Like it or not, the time has come when kids of all ages dress up in every manner of costume to show friends and significant others the inner workings of their creative being, sometimes with questionable effect but mostly just for fun.
For elementary students, Halloween is almost always a huge deal where young ones can break all the dress code rules and let loose for an entire day, often with all staff joining in on the daytime festivities.
Is Anyone Really Cooking on Halloween?
Halloween recipes have always confounded me however, since I can’t recall ever preparing any spooky meal or gory appetizer. There have been many scary drinks mind you but these were not limited to Halloween per-se.
Granted, at certain Halloween get-togethers during my twenties I vaguely recall some friends making the effort to decorate a scary cake, or make a witch’s brew punch bowl, but never was there any all-out buffet of intricately crafted Halloween treats.
It makes me wonder then, are the plethora of Halloween recipes out there just for show? I’d be surprised to learn that many people actually make these things in real life.
Finding Hidden Treasure
My doubt also comes from noticing over the years how many people actually turn out their lights at Halloween. Trick-or-treating with young ones in tow has primarily become a business of finding the hot-spots in any given municipality, since a great number of streets are quite noticeably ‘off’ where Halloween is concerned. You can ring if you like but clearly nobody is answering.
The Halloween Herd
Of course, for those parents who are out supervising their own rabble of ghosts and goblins, is there really a spare parent free to stay home and make perfect-looking Halloween goodies? Most of the folks with kids that I know of are making a night out of it as a family, maybe even bringing a flask of something to help keep warm while walking around. The night passes quickly when surrounded by fun neighbours.
It’s Ok To Not Be A Fan
As for anyone else that doesn’t fit into any of the categories above, my guess is that the rest simply don’t really like Halloween. There are a few who actually confess it openly, but I suspect there are lots of folks who just quietly tolerate such an outlandish occasion for the sake of local kids, but certainly they are not baking ghost cookies or icing spider cupcakes.
Regardless of where you land on the Halloween Cartesian graph, I firmly believe that its worth enjoying something special to eat no matter what the occasion, regardless if we subscribe to its rituals or not.
So in the spirit of Halloween, why not try some pumpkin butter tarts to sweeten your day or night this October 31st, they’re super easy and incredibly delicious, and whether you share them or not I promise not to tell.
Happy Halloween!
About me: My name is Paul Thibault, an impulsive home chef developing delicious gluten free recipes for family and friends regardless of their allergen restrictions or dietary limitations, visit the About Page to learn more.