Customer Reviews

TableTopics Gourmet

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I gave this as a gift to a 'foodie' friend and she absolutely loves it. The questions are a great way to start conversation, keep a dinner party talking, and engage just about anyone. Another friend has the basic table topics cube and she and her husband take it in the car for road trips.

We have several versions of Table Topics and really enjoy the conversations they initiate. We bought this particular set as a gift for adult children that are self-proclaimed "foodies" and they had a blast using them at a party with friends.

I picked this up as a gift for an amateur chef who loves to entertain. We've played it numerous times and it's extremely fun. Great for people who consider themselves "foodies" but also good for us everyday eaters. It's ended up prompting some recipe swapping and the sharing of a number of funny "meals gone wrong" type of stories.

When I first learned about TableTopics in general, I thought it was a great idea but ridiculously overpriced. Why wouldn't someone just write down a bunch of conversation starters on their own on index cards and save $25? Well, I answered my own question when I was in need of a birthday gift for someone hard to please. TableTopics went over a lot better than I think index cards would have! What you're paying for is more than just the individual questions; what you're paying for is the presentation, something nice enough to leave on a dining room table and withstand (one hopes) years of use and enjoyment.

The box the cards come in is actually surprisingly pretty - far better than I had expected it to be. It's just a clear cube with edges about 4 inches long, and thick, nearly 1/2 inch walls. It looks like glass or crystal, though it's plastic. The cards are 3 inch squares on a durable heavy-duty sort of cardstock or thin cardboard. It's a very attractive package and makes for a substantial gift. In fact, it's now my go-to gift for people I don't know well - not the Gourmet version specifically - but one of the TableTopics many varieties.

As far as the Gourmet version goes, I purchased this for myself, and was pretty pleased with it. My qualms? A good number of cards had "yes or no" type questions, like whether you've cooked for your pet, which failed to foster much conversation around my table. Even worse was a "would you rather" type question about living off celery or being overweight, an awkward topic to discuss over dinner no matter who's eating (or subsequently self-consciously not eating). As food-lovers would expect, there are a number of questions about wine (hope no one is a teetotaler!), technique, ideals and your own cooking and eating habits. I thought many vegetarians/vegans would be pleased with how few questions were related to meat eating (under five, if I'm remembering right).

My final complaint, which is undoubtedly a pet peeve more than a true problem with the product, is that none of the TableTopic questions have question marks. The conversation prompts are questions; punctuate accordingly!

Anyway, I would recommend this product overall. (I gave a low educational rating because although you will learn about your fellow "players" the game itself isn't designed to be educational.) It's a fun way to spark conversation and at least a few of the questions should lead you down paths you hadn't thought of before.

I gave this as a gift to my 27 year old nephew. He and his wife had great fun with it together, and were looking forward to sharing with their friends at an upcoming dinner party. Excellent idea for grownup conversation!