Special Foods and Meal Traditions at Maine Camp

These challenging times are testing our resilience, but we are lucky to be able to reach out, show compassion, and feel connected through friends, family ties and our camp community. As many of our camp families will observe religious holidays over the next couple weeks, we at Maine Camp Experience (MCE) are thinking about the traditions that bring us together, such as meals. This week, some MCE families will celebrate Passover, a time to come together (traditionally in person, but this year via Zoom!) to share a specific meal complete with many special customs. Whether this happens via technology, or in person, the Passover meal is a long-standing, meaningful tradition. This special meal reminds us (like so many things do!) of meals at camp. When we think of food traditions, so many wonderful, fun meals at our MCE camps come to mind.When MCE blogger Emma thinks about camp, food is always a stand-out memory: “My camp friends and I can spend hours talking about our favorite camp foods, and the memories that surround them — from the excitement of Whoopie Pie night, to the teamwork of cracking lobsters at our special Lobster Dinner, to cookouts every Wednesday, meals are always something special at camp.” At Emma’s Maine Camp, food is almost synonymous with camp tradition. Each summer, campers can count on the milk and cookies line before bed, the corn on the cob contest, and Sunday sundaes, just to name a few! When MCE blogger Ali thinks back on meals at camp, she immediately thinks of togetherness and fun. She says: “When I think of camp mealtimes, I think of singing in the dining room and the community-building aspect of bringing the camp together three times a day. I vividly remember how weird and empty meals feel the week after camp at home, when eating didn’t involve singing, clapping, cheering and sharing meals with 100+ others! Nothing beats a camp meal.” Additionally, Ali remembers the weekly “International Night,” special Banquet dinner, and even a yearly birthday cake decorating contest! Ali also thinks about eating a special camp cinnamon bun called “Schnecken” that her MCE camp alumna sister made last week. Her family has been turning to camp activities and foods to keep the family smiling during quarantine!Though special foods and meal traditions vary from Maine camp to Maine camp, no matter which camp you attend, meals bring campers and counselors together, and help to form some of the best long-lasting memories each summer.As we try to make the best of this unique time, camp-like foods and meals can be one way to have fun and come together as a family in your household, too! Ask your campers about their favorite camp meal, and maybe even recreate it with them for an activity! We at MCE know a camp memory can always put a smile on a camper’s face. — Maine Camp Experience Resources & Tools

You can share your own Maine camps memories & expressions of gratitude on our Memories of Camp section of our website.

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