It’s official: Hunger Games fever has arrived at Casa Petersik.
I started it first, deciding to read the book before seeing the movie. I’d heard it was a fast read and that proved true—I finished it in about 24 hours. Sherry was reluctant at first, saying she didn’t have time, but I convinced her to try a single chapter. That one chapter turned into the whole book, and she was soon finishing Catching Fire a few days later. I’m partway through Catching Fire now, and we’re expecting our copy of Mockingjay next week. No spoilers, please!
Why the sudden binge? We’d planned a belated birthday movie date night for Sherry after our first attempt was derailed by a fully booked restaurant. We arranged babysitters (my parents) and tried CinéBistro for the first time—the kind of upscale cinema where you can eat a full meal while watching the film. Here’s Sherry making her swankiest face.
We’ve only been to three movies since Clara was born almost two years ago, so this felt like a real treat. CinéBistro is 21-and-up, assigns seats, and offers full in-theater food service—servers take your order and bring dishes to your large, comfy seats. I was trying to decide what to order before we were seated.
We started with an appetizer called “Popcorn” calamari—actual calamari mixed with popcorn. It sounded quirky and tasted great.
We wanted to save room for dessert, but after ordering hearty mains—my chicken & biscuits and Sherry’s meatloaf with mashed potatoes and collard greens (think upscale comfort food)—we were full before the previews ended. By the way, Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter looked intriguing in the trailers. Maybe our next date night pick—though I should probably read the book first.
As for the Hunger Games movie itself, we enjoyed it. It wasn’t a flawless adaptation, but it was engaging and faithful enough to satisfy fans. More importantly, it was just nice to get out together for an evening.
Anyone else into Hunger Games right now—books, movie, or both? What did you think? Also, can you turn your last name into a Hunger Games-style pun like I did with the post title, or were we just unusually inspired?
PS: In the comments, Kim recommended a site that generates Hunger Games-style names and methods of death. Sherry’s result was Oregano Amberpoe, District 8 tribute in the 22nd Hunger Games, killed by asphyxiation. I was Huggle Santolina, a District 7 tribute in the 20th Hunger Games, killed by trusting a 12-year-old boy. Lesson learned—never trust a 12-year-old in the arena!