Kitchen Table Passport Review: February 2015

Kitchen Table Passport is a fairly new subscription box and this is a really amazing service that I think would be especially great for families with kids. Each month, a different location is chosen and you receive a box with a traditional recipe from that area, along with the shopping list to make it, a spice or ingredient to help with cooking, and an item or souvenir from the area. In addition, you get a stack of beautiful cards with images and facts about that location (this is my favorite part and what really sets this subscription apart from others). We were sent this box for review, but I am quite impressed by what it offers and I told Crafty right away that she should check it out.

This month's destination was South Africa. I like that it was a location I don't know much about, but that the recipe wasn't way out there. I would have been disappointed to get Italy and receive a pasta recipe, for example, but I also don't want a recipe for something that would be impossible to even find at the grocery store. The meal for South Africa was bunnies, a bread full of curried meat or beans that was used during the apartheid era to sneak full meals out to people disguised as bread. 

When you open the box, there are instructions and the items are labeled and tagged for each section (Contents, Prepare, and Enjoy). There was also a card introducing the destination and why it was chosen.

The meal card came on a full color card with the recipe and shopping list. The items are all common items you could easily get at the store and the meal itself is flexible enough that you could add or remove things that don't work for your personal diet or preferences. We're vegetarians, so we would not add meat, but the recipe could easily be made with tofu or beans. We were also sent a curry spice pack in a drawstring bag; it smelled very potent! 

We also received a tea bag and tiger's eye from South Africa in another drawstring bag. I like the additional touches that represent the region you are discovering.

My favorite part of the box is why I think this would be a wonderful subscription for families. You receive a stack of full color cards with images from the area on the front and facts on the back. There is a ton of information included on each and it's a really great way to learn, while also experiencing a "taste" of the culture. Here are a few examples.

I love the idea of getting together with kids each month, cooking as a family and trying a new meal, and then sitting down to learn about another culture. It's an educational process that is still fun and really brings people together. I'm a huge advocate for experiential learning and I think this is a way to educate and entertain, as well as to help a new generation appreciate diversity and also recognize the humanity in all of us.