Exotic Food - School Project

My 15 year old daughter is working on a school project for a business class. Their project is to create a restaurant featuring exotic foods. Unfortunately my daughter's favorite food is Green Beans, so she's looking for ideas/suggestions.

They would also like to create a dish to present to the class while discussing the business plan. So, what suggestions can you make for her menu and what would recommend for something cheap enough to prepare for 30 kids, exotic enough to intrigue them, but not so exotic as to freak out their Hot Dog and Cheeseburger loving little heads?

Thanks In Advance,

I think the produce department at many ethnic groceries (Marketplace on Oakton, H-Mart, and Lincolnwood Produce all come to mind - probably a function of where I live) or Chinatown, or Argyle Street, would provide a lot of cheap exotic options.

I'd think about something Mexican. Inexpensive ingredients (and even equipment like tortilla presses), plenty of places to shop, and plenty of places to observe how the real places do it.

Thai -
Mango and sticky rice can be prepared ahead of time. I might just barely 'dot' it with finley chopped keffir lime leaf. Might be a good example of a different culture's dessert type of item. Anyway, you can slice up the mango ahead of time, keep the rice warm after it's been made, and serve it up in dixie cups w/ plastic spoons.

Korean:
Buy some kimchi, and slop it out. Watch the kids get utterly grossed out (if they even dare try it)

Indian:
Go buy some samosas, or vadi (sp) (the lentil donut type things)
Or, you can make a "curry" and throw it in little dixie cup samplers with rice as well.

Frankly, I'd either go with
A. What's on sale at the grocery store
B. What you're familiar with making
C. What you have on hand at the house to make.

Right now, I could whip up a thai green coconut milk curry with chicken, for about 30 good sized samples, and not have to leave the house for anything.

I could also whip up the same amt of a chicken / potato curry / masala type dish as well.

I could also make some california rolls with a little more effort than the above two suggestions depending on how uppity I was feeling.

Or, you could trek to an Indian grocer, and either buy frozen samosas, maybe even freshly made ones if they have them.

Hit up Tahoora, and buy several diff varieties of their pre-made appetizer things, and grab a few handfuls of their sauce packets to hand out with them.

The mango and sticky rice thing sticks out as something fun without being overly spicy, but still somewhat "exotic."

OOOh! another desert that would be well received: Mango Kuhlfi for Indian.

Not as exotic would be a few dozen 'real' tamales at one of the tamalerias.

Can't think of anything else right now.

OK, I know I'm going with my comfort zone, but what about empanadas? You can easily buy the wrappers frozen and then fill them with all kinds of stuff - I've seen them at the Jewel on Howard, but most Latin markets have them. You could also do an around-the-world selection of savory pockets - pasties, empanadas, calzones, samosas, spanakopita, sio bao...

Most of these won't be too far outside the burger/fry comfort zone and - even better - can be purchased frozen if you aren't up to the task of stuffing pockets for a weekend.

I guess MikeG forgot about his bhel puri post, complete with directions. Check it out.

Exotic foods to people that love cheeseburgers and hot dogs? How about a place that sells exotic hot dogs. Call it Hot Doug's and serve french fries fried in duck fat! Alright, so it's taken. But maybe she can do the same with cheeseburgers?

Easiest thing that comes to mind....exotic donut shop. Buy some donut holes and fill them with something different. Mango salsa stuffed donut hole? Cheap, easy, and effective...case solved.

Hi,

I know I am going to sound a bit stuffy. If you had an eight year old with this class project, then I understand why a parent becomes involved. When the student is 15, then I wonder why the parent is involved. She could have registered here to ask, but more importantly she should have been doing the research herself.

Szechuan green beans.

Regards,

To be honest with you, in today's environment. making CHICKEN NOODLE SOUP from scratch might actually fit the bill. After all. it is simple to make, inexpensive, and generally so far out of the realm of what 15 year old have seen that it might actually work.

I remember having a 24 year old (Princeton educated) coworker once come over and stare in amazement as I made turkey noodle soup from spent carcasses that were in my freezer.

bstaff1901 wrote:My 15 year old daughter is working on a school project for a business class. Their project is to create a restaurant featuring exotic foods.

Maybe this would be a good time to dust off the Bunny Burgers business plan from the old Spy Magazine?

They would also like to create a dish to present to the class while discussing the business plan.

Just do as Spy did and serve turkey burgers but say it's ground bunny. Don't forget the french-fried carrots.

. . . but not so exotic as to freak out their Hot Dog and Cheeseburger loving little heads?

Okay, so maybe it's not such a good idea after all, but I do miss Spy. I wish I could find the article's illustrations (the link above is text only). The packaging, with pop-up rabbit ears, was very funny.

Thank you all for your suggestions, they were very helpful.

As for why I posted, honestly, I'm a little protective and would rather post myself than have her posting on sites frequented by adults. I've had a bunch of friends over the years post something on a bulletin board, usenet, or other forum and get inappropriate responses...

Also, it's a way for me to stay involved in the project... Which she will eventually have to complete.

bstaff1901 wrote:As for why I posted, honestly, I'm a little protective and would rather post myself than have her posting on sites frequented by adults. I've had a bunch of friends over the years post something on a bulletin board, usenet, or other forum and get inappropriate responses...

This is not likely to happen here, though your concerns are understandable.

Regards,

I would say not Mexican. While it is one of my favorite types of food it - I think it is too easily found in this area to be considered exotic.

I would think of my nationality. You could also use it as a lesson in history as well as cooking.

However, do post on the project and how it went!

Please do post on how it went. Very curious about this one. Good luck!!