THE PROBLEM WITH KIDS TODAY
Ruth Reichl’s Letter from the Editor in the current (March 2007) issue of Gourmet magazine hits a bull’s-eye. She warns that she’s going to rant, and she does it extremely well in the course of doing the right thing: The problem with the picky way kids eat today isn’t kids – it’s parents and a society that sets kids apart as a “separate species who require a different diet from the rest of us.”
YAY! I cheered as I read it. About a month or so ago, I wrote here in this blog that I was ticked off by the notion that kids simply don’t like certain foods. Sure, I know it’s tough to deal with a recalcitrant 5-year-old at dinner time who demands mac-and-cheese and won’t eat anything but mac-and-cheese. But it’s the responsibility of parents to guide their kids through the wonderfully delicious, huge world of food and encourage wide-ranging dining by example and perseverance. Just as parents must persevere when kids resist bed time, bath time, teeth-brushing time, homework time.
The ever-eloquent, always insightful Reichl says it far better than me: “Children study their parents – that is their primary job in life – and one of the things they absorb is the way the grown-ups eat.” If Mom’s eating salad, but Suzy’s only given applesauce, if Dad’s eating pasta with Bolognese sauce, but Sam’s pasta is naked, Reichl says, “What we’re really telling our children is ‘You won’t like what we’re eating.’ ”
She also addresses the particular myth I personally abhor – that single-digits only will eat chicken nuggets, hot dogs, mac-and-cheese – with my favorite argument against such nonsense: “Japanese children are not born thinking that rice, fish and seaweed are breakfast foods any more than American children are born with an innate preference for cereal. We tell them what they like, even if we don’t say it in words.”
If your kids won’t eat the foods you wish they would, head straight to Page 24 of the March issue of Gourmet. Reichl says a whole lot more about kids and food in her good-to-the-last drop essay.
Cheers,
Andy
3.5.07
YAY! I cheered as I read it. About a month or so ago, I wrote here in this blog that I was ticked off by the notion that kids simply don’t like certain foods. Sure, I know it’s tough to deal with a recalcitrant 5-year-old at dinner time who demands mac-and-cheese and won’t eat anything but mac-and-cheese. But it’s the responsibility of parents to guide their kids through the wonderfully delicious, huge world of food and encourage wide-ranging dining by example and perseverance. Just as parents must persevere when kids resist bed time, bath time, teeth-brushing time, homework time.
The ever-eloquent, always insightful Reichl says it far better than me: “Children study their parents – that is their primary job in life – and one of the things they absorb is the way the grown-ups eat.” If Mom’s eating salad, but Suzy’s only given applesauce, if Dad’s eating pasta with Bolognese sauce, but Sam’s pasta is naked, Reichl says, “What we’re really telling our children is ‘You won’t like what we’re eating.’ ”
She also addresses the particular myth I personally abhor – that single-digits only will eat chicken nuggets, hot dogs, mac-and-cheese – with my favorite argument against such nonsense: “Japanese children are not born thinking that rice, fish and seaweed are breakfast foods any more than American children are born with an innate preference for cereal. We tell them what they like, even if we don’t say it in words.”
If your kids won’t eat the foods you wish they would, head straight to Page 24 of the March issue of Gourmet. Reichl says a whole lot more about kids and food in her good-to-the-last drop essay.
Cheers,
Andy
3.5.07
posted by Andrea Clurfeld at 5:53 AM
6 Comments:
Andrea, I agree wholeheartedly!! As a mother of 9, I know all too well of the battle of the young palates...I see it more as the trend toward convenience in cooking for children (fast,with no arguments). Sure it takes more time and creativity to prepare an interesting and healthy meal as opposed to nukeing some nuggets and orange mac slop, but it isn't rocket science. It will require some "tough-parenting" to change their acquired tastes...But remember that they are just that--acquired--and easily changed. My kids love the bitterness of broccoli-rabe and the fun-to-make spaghetti squash. Involve them in the prep and cooking and see how they love it...and hey, you might eat better, too.
I can't agree with you more Janeen...
It's all a matter of what you're exposed to as a kid...
To be sure, I never was a picky eater, my sister was...but it's either eat or starve...
Parents today whom cater to their kids at the dinner table cater to them in every other aspect...
God Bless my parents for making me try new things...
Thanks to Janeen and to anonymous for adding insight and information to this topic.
Janeen, I stand in awe of you and would love to talk to you more about how you've introduced new foods to your kids' diets. If you would be interested, please give me a call at the Press (732. 643. 4273) any old time and leave your number if I'm not around to answer the phone here. (I'll be away from March 8 through March 13, but will return your call post-haste after that - if you'd like to chat.)
Thanks again for writing - and I'm very interested to hear from other parents about dinnertime triumphs and travails.
cheers,
Andy
3.6.07
Amen Janeen!! Maybe I'm just lucky, but my 7 1/2 year-old shares my opinion that you have to try everything at least once in order to find out whether you like it. As a result, she has sampled (and liked) many foods that most kids "won't" eat - sushi, spinach, even a good tongue and corned beef sandwich from the deli! It is so much fun to eat with her, and it makes mealtime truly enjoyable when I do not need to force her to try new foods.
Ruth Reichl is right, kids see what their parents eat, and take away from it. We have a household that is extremely adventurous when it comes to food. My wife and I both cook (as a hobby), and when we travel, the first things we look for are culinary highlights - and our kids are always willing accomplices. My five year old daughter enjoys Callos a la Catalan (Stew of Beef Tripe) and my 10 year old relishes Sharks Fin Dumplings. I guess the key is explaining, or introducing to them what the flavors are rather than what the food is.
-93chambertin
Hi, Andy!
My husband and I were recently viewed as freaks because our two-year-old has never tried the delicacy known as the chicken nugget.
The notion that kids require "kid food" is a pet peeve of mine, and I'm glad to see you and your readers rant and rave, too.
For breakfast this morning, my toddler enjoyed two kinds of fresh pears served with Stilton and Gorgonzola cheeses.
On other days, she'll have plain oatmeal with raisins and (real) maple syrup, or a bowl of Cheerios, or plain yogurt with wheat germ.
She certainly loves mac and cheese, but she also loves herbs and spices, and she gobbles down vegetarian sushi, hummus and baba ghanouj (sp?), sardines, pickled herring, olives, hot salsa, and every known vegetable under the sun.
I think the key is to offer variety and not to force kids to eat anything. If my daughter says, "No please," or "All done," I respect that.
We also avoid the "Pandora's boxes" of childhood -- our toddler gets zero junk food or candy and no juice. I realize that anything's OK in moderation, but "moderation" is a foreign concept to toddlers.
As a treat, she can have ice cream or good-quality (organic, non-hydrogenated, etc.) cookies, cake or pretzels. No fries or chips, though we do let her have sweet potato fries on occasion.
It definitely takes discipline, and we try to set a good example. I only hope that as she gets older, and sees kids eating junk in school, etc., that she'll keep her good eating habits.
Your co-worker and pal,
Kelly-Jane Cotter
Post a Comment
<< Home