Paul Hickey: Not so keen on cat food-inspired recipes

Cat inspired recipes are now available online. Photo /Getty Images

OPINION

Isn't it funny how some stories and memories stick with you so vividly even many years later?

I'm not sure whether this was an urban myth or whether it actually happened, but as a kid I was visiting with some older cousins in the Coromandel Peninsula and I heard the story of how one of my cousins best mates liked to eat cat food.

I remember being so grossed out at the time, probably not helped by the fact there was probably nothing more than cans of jellimeat that were being given to our feline friends back then.

But now, there is such a massive selection of options for cats, some of them probably eat better than their owners. From Fancy Feast, to Delish, and the posh containers make it look anything but cat food.

We've got four cats and home, and feeding time is generally one of my regular chores, and I have never ever considered doing what my cousin's mate did back in the day.

But it appears that Fancy Feast isn't just for your cat anymore.

The Purina cat food brand has released a cookbook for humans, to celebrate the debut of its new line of single-serve entrees, "Petites".

The "Fancy Feast Petites Feast Cookbook" is free to download, and includes 12 single-serve recipes inspired by Petites, so humans can enjoy dinner alongside their felines.

The 12 recipes in the cookbook include "Chicken and Ramen with Tomato Honey Butter Sauce", "Honey Sriracha Grilled Chicken with Spicy Fried Rice", and "Whitefish and Asparagus with Beurre Blanc".

The company says the recipes are "easy enough to whip up on a weeknight" and "are for humans but were created in honour of the dishes you will be serving your cat."

I imagine they could be pretty tasty recipes but I can't say that I am tempted.

Tonic we all needed

After 12 long months of border closures, the opening of the transtasman bubble this week has provided plenty of emotional scenes at airports flooding mainstream media and social channels.

Among all the grief, sorrow and frustration of lockdowns and closures, this was exactly the tonic we needed to see.

And I do hear that alongside the many family reunions, we have actually had some fair dinkum Aussie blokes and sheilas doing the tourist thing already in Rotorua this week, which is a positive sign too.

Six60 test a treat

And around the world, people are watching our bubble with jealousy, and still look at us in awe as we continue to hold large scale sports events and concerts.

The two come together this weekend when Six60 play the first concert on Eden Park, and it promises to be a big night. Jono & Ben from The Hits Breakfast were at the ground on Tuesday, and spent nine hours completing a challenge set by the band themselves.

Six60 hid 50 tickets under one seat in the 50,000 seat stadium, and Jono & Ben wouldn't get the tickets until they sat on the exact seat! But the commitment from the boys paid off, and we've had plenty of excited winners over the past few days.

And a bit closer to home we've got the Howard Morrison Quartet playing at the Energy Events Centre this weekend.

I had a catch up with Howie Jnr on my show this week, and you could hear the excitement that they were finally getting to play at home after an amazing tour of Aotearoa.

If you are seeing Howard, Chris, Russell and Jack performing this weekend, enjoy it!

* Paul Hickey is the host of the local Rotorua show on The Hits Rotorua weekdays between 9am and 3pm. Listen on 97.5FM or download the iHeartRadio app. Follow The Hits Rotorua and Paul on Facebook and Instagram.