Food fight

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La Battaglia Delle Arance (The Battle of the Oranges) in Ivrea, Italy Borghetto Battle of Oranges - Battaglia delle Arance 2007 - Ivrea.jpg
La Battaglia Delle Arance (The Battle of the Oranges) in Ivrea, Italy
Gemuseschlacht (The Vegetable Fight) in Berlin, Germany Wasserschlacht 2005.jpg
Gemüseschlacht (The Vegetable Fight) in Berlin, Germany
La Tomatina in 2014, Spain La Tomatina 2014.jpg
La Tomatina in 2014, Spain

A food fight is a form of chaotic collective behavior, in which foodstuffs are thrown at others in the manner of projectiles. These projectiles are not made nor meant to harm others, but to simply ignite a fight filled with spontaneous food throwing. Food fights may be impromptu examples of rebellion or violence; however, they can also be planned events. In organized food fights, the food "weapons" are usually all of one kind, or of a limited variety (e.g., tomatoes), while in impromptu food fights (for example, in a school cafeteria), any food within reach is used. [1]

Though usually associated with juvenile settings such as schools, [2] food fights have a long history throughout the world as a form of festive public entertainment or pastime. They have traditionally been popular since the early Middle Ages in Europe during seasonal festivals, especially in the summertime. For example, Spanish La Tomatina is still regularly held every August in the Valencian town of Buñol, in which participants pelt each other with tomatoes, as is Battle of the Oranges held in the Italian town of Ivrea where, as the name would suggest, the oranges are used instead. As an example from outside of Europe, the Chinese "Tofu Festival" can be mentioned. It is held on the 13th day of the first month of the lunar calendar in Shegangxia village, Fogang County, Guangdong Province. Slabs of tofu are thrown at each other. [3]

Food fights have occurred in the meetings of the Legislative Yuan of Taiwan. [4]

Food fights have also become a common element in slapstick comedy, with the pie in the face gag being especially well-known. Food fights are frequently featured in children's television and books, usually as an example of childish, destructive or reckless behavior. Movies with notable food fights include The Battle of the Century (1927), The Great Race (1965), Blazing Saddles (1974), and Animal House (1978). A custard pie fight was filmed for Dr. Strangelove (1964), but was cut before the final print. [5]

See also

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Custard</span> Semi-solid cooked mixture of milk and egg

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<i>La Tomatina</i> Food fighting festival where people throw tomatoes at each other

La Tomatina is a Spanish festival in Buñol, Spain where participants throw tomatoes at each other. It is said to be the biggest food fight in the world. From the festivals origin as a food fight between friends in the 1940's, it has become a famous tourist attraction. Previous to 2013, the festival did not operate with an upper cap on the number of attendees which would cause a strain on Buñol's population of about 9.000 inhabitants. Since 2013, however, the festival has a ticketed event with a capacity of 20.000 participants.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Apple pie</span> Dessert pie made with apples

An apple pie is a fruit pie in which the principal filling is apples. Apple pie is often served with whipped cream, ice cream, custard or cheddar cheese. It is generally double-crusted, with pastry both above and below the filling; the upper crust may be solid or latticed. The bottom crust may be baked separately ("blind") to prevent it from getting soggy. Deep-dish apple pie often has a top crust only. Tarte Tatin is baked with the crust on top, but served with it on the bottom.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Malaysian cuisine</span> Culinary traditions of Malaysia

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A food festival is a festival, that features food, often produce, as its central theme. These festivals have been a means of uniting communities through celebrations of harvests and giving thanks for a plentiful growing season.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pieing</span> Throwing a pie at a person or people

Pieing or a pie attack is the act of throwing a pie at a person. In pieing, the goal is usually to humiliate the victim while avoiding actual injury. For this reason the pie is traditionally of the cream variety without a top crust, and is rarely if ever a hot pie. In Britain, a pie in the context of throwing is traditionally referred to as a custard pie. An aluminium pie pan or paper plate filled with whipped cream or more typically, shaving cream can substitute for a real pie.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bougatsa</span> Breakfast pastry in Greece

Bougatsa is a Greek breakfast food, or mid-morning snack, or midday snack. Bougatsa has several versions with their own filling, with the most popular the bougatsa krema that has semolina custard filling uses as a sweet food and dessert.

A mechanical soft diet or edentulous diet, or soft food(s) diet, is a diet that involves only foods that are physically soft, with the goal of reducing or eliminating the need to chew the food. It is recommended for people who have difficulty chewing food, including people with some types of dysphagia, the loss of many or all teeth, pain from recently adjusted dental braces, or surgery involving the jaw, mouth, or gastrointestinal tract.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Custard tart</span> Baked dessert consisting of an egg custard-filled pastry crust

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References

  1. "25 Chicago Students Arrested for a Middle-School Food Fight (Published 2009)". The New York Times . Archived from the original on February 9, 2023.
  2. "Food fight leads to suspensions at Dixon school". Sauk Valley Newspapers. April 30, 2010. Archived from the original on July 19, 2011. Retrieved April 30, 2010.
  3. Kasper (March 12, 2020). "Tofu war!". planetkasper.
  4. "Taiwanese MPs hold a food fight". BBC News . October 26, 2004. Retrieved July 8, 2006.
  5. Samuel Wigley (January 30, 2014). "Strangelove custard pie fight". British Film Institute.