Lunch Triathlon
In response to John's latest entry, in which he discussed lunch-time shenanigans, I came up with a few games (with some help from Jess) that dining parties could engage themselves in: The Catsup Slide, the Meal Topple, and the Lunch Box Splatter.
Catsup Slide. In this game, entrées are slid down the table and their distance recorded for a score.
Track Set-up:
- The party creates a Catsup Track by laying a fine layer of catsup on the table in a wide, straight line.
- The distance of the track is measured in straws (or napkin-lengths, in more desperate cases).
- Each length is marked with a tick of mustard perpendicular to the track.
Game Rules
- Points are scored by sliding the player's entrée down the track and counting each mustard tick passed.
- If the entrée stops with the majority (one half or more) over a tick, the point under the entrée is given to the player.
- Once one player has taken his turn, he must refurbish the track.
- After each player has taken their turn, the round ends.
- Matches may consist of 1 to 3 rounds.
- The player with the highest score at the end of the match wins the game.
- If there is a tie, the tied players engage in an extra, tie-breaking round. The winner of the tie-breaker defeats the other tied player(s), but has no points added to his total score.
Meal Topple. This game involves toppling lunches on the table and the area of spillage is recorded for a score.
Field Set-up:
- A wide, rectangular region of the table is designated as the Spill Zone.
- The Spill Zone is marked in a grid-like fashion with thin, straight lines of mustard. (The grid is 4x8) Each square has a side-length of one fourth of a straw.
Game Rules:
- The player places his lunch, with all of his food stacked one straw-height high, on the short side of the Spill Zone.
- The player must topple his food into the Spill Zone by lifting his plate towards the Zone. The object is to fill as much of the Spill Zone as possible.
- Width-running squares are counted as 1 point, length-running squares are counted as 2 points. Total score is calculated by adding length and width points.
- Once a player has taken his turn, he must refurbish the grid.
- Each match consists of only one turn by each player.
- The player with the highest score at the end of the match wins the game.
- If there is a tie, the tied players engage in an extra, tie-breaking round. The winner of the tie-breaker defeats the other tied player(s), but has no points added to his total score.
Lunch Box Splatter. Players throw their lunch boxes at the wall and the radius of the splatter is recorded for a score.
Field Set-up
- A point on the wall is marked with a quarter-sized dot of catsup.
- A mark is placed on the floor three paces from the wall.
Game Rules
- Each player fills their lunch box with loose food particles, condiments, and sauces. The contents must rise half-way to the top of the basin of the lunch box.
- The player tosses his lunch box at the dot on the wall and measures, in straw/napkin-lengths, the radius of the splatter (each length counting as once point). If the player misses the dot on the wall, 1 point is deducted from his total score.
- The floor is cleaned after each player takes his turn.
- The round is over after all players have taken their turn once.
- Each match consists of two rounds.
- Total score is calculated by adding the two round scores.
- The player with the highest score at the end of the match wins the game.
Once all games have been played, the Final Score is calculated by averaging all total scores. The player with the highest Final Score wins the Lunch Triathlon.
Catsup Slide. In this game, entrées are slid down the table and their distance recorded for a score.
Track Set-up:
- The party creates a Catsup Track by laying a fine layer of catsup on the table in a wide, straight line.
- The distance of the track is measured in straws (or napkin-lengths, in more desperate cases).
- Each length is marked with a tick of mustard perpendicular to the track.
Game Rules
- Points are scored by sliding the player's entrée down the track and counting each mustard tick passed.
- If the entrée stops with the majority (one half or more) over a tick, the point under the entrée is given to the player.
- Once one player has taken his turn, he must refurbish the track.
- After each player has taken their turn, the round ends.
- Matches may consist of 1 to 3 rounds.
- The player with the highest score at the end of the match wins the game.
- If there is a tie, the tied players engage in an extra, tie-breaking round. The winner of the tie-breaker defeats the other tied player(s), but has no points added to his total score.
Meal Topple. This game involves toppling lunches on the table and the area of spillage is recorded for a score.
Field Set-up:
- A wide, rectangular region of the table is designated as the Spill Zone.
- The Spill Zone is marked in a grid-like fashion with thin, straight lines of mustard. (The grid is 4x8) Each square has a side-length of one fourth of a straw.
Game Rules:
- The player places his lunch, with all of his food stacked one straw-height high, on the short side of the Spill Zone.
- The player must topple his food into the Spill Zone by lifting his plate towards the Zone. The object is to fill as much of the Spill Zone as possible.
- Width-running squares are counted as 1 point, length-running squares are counted as 2 points. Total score is calculated by adding length and width points.
- Once a player has taken his turn, he must refurbish the grid.
- Each match consists of only one turn by each player.
- The player with the highest score at the end of the match wins the game.
- If there is a tie, the tied players engage in an extra, tie-breaking round. The winner of the tie-breaker defeats the other tied player(s), but has no points added to his total score.
Lunch Box Splatter. Players throw their lunch boxes at the wall and the radius of the splatter is recorded for a score.
Field Set-up
- A point on the wall is marked with a quarter-sized dot of catsup.
- A mark is placed on the floor three paces from the wall.
Game Rules
- Each player fills their lunch box with loose food particles, condiments, and sauces. The contents must rise half-way to the top of the basin of the lunch box.
- The player tosses his lunch box at the dot on the wall and measures, in straw/napkin-lengths, the radius of the splatter (each length counting as once point). If the player misses the dot on the wall, 1 point is deducted from his total score.
- The floor is cleaned after each player takes his turn.
- The round is over after all players have taken their turn once.
- Each match consists of two rounds.
- Total score is calculated by adding the two round scores.
- The player with the highest score at the end of the match wins the game.
Once all games have been played, the Final Score is calculated by averaging all total scores. The player with the highest Final Score wins the Lunch Triathlon.