, Israeli shawarma or Italian meatballs and spaghetti- you can whip up your favorites, or use this opportunity to explore unfamiliar territory and try something new!

To plan your menu, first decide if you’re serving dairy or meat. Once that’s decided, you can make a list of the different food you want to serve. Then match your prefered appetizer-type food for the appetizer, and your favorite sweet dessert idea for dessert. Warning, this might be hard. At least, it would be challenging for me, as I always struggle with too many ideas and wanting to do it all! I mean take dessert for one. Will it be Italian gelato, French crème brulee, Australian pavlova, German black forest cake or Italian tiramisu?

Or do we just stick with good old American apple pie?