Using the menu as source material: find the pairing that would produce the most spectacularly bad dish. Then find two things that, despite sounding unlikely, might actually work together. Each person makes both picks and explains their reasoning. The 'disgusting' round is fast and funny. The 'secretly good' round takes longer and produces more genuine thinking. Children apply real taste logic to defend their choices. Works with any menu and any cuisine.

What you need

The menu

How to do it

1Slide the menu over and say: "Find me the two things on here that would taste the most disgusting together. Go — name the dish."
2Now find two things that sound unlikely but might secretly work. Defend your reasoning.
3The disgusting round goes fast. The secretly-good round takes longer. Both are worth it.

Variations

If they don't want to pick: you go first with the worst combination you can find, and dare them to top it.
How it ends: 'last combo before the food gets here' turns the wind-down into a final-round challenge instead of a stop.

💡 Parent tip

If the child picks 'ketchup and ice cream' as disgusting: 'Why exactly? Is it the temperature, the flavor, or both?' Push the justification a little. The interesting ideas emerge when you ask why, not just what.

What your child develops

Flavor reasoning — thinking about why combinations work or fail applies real sensory knowledge in an abstract way
Creative constraint — inventing a name for a horrible combination is low-stakes creative play
Debate and justification — defending 'secretly good' pairings requires argument structure and persuasion