<p>I am not a fan. I just pay for the stuff. B-) </p>
<p>With Beer, honey roasted nuts… and with dried fish/squid jerky (okay, forget the last part, maybe gone too far) =; :"> </p>
<p>With rice.</p>
<p>Seaweed and squid jerky? With or without rice, definitely out of my cultural comfort zone.</p>
<p>This conversation clearly needs a new twist, but I got nothin’. @Sevendad? @ChoatieMom? </p>
<p>Okay, I’ve got one. Graduation party for a boarding school kid? Yes or no? And if so, who do you invite, and how closely do you follow the peculiar customs of your hometown graduates?</p>
<p>We’re having two celebrations . One celebration will be a dinner off campus while school is still in session and the other one will be at home (over the summer) with family, friends and a few classmates who live nearby. For the dinner off campus, he invited a handful of friends and we’ll provide transportation. I made two reservations… one table for them and one for us ( in a different room). This way they can have fun and we’ll be there to pick up the tab. </p>
<p>It was his idea because some of his best friends live so faraway and it will probably be a longtime before they see each other again. One last dinner together (out on the town) seemed like a nice way to go. :)</p>
<p>I’ve been told that no celebration at school is required–or desired; lots of day parents are providing those parties and our job is basically to keep ourselves busy doing our own thing and not suck up ClassicalSon’s final hours with friends. 
</p>
<p>So mostly I’m wondering about the home party. What will you do? Will you invite old friends from middle school, old teachers, etc.? The parties here tend to be these weird “This Is Your Life” displays of awards, medals, preschool pics (okay, I admit I like the preschool pics). Just curious about what happens in other parts of the world. </p>
<p>Changing the subject: I hope all of you are willing to bear with me over the next year. Friendlyson will be applying to high school (99% sure it will not be boarding school). While friendlydaughter is the diligent perfectionist type, friendlyson is a whole different breed. So please be generous with your advice about how to bring a goofy 8th grade boy through the application/SSAT/essay process!</p>
<p>@friendlymom- There are many parents here who specialize in goofy 8th grade boys! </p>
<p>@classicalmama- I asked K1 what he wanted for a graduation gift (after six long years- JBS-SS) and he asked for a small dinner off campus with friends before commencement. It won’t take anything away from day student parties or school festivities. The school was very accommodating and supportive of our plans. They thought it was a lovely idea.</p>
<p>Our celebration at home (over the summer) will be hot dogs and hamburgers… and maybe a Fudgy The Whale Cake…if he’s lucky. </p>
<p>Party? Oh no! CM, this is a topic for The Worry Thread. Haven’t they partied enough already? I planned to say, “Well done, son,” with a special graduation hug followed by, “Hey, what did you expect–we still have to pay for college” when he rolls his eyes in that oh-so familiar fashion. ;)</p>
<p>@ChoatieMom: you sound exactly like my ClassicalPapa, who loves to demonstrate the hearty shoulder slap and firm handshake that HIS father gave HIM for a graduation present for both high school and college. </p>
<p>I think it may never warm up here enough for a backyard barbecue style grad party. I need indoors, festive, and–above all–easy. </p>
<p>"It was his idea because some of his best friends live so faraway and it will probably be a longtime before they see each other again. One last dinner together (out on the town) seemed like a nice way to go. "</p>
<p>That made me teary, and my kid hasn’t even started yet! </p>
<p>@classicalmama, Fudgy the Whale is the classiest thing ever. I LOVE that stupid thing.</p>
<p>Upon realizing that Fudgy the Whale was a real thing and not just something PhotographerMom made up for her son’s 4th birthday and then for every birthday thereafter, classicalmama googled it and found it on Wikipedia. Alas, no Carvel stores within a 200 mile radius. You guys must think I live somewhere near civilization. How do you think my kid got into boarding school/ Geographical diversity, baby!!</p>
<p>You realize he can get a Fudgy by taking the Exeter shuttle to Market Basket, right? They’re in the frozen foods section…this should be marketed as an offering of the school. </p>
<p>But for the home party, booklady, not Exeter; remember, my child, unlike photographermom’s nice son, thinks the biggest favor I can do him while I’m at Exeter is to pose for a couple photos and then disappear.</p>
<p>The west coast doesn’t have Carvel so we don’t get Fudgy or any of his relatives with that delicious chocolate crunch between the layers. I firmly believe that California won’t be part of modern civiliation until this is available. My children have grown up without knowledge of the finiest things in life.</p>
<p>The crunchies are the best part. Haute cuisine.</p>
<p>Yeah, but California has In-N-Out…</p>
<p>Random piece of info while on the topic of crunchiness: did you know that Oreos are vegan?</p>
<p>Bad for you, bad for the environment, but still vegan. </p>
<p>Newman-os, stargirl. Vegan and organic and socially conscious (the company that is). And most importantly, way tastier than Oreos. </p>
<p>I shall serve Newmano’s at the graduation party for crunch. What else?</p>
<p>Give me a spotted banana and I will leave you alone. </p>
<p>Until I finish that banana. Then I will bug you for another.</p>