Mini Foodies
My nieces are not afraid of food. As a matter of fact, they've spoiled me. Now, if I encounter a kid who's a picky eater I immedietly dismiss them as annoying. Mallorie (5) and Julia (4) will eat anything- and I mean ANYTHING. Some of their favorite foods include squid, sea weed, raw vegetables, green beans, carnitas, milanesa, California Rolls, shrimp, pasta, tofu and carmalized onions.
I've always thought that picky eaters weren't exposed to a wide variety of foods growing up and maybe that's why my nieces are so open to all kinds of food. The first years of their life were spent in the Los Angeles area where they had a Mexican babysitter making them arroz con leche one day and then the next, they were eating Japanese food with me at a local hole-in-the-wall.
They really blew my mind today when we went to a Korean restaurant and they ordered tofu dumpling soup. They both dumped kimchee, bean sprouts, raw eggs, sea weed and pickled vegetables into their soup like there was no tomorrow and then they both ate their entire steaming bowl of soup. That wasn't too surprising. What really shocked me was when the waitress brought out two fried fish, head and tail still entact and she informed the girls that they best part of this fish is its eyeballs. Without fail, both girls grabbed chopsticks and went at the fish eyes, each girl sat crunching on an eye as I sat there, stunned.
I'm twenty-three and without kids of my own. Is it normal for kids to like adult food- the weirder the better? Do they eat these things to shock and impress or because they're curious? Do any of you have kids who love food this much?
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21 Comments:
For one thing, if you've been eating something since before you can remember, it's not weird, it's just what food is. And I think that the more things you're comfortable eating, the less scary the new stuff will be. For example, if you've never eaten fish, any fish will seem weird. But once you accept one fish, another one isn't as odd. The when you find out that crabs and lobsters live in the water with the fish, that's not so odd, either. So the more things you try, the more the odd stuff becomes related to something that's already familiar.
Also, with two kids that close in age, they probably encourage one another. One kid likes something, the other one wants it, too. And it cuts down on the risk. If one kid is afraid of trying something new, the other one might be willing. Somehow, they decided that eating different things is fun and not scary or yukky, and that's a good thing.
Whatever the reasons, it's probably a lot more fun to be around these kids than the ones who demand McNuggets every day.
dbcurrie at 1:59AM on 07/29/08
Haha this reminds me of my nephew. His first day of kindergarten all the kids had to make cutouts of their handprints and write their "favorites" on them: favorite color, favorite book, etc., and favorite food. He put "Indian food, mussels, and brie."
I agree with db that it partly depends on what you grew up with -- I was a pretty picky eater in most respects as a kid (I spent months refusing to eat anything but boiled hot dogs and orange jello - ew) but I also ate things most kids wouldn't like, like pesto and pickled eggplant.
embolini9 at 10:06AM on 07/29/08
I think if the adults act like it's normal and no big deal to eat something, the kids will happily try it. Parents who "assume" kids won't like nice fresh vegetables or tasty poached fish or yummy liverwurst spread convey to them that there's something wrong with eating those foods.
chari at 10:21AM on 07/29/08
I was not a picky eater...and I'm still not...I'll try (almost) anything once...
I used to nanny for a kid who was the pickiest eater ever...I felt like it was because that a) his single father didn't pay him enough attention, b) that he was never exposed to lots of foods and c) that he was indulged in his picky-ness.
Once I started nannying for him, he started eating more food because he got more attention from me, and he saw me eating different kinds of fruits & veggies and sushi, etc. I tried to teach him that you have to try something to know if you don't like it.
KateRuby at 10:32AM on 07/29/08
I cannot wait to have kids and expose them to all of the foods I love. My fiance on the other hand, is not allowed to teach our kids his food habits. I want our future children to eat veggies, fish, sushi, sauces, eggs, ethnic foods - all of the things he doesn't eat.
His mother catered to his father's multiple dislikes when he was small and in turn he and his brother are two of the pickiest eaters I've ever met. *I did get him to eat carnitas and chorizo last night :) * In my family, we always had to try something once and then make up our mind - and most times my brothers and I really liked what we were given so we are very open minded about food and trying new things.
I would be sad if I had picky eaters...
Tara Tot at 10:47AM on 07/29/08
I find picky eating is a learned habit from parents 1) they are picky and don't have a problem with the kids being picky and/or 2) the kids start being picky and are indulged in the bad habit by the parents. My husband and I are not picky and did not put up with our children being picky. It was a failed attempt at a power struggle. Today our kids eat or will try just about anything. And yes being close in age (less than 2 years) had alot to do with it--"I'll try this if you do!". We have 2 nephews who are picky and encouraged to be so, but it doesn't fly at our house and they have started to eat things like tomatoes and mushrooms to their parents horror. Yes, it disturbs them that their kids won't have food hangups. (eye roll)
finsbigfan at 11:34AM on 07/29/08
@PumpkinBear...congrats on having such adventurous eaters for nieces! It's so exciting when kids can appreciate different foods, as often food is the best way of understanding other cultures/different ways people live. I have never met kids quite so open to trying new foods, but really, that's remarkable.
It is my unempirically-tested opinion that kids who are willing to eat a variety of foods will also tend to eat healthier than kids with a limited palate. And by healthy, I mean a diet that is nutritionally diverse, rather than the "all the same colors" diet that most kids seem to live on, not even considering the funky additives in most food that is marketed as popular and kid-friendly.
And the level of willingness really comes from whoever is raising the kids - how their own palates are echoed in what they feed their families. My father was a picky meat and potatoes (and some more meat) kind of guy, and while my mom is one mean chef for traditional Sicilian food, Italian was as ethnic as our food ever got (and rarely even that, since my dad wasn't even fond of it!).
Once I moved from a bucolic farming community to the big city, I realized how I'd been missing out - while PumpkinBear's nieces are far more daring than I, I've really made a conscious effort to expand my palate, both ethnically and in types of food, which has lead to an overall healthier diet.
savecara at 11:57AM on 07/29/08
My parents ate EVERYTHING. There was nothing that they did not eat, and in turn, I was the same as a child...with the exception of onions that were not thoroughly cooked. I was never made to eat all the food off my plate, unless I left onions on my plate. :P
When I left home at 25 years of age, I quickly honed my likes and dislikes because I could. I pay for my meals, so I will eat what I want and how I want it.
I agree that the eyeballs are great to eat. I remember first eating fish eyes in a fish head soup my cousin made for me in Okinawa when I was a kid. The soup was fantastic! He also made me a pot of horse stew, since I had never had horse. Hell, if he said he could make dog stew or cat soup, I would have been all for it too. I'll try anything.
Cassaendra at 12:03PM on 07/29/08
I'm a little bit of a picky eater with veggies, probably because everything my mom cooked was mushy. As I've gotten older, I like a lot more veggies as I've learned how to cook them.
It took me awhile to embrace certain ethnic cuisines, because we never had them at home. Fortunately, my kids learned to embrace them with me.
I have a friend whose son will NOT eat vegetables of any kind. This developed when the mother left, and nothing my friend does can convince his son to eat what he used to eat. It's his way of maintaining control over some aspect of his life.
thewrighttaste at 12:14PM on 07/29/08
@thewrighttaste - my dad's the same way. My grandmother was a great cook, but NOT when it came to veggies. I have no clue why, she was Sicilian, and she would cook vegetables until they were just BEGGING to be put out of their misery. Pretty much the only things my dad doesn't really like are chick peas, jello, asparagus, broccoli, green beans. Which is funny, because he's a farmer and eats them raw all day! He'll only eat them cooked certain ways.
embolini9 at 2:07PM on 07/29/08
Not to be negative, but as the mother of a picky eater, it is not always as easy as exposing kids to lots of flavors. My daughter has been exposed to a wide variety of foods her entire life from the farmers market to ethnic restaurants to growing fruits and vegetables at home. I'd be pretty confident saying that she has been exposed to as many tastes as the children described above.
Guess what? She will choose not to eat dinner at all rather than eat something as simple as a tomato or carrot. She won't even eat Mac-n-cheese. (Homemade or Annie's)
Does it bother me, sure. But she will grow out of it. She continues to be exposed to stuff and I'm confident that one day her palate will expand.
Stop judging parents and realize that some kids are just picky!
absc17 at 2:14PM on 07/29/08
my nieces( 2 1/2 & 6 ) are similar. Their palates are varied and can even order for themselves in a Thai restaurant. (This shocked and awed me the first time I saw it!) Part of it is their mom's insistence on the fact that the girls try everything once and that they don't eat "kid foods" and are served what we are eating. This is wildly different than my BF's son (being raised by his former girlfriend & her family) Oh my goodness...all that boy will eat is boxed pastas, sweets & breads-anything else he spits out (sigh...me shaking head, making healthy food for him anyway when he visits, and praying he will grow out of it)
bisbee at 2:24PM on 07/29/08
@absc17 - I agree, it's usually not the parents' fault. My mom always made me try everything once, and if I still didn't like it, she'd accomodate me from then on, making me a separate, not extravagent meal whenever my parents ate something I didn't like. I don't think that's too indulgent. I grew out of a lot of my pickiness, but there are some things, like fish, that I just can't touch. Everybody's tastes are different, and kids' palates just aren't usually as developed as adults'. If every parent of a picky eater were a "bad parent," we'd be overrun with bad parents.
embolini9 at 2:27PM on 07/29/08
@absc17 and embolini9: Until I was 5, I would eat anything put in front of me. My parents loved that I would eat what they would eat. Then, all of a sudden, I couldn't stand the texture of a lot of foods (bananas and yogurt especially). They kept trying to get me to eat like I used to, but, like abc's daughter, I would rather have gone hungry than eat. I grew out of it in my own time, but it is not always the parents.
pbisNOTmyname at 3:42PM on 07/29/08
Taylor is 10 and will eat damn near anything. Her fave was guacamole at 13 months. I ask that she only take one bite of something she thinks she hates and if she still hates it, okay. 90% of the time, she likes it.
I do not now, nor will I ever, condone idiot parents who only offer toddlers chicken fingers, fries and pb&j then bitch about it 3 years later because their kids are so picky. WHAT THE EFF? Reap what you sow.
ChelleyD01 at 5:08PM on 07/29/08
I don't think parents are the whole picture when it comes to creating picky eaters, but a kid with fewer food experiences may have more trouble adjusting to new foods. Even today, my FIL says that he "doesn't like" foods that he didn't have when he was growing up. He has branched out a tiny bit, but he's still very very cautious when exposed to something new. He expects to dislike it, instead of expecting to like it.
I like to think that I was an adventuous eater when I was a kid, but I can remember a moment where I decided I didn't like cheese, which I loved before. Someone gave me a taste of cheese, I didn't like it, and I decided that I disliked ALL cheese. Eventually, I got back to eating cheese.
Another time, I saw something on TV about birds hatching from eggs, and I went through a period where fried eggs creeped me out.
Seems to me there's something about how kids learn, where they go through different phases where they generalize things, then they discriminate. And it repeats. Over and over.
I was apparently stuck in the generalizing mode when I tried the yukky cheese. On the other hand, some kids might be stuck in the discriminating phase where they decide that they only thing they like is Skippy peanut butter on whole wheat with the crusts cut off.
Kids that generalize about things they like and discriminate about things they don't like are probably going to be more willing to try new stuff that kids who generalize about what they don't like and discriminate about what they do like.
dbcurrie at 5:41PM on 07/29/08
My niece is four and eats very well. She loves all manner of food. I cracked up when she discovered kimchi and wanted a bit of kimchi with every forkful of food. When we went out for pho, she tucked into her bowl, only coming up for air to declare, "it's good mom" her cheeks rosy from the steaming bowl of broth and noodles.
I had leftover grilled salmon one day and she dug into the "pink fish" with gusto...declaring I've never had pink fish before!
Tofu is "square chicken" but she prefers it in soon duboo jigae when it's all smooshed.
She'll request broccoli for dinner because as she puts it, "I feel a little too pink today." She loves salads, chomping on rings of red onion like they're candy. She eats all the veggies and then points out that Daddy doesn't like vegetables. At the grocery store, she'll see a pile of mangos or a display of strawberries and tell you how much she loves mangos or strawberries or grapes or watermelon or papaya or...you get the idea.
When she was smaller she went through a couple of food phases. First thing was refusing to eat anything green. Then it was refusing to eat anything that was "baby food." Then it was refusing to be fed, she wanted to feed herself...what a mess...and I really don't know if she was getting enought sustenance during her learning curve.
The only thing she can't have is peanuts and much to her Dad's discomfort she blithely tells people of the time she had to go to the emergency room because Dad bought her a PB&J from Panera. Passing any Panera will trigger the story.
Kids are funny and you never know what will occur to them.
wookie at 9:34PM on 07/29/08
My 5-year-old son is a little on the picky side, partly because his time is shared between my house and his dad's house where, apparently, his stepmother is a terrible cook. But he has to at least try most things and his tastes are gradually expanding. The weird thing? I can convince him to try just about anything if I put lots of garlic in it.
buffy at 12:51AM on 07/30/08
I think the thing I am most impressed about is that both of the girls will eat anything. My sister and I are close in age, (23 and 20), and while I was and still am happy to try anything, she was and still is always very very picky. My boyfriend's cousin's daughters are the same way. Their grandmother asks me all the time about restaurant recommendations so the older girl can have something basic but the younger can have an adventure. Be thankful that they aren't pulling you both ways! I want my kids to eat everything!
agk685 at 1:47PM on 07/30/08
Eyeballs? Now that's a stretch I can't even picture. What adventurous kids! I have a 2 year old niece and I'd say she's pretty adventurous. She likes to try new things, the problem is my brother and sister-in-law only expose her to so much (not that that's a bad thing) but I think, if allowed, a kid will want to try whatever they can at such a young age!
Hillary
Chew on That
Chew on That at 4:50PM on 07/30/08
I do not have kids of my own, but I can speak for myself when I was a kid. Both my parents are from "old school" Europe, they eat all sorts of weird shit when I grew up and I ate it with them. It was when I got older that I got picky.
pjracz10 at 5:09PM on 08/03/08