foodie: (n) a person devoted to refined sensuous enjoyment (especially good food and drink)
kai can be a little foodie rock star. he loves to eat most things, including crab claws dipped in butter and especially risotto. for the most part, we're pretty healthy eaters. we mostly eat homemade dinners, we munch on loads of fruit for afterschool snack, and we prefer wheat bread. we never buy soda and rarely juice. candy/junk food only enters the house on halloween night (minus good chocolate for the boys and chips for me). we don’t eat fast food (kai has been to mcdonald’s in spain once while being babysat by his uncle and aunt). so, when kai is picky i don’t fret over it because i know my foodie rock star will return to me.
stefan and i made a choice early on to feed kai what we feed ourselves. we want him to appreciate and understand good food – why it’s important, where it comes from, how to enjoy it. i want to create in kai a healthy and passionate attitude about food than i had as a teenager (food was the enemy). as such, stefan has never cooked two different meals, kai’s dinner plate is exactly the same as ours. our only rule at the dinner table is that kai must try everything on his plate (before, there were too many arguments about finishing one's plate). we also repeat our favourites, kids like repetition.
we also try to eat dinner together, even if it means a late dinner because kai’s circus class ends at 8pm. sometimes we fail because i/stefan happens to be out for the evening. i truly believe that warm, happy family meals creates a stronger bond with our children – i love the conversations kai initiates at the dinner table too. by creating such a tradition, my hope is that when kai is a teenager he will be hardwired to come home for dinner, sit down and talk to us. and as an added benefit, by eating together every night you raise smart kids - seriously, i read this somewhere!
we tend to stay away from ‘kid-friendly’ restaurants (unless they serve really good food or we’re out in the rural lands and there is no choice). when we choose a restaurant it’s because we know we’ll love the food and the atmosphere not because it has a kid-friendly label. our version of fast food is a sushi restaurant. if we have more time, we head to a casual fine dining restaurant. white tablecloths and wine glasses on the table don’t scare us away either. kai has been going to such places since he was a babe in arms.
and all of this does not mean that we’re perfect foodies. before kai, i was pretty sure that any child of mine would never eat a meal that came from a box/can and would not be obsessed with candy. needless to say, i was naive (i am pretty sure i am not alone here). i will reach for annie’s mac and cheese box when stefan isn’t around, kai will eat cookie cereal or a nutella sandwich for a fast breakfast, and we love our ice cream! one of kai’s favourite meals is annie’s mac and cheese or annie's lentil soup. we sometimes eat while watching a movie (but we're together, right?). here’s a confession, i found mac and cheese in my mom’s cupboard – my italian mom who cooks every single thing from scratch. needless to say, i was flabbergasted!
i am aware that some kids are pickier than others and not giving in to their dinner demands is probably very hard to put into practise. there is such pleasure in watching your child eat that anything is better than just a raisin. and of course there is the matter of monies too - eating can be expensive so kid-friendly restaurants are often more doable than a fine dining one.
i think stefan and i have found a pretty good balance for our little family.
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sorry, don't remember where i found this photo |
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