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Graduation Is Not Too Far Away – What Kind Of Party Will You Have?
By: Darian Randolph
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As a high school senior, you can probably suspect (no guarantee) that I’m counting down the days until commencement. With the arrival closely approaching, my time is being cut short with the stress of prom, finalizing my college plans and exams so I barely have time to think about what I’m going to serve my friends and family the day before the life I’ve known for eighteen years ends. So I’ve taken the time to research and conduct a few ways to make food the least of your worries with all of the craziness surrounding my fellow graduating seniors.
The most important detail to remember is to make your menu as unique and special as the graduate is. Because let’s face it – hot dogs and burgers can become very tiresome very early in the summer due to graduation parties and other celebrations during the time being (Memorial Day, etc.). That means specifically catering to the taste of the graduate. For example, I happen to absolutely adore my father’s chicken alfredo. In a perfect world, my graduation party would be like an episode of Gossip Girl, where all of my friends and family would gather for an upscale dinner party (where my dad’s scrumptious alfredo would be served of course) and everyone be dressed in their wardrobe’s best, the venue overlooking a water source of some kind. However, I’m from southeastern Ohio, not the Upper East Side of Manhattan and as terrific as my dad’s alfredo is, it’s not my ideal food for my grad party since it requires a lot more work. I like to always think about everyone else’s taste before my own, so I’ll most likely have an array of food to aid to everyone’s preferences.
Another crucial aspect to think about is the time of your party. Weekend? Weekday? Late morning? Afternoon? Evening? I think you understand. Late morning and early afternoon grad parties are great for brunch – eggs, an omelet bar, bacon, and pancakes with an assortment of toppings- you can get as creative as you’d like. This is also a good idea because you will have a good turn out with people coming hungry and leaving satisfied. Late afternoon and evening parties have a wider spectrum to dive into. Again referring back to myself – my grad party is going to be in the late afternoon on a Saturday, so I will most likely serve some finger foods that could double as a dinner. Meatballs, pulled pork sandwiches and pasta salad most likely will be on the menu. You certainly don’t want anything that takes too much work.
On another note about the time of a party… You could have a better turn out if it’s scheduled on a weeknight instead of the weekend that way not everybody is juggling all of these parties. Plus, I think they’d enjoy the break, not worrying about what to have for dinner.
Desserts are probably the best part of parties, in my opinion. You can range anywhere from having a candy bar, ice cream bar, cupcakes, s’mores, and cookies. And it’s not unknown to have the classic graduation cake. It can have anything on it to your graduate’s future college or an embarrassing baby picture (knowing my family this is most likely the option they will chose).
All in all, graduation parties are more than about the food being served, it’s about the graduate’s successes and accomplishments and the well wish of their future. Hopefully, these tips have made thinking about food for your graduate’s party more concise.
For some helpful ideas about graduation party menus, go to this link.
The author is a senior in the Belpre High School Class of 2014 and an aspiring journalist who will attend Ohio University in the fall. She wrote this blog while observing a media organization, a requirement of her high school Publications class.