I know folks who will take their children to a fine dining establishment and then turn to the page of pedestrian choices like Chicken Fingers when it comes to choosing what their kids eat. Why?
How does one go about expanding the horizons of young beings when in action you undertake such confining behavior?
We have gone out of our way to establish a simple approach. “Take one Tyrannosaurus-sized bite of the items we order. Then really taste it, feel the texture, smell the aroma, look at the dish. Feel the hard, soft, hot and cold parts with your fingers. Rip it to shreds in every way you want. After that, if you still feel it is not something you like, bravo, let’s order something else.”
The result has been certainly encouraging. Both the 7 and 8 year old have little hesitation trying things. When the opening question is “What’s a Gyro?” as opposed to “I don’t like Gyro’s” you know you have a fighting chance.
The world is such a big place. Every facet has to be approached like it may be the last time you traverse it. Injecting that mindset into the food we eat certainly seems like like a way to set the stage for larger explorations, no?
Taiwanese Pork Burger, rather than chicken nuggets
