Adventures In Family Eats

When I think back to childhood summers spent almost in their entirety at my grandparents and aunt’s house in Niagara Falls, the things I remember most involve food. From the loaves of fresh Italian bread that we would sit on the kitchen floor, buttering and eating for breakfast to stealing pizza from my uncle’s bakery, eating pounds of tiny candies pulled off of paper from the old-skool candy shop on Lake Ontario and endless amounts of Laffy Taffy poolside, summer food is pretty much the best ever.

Yes, there was lots of healthy goodness too. I still make the delicious salads my aunt put on the table each night and have a recipe for poached eggs and toast that came straight from my papa. The smell of fresh cucumbers and tomatoes takes me right back to cool kitchens on sticky summer days. Ahhhh, summer.

But, let’s face it. It’s the crazy good delicious adventures in hot dogs, french fries, candy and ice cream that make summer truly great.

We’ve been doing a lot of that lately. I try to rationalize it all by hoofing it to all food-related locations.

Here’s the kind of eating we’ve been up to:

Fish shacks are to Nova Scotia what coffee is to British Columbians – one on every corner. But, all fish and chips are not the same. We can attest to that. It has been our goal to taste test fish and chips, haddock poutine and other fried fishy items along nearly every route. To date, our fave remains a little hole in the wall at Fisherman’s Wharf in the Eastern Passage. Walk the boardwalk, tell ghost stories about Devil’s Island, chow down on fish sandwiches. Good times.

In the super funky awesome kid universe department, candy is king – and the king of vintage candy is Freak Lunchbox in downtown Halifax. This unbelievably cool shop makes any other candy store in the world look super lame. Fill a bag up with sugary goodness. Score some Laffy Taffy or Pixi Sticks. Then, hike the hills of Halifax on one serious sugar buzz. We have to monitor our visits here.

Meeting dad for lunch means scoring gems from the food carts and vendors on the Halifax Wharf – mostly in the form of giant hotdogs. That, my friends, is all summer.

In the adult department, Halifax makes some of the tastiest cocktails around and scoring one is, well, rather simple. We are working our way around town taste testing caesars.

Lobster feasts aren’t exactly in the daily food budget. But, there is no shortage of eateries that make getting to know our hard-shelled friends rather friendly. Lobster dip is a current fave. One dish, full meal for everyone. Most delicious treat ever. The kids even vote this one better than ice cream.

Ken swears he’s taking me for the best lobster poutine in town very soon. We’ll see…we’ll…see…:)

We’re still on the hunt for the perfect pizza, best burger and ultimate don air. Will report back in when our mouths aren’t full.

Oh, the rest of the summer is going to taste gooooood!

Tags: balance, candy, eating, family, featured, food, fun, Halifax, junk food, Kids, Our Big Earth Media Co., Summer

Category: EAT LOCAL, Food & Your Family