My friends are christening their newly-built home theater with a dinner party before we watch “Animal House” and they want to theme the food around the movie. Now it’s been, oh, 25 years since I’ve seen the movie, and I have vague memories about Jell-o and mashed potatoes and hard-boiled eggs (and beer, yes, I seem to remember beer). Since I don’t want to watch the movie to get some ideas (because then what would I do at the screening) I was hoping that Dopers with better memories or who’ve seen Animal House recently could make some suggestions. I’ve been assigned appetizers, but need ideas for the other major food groups (dessert, sides, main dish) as well. So, any suggestions?
Something with pitted cherries, or with chicken! There was one scene where John Belushi first appeared in his toga. A guy with a guitar was singing to a couple of girls, and one line went “I gave my love a cherry that had no stone, I gave my love a chicken, that had no bone.”
And definitely Jello! I did a theme dinner once, based on foods mentioned in Babylon 5, and it was fun.
All I remember is beer, some pizza I think, and beer, and I don’t remember any other food, other than beer.
I don’t think the film was considered nutritious.
Thus, you have no choice for appetizers but to go with beer salami and beer nuts.
Hamburgers - stuffed whole into mouth. Green jello cut into cubes for sucking of a plate. Was there custard for the pimple gag?
I was gonna mention Jell-O too. And you definitely need mashed potatoes so you all can practice doing your impression of a zit.
Purple Jesus Punch (aka Trash Can Punch, aka Purple Death, aka Magic Koolaid) is truly a beverage designed for excess… a drink basically meant to get you drunk and keep you there as long as possible before you collapse from alcohol poisoning or diabetes, whichever gets you first.
I was well-known, in my youth, for my ability to make the stuff. I learned, also, that what you put into it isn’t as important as how you serve it – mine was considered sublime, intoxicating, tasty, and downright psychedelic… despite the fact that I never lavished a whole lot of attention on it. The recipe here can be mixed in minutes with a garden hose, assuming you have all the ingredients handy.
Start with NEW trash cans, fresh from the hardware store. Used ones CAN be used, but used cans usually show signs of wear, which will make your female guests run shrieking into the night at the idea of drinking the stuff… as opposed to AFTER drinking the stuff, which is a perfectly normal by-product and side effect.
Galvanized aluminum cans are best – plastic cans often leak, and steel cans, depending on the punch ingredients, can corrode within minutes to the point of springing a dozen little leaks all over the can. Go with the thirty-gallon or 35-gallon size, unless you’re expecting serious attendance.
My favored recipe involved a brand new garbage can and forty cans of frozen concentrated punch; generic is good, but I like Minute Maid. Add a couple bags crushed ice, and, using a garden hose, fill the can about two-thirds full. Add one bottle RealLemon concentrated lemon juice (about 8 oz). Stir.
Now slice two or three oranges into thin slices, and toss them in. Other nice touches include floating flowers, toy boats, rubber duckies, and a human skull on a string, which is drawn out from time to time to check the “soup”, so to speak – I still have the plastic one I used for this purpose. I recommend the anatomical models used for teaching, instead of the cheesy ones you can buy around Halloween. Have a camera handy to catch people’s expressions, if you do this – you’ll be glad you did.
Another neat touch is dry ice – a ten-pound block should be plenty. You can just float it on top of the punch, which creates plenty of Dr. Jekyll fog and bubble effects, but a true artistic touch is to rig a cage in the bottom of the can with chicken wire, weighted down with something, which keeps the ice below the surface of the punch, while making it bubble and smoke madly. Not only does it LOOK great, but it keeps the stuff stirred.
This isn’t the safest thing in the world to do, though – I guarantee that if you float the block, then a few hours later, when it’s about fist-sized, and everyone is roaring drunk, then some idiot is going to try to grab it and put it in his drink or eat it or some damn thing, and then wonder drunkenly why the flesh is falling off his fingers. Be vigilant, or use the chickenwire method.
If you’re using dry ice, do NOT pour alcoholic beverages directly onto the ice!!! Ideally, you should put the dry ice on the bottom in the chickenwire, cover it with the regular crushed ice, then add the frozen punch, then the water, THEN add the booze. It won’t explode or anything, but the dry ice can vaporize alcohols, and cause them to separate from their component liquors. At best, it affects the taste; at worst, it lowers the potency.
Be sure not to divulge the ingredients – if someone asks what’s in it, just tell them to pull the string and see for themselves…
Now, you’re ready for the good stuff. Ideally, when available, four gallons of 100 proof medicinal-grade alcohol is your active ingredient. When you can’t bribe a doctor, you’ll have to settle for about five or six gallons of Everclear or high-proof vodka. This is not to say that you can’t be creative, though – the above recipe creates a fruity drink with an alcohol content of about 22-25 percent, or less, depending on the strength of the vodka. Other forms of alcohol can be substituted – dark rum, in particular, blends well with fruit punch and is quite tasty, but lowers the potency.
Given the amount of punch involved, I don’t recommend LSD as an ingredient; getting enough LSD to dose the number of people who are going to be needed to consume 25-30 gallons of punch is a problem in and of itself, and even if you manage that, you’d better be ready to deal with that chick who drank twenty cups of the stuff and is now going to strip naked and launch herself to Alpha Centauri by sheer force of personality. It was often spread around that the punch contained psychoactives, though, even if it really didn’t – it encourages many folks to drink more.
Lastly, remember that this stuff IS perishable. Refrigerate or discard any unused portion promptly. Drink responsibly, and be aware of your local laws regarding alcoholic beverages.
Party hearty, dudes…
Okay, Wang-Ka, thanks for that recipe, but maybe I should clarify the situation: 4 middle-aged couples whose idea of wild and crazy is 2 drinks and staying up til midnight! But I am printing out your recipe to save for my daughter’s wedding…sounds like her kind of drink!
Wasn’t there something about hard-boiled eggs in the movie? I’m thinking deviled eggs for one appetizer.
Oh.
You shooda said something.
I still recommend the dry ice and the skull, though.
Showmanship counts.
Especially with a “theme” party…
Cucumbers when Dean Wormer’s wife was being propositioned?
Didn’t Belushi pour mustard all over himself at the toga party?
Sorry, I’m not helping much, hunh?
For any legitimate frat party the main course is beer. That’s it, just beer.
In keeping with the beer theme, soft pretzels with mustard could be used for an appetizer. Things conducive to drinking beer like chicken wings or pizza would be good too. Expanding on that idea, you could deep fry beer battered onion rings or vegetables. Here’s a recipe for deep fried artichoke hearts that I posted recently:
Batter:
¾ Cup all-purpose flour
¾ Cup lager beer (not dark or stout)
¾ Tsp salt
Dredge:
¼ Cup White flour
½ Tbs Onion powder
½ Tsp Garlic powder
Pinch of salt
Dash of ground white pepper
1 Can of brined artichoke hearts or crowns (not marinated)
1-2 cups of vegetable oil for frying
Preparation:
Warm oil over low heat. Mix batter ingredients. Fresh beer will produce a fluffier crust but flat beer may be used. Drain artichoke hearts or crowns completely. Lay drained artichokes on paper towels to absorb all moisture. Mix dredge ingredients thoroughly. Take dried artichoke hearts and roll in dredge. Allow to rest on waxed paper for at least five minutes. Bring oil up to frying temperature and dredge the artichokes once more before battering.
Drip a few drops of the batter into the hot oil. It should foam and begin floating immediately. Otherwise the oil is not hot enough to begin the cooking process. Once the oil is hot, take a double dredged artichoke heart and dip it into the batter. Lift it out and very gently drop it into the hot oil. Allow some of the batter on your fingers to drizzle onto the floating artichoke heart to create a “cage” of batter bits. Continue to slowly add more battered artichokes to the hot oil. Do not place too many in the oil at once or it will cool down and halt the frying process. Drain on paper towels and serve with garlic Mayonnaise and cold beer.
Here’s the recipe for deviled eggs:
Deviled Eggs
Classic Appetizer
Preparation time: 30 Minutes
Serves: 6-12 People
Ingredients:
1 Dozen extra large or jumbo eggs
½-¾ Cup Best Foods or home made Mayonnaise
1-2 Tbs Dill pickle relish (or chopped dill pickle)
1-2 Tbs Sweet pickle relish
1-2 Tsp Yellow or brown mustard
1 Minced shallot (or ¼ Tsp Onion powder)
1 Tsp Horseradish (not creamy style)
1 Clove crushed garlic
1 Tsp Lemon Juice
¼ Tsp Ground white pepper
Dash sweet pickle juice
Dash dill pickle juice
Dash of cider vinegar
Dash sugar
Salt
Use paprika, ground black pepper or chopped green onion for garnish.
Preparation:
Place the eggs in one gallon pot of cold water. Turn on heat to high and bring to a boil. Gently stir the eggs occasionally while the water heats. This will make the yolk set in the direct center of the egg.
While the eggs cook, begin to mix all of the ingredients except the Mayonnaise. Sample for balance and make sure that the garlic is not obvious.
Once the eggs come to a boil cover tightly and turn off the heat. Let rest for eight to ten minutes. Immediately remove the eggs with a slotted spoon and plunge into ice water with cubes floating in it. Chilling the cooked eggs helps to pull the albumen off of the shell and make peeling them easier. If not using ice, then run under cold water for at least five minutes.
Slowly mix Mayonnaise into the spiced relish mixture. Stop when the desired consistency is reached. Peel the eggs under water to avoid any eggshell fragments. Cut in half and remove the yolks. Chop the yolks and one or two of the whites then add to the Mayonnaise and relish mixture. Check for flavor and adjust seasoning if needed.
Spoon a small amount of the egg mixture into each of the half whites. For a more formal appearance, mix in a bit of sour cream until the mixture stiffens. Then use a pastry sack with a large star tip to pipe the mixture into the whites. Top with garnishes and serve.
Carrots! Didn’t Niedermeyer feed carrots to the horse in the stable scene? In order to eat them, one person needs to hold a whole carrot in his/her mouth and offer it to another person!
Serve Flounder.
Hire Otis Day and the Knights to play for your party… I did and it turned out great. *
*true story. Ask me about it sometime.
Bourbon
In his “they took the bar” speech, Bluto concludes by chugging most of a bottle of bourbon.
Hamburgers. Bluto stuffs an entire one into his mouth as he’s moving through the line.
Mustard. He pours a jar on himself in a drunken stupor while wearing a toga (as was pointed out).
Beer. Lots and lots of beer. And then have some more beer.
(Damn, I miss my fraternity sometimes. Long live the infamous Oyden.)
Serve the food cafeteria style on trays.
Cherry-Mustard Chicken
1 ½ pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts
Salt
Flour
3 tbsp butter
3 tbsp olive oil
1 cup white wine
1 cup chicken broth
¼ cup Dijon mustard
2 tbsp cornstarch
2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 tbsp water
2 cups pitted sweet cherries
¼ cup sliced green onion
Sprinkle chicken with salt, then lightly toss in flour; shake off excess. Heat ½ the butter and oil in a large skillet over medium heat; add ½ the chicken. Cook 8 to 10 minutes, turning occasionally, until chicken is golden and cooked through. Remove to platter and keep warm. Repeat with remaining butter, oil and chicken.
Stir wine, chicken broth and mustard into skillet, scraping up brown bits. In small bowl, mix cornstarch, vinegar and water; stir into skillet.
Add cherries and bring to a boil, stirring until sauce thickens, 1-2 minutes. Stir in green onion.
Pour sauce over chicken and serve.
Here is a page with several cucumber recipes.
Possibly Greek food, going with the whole “toga” thing.