taste buds?


i think i’m missing the mommy gene—or is it some bizarre enzyme?—required to make creative food for your kids. you know those moms—the ones that put plates of uniquely disguised healthy food with the uncanny resemblance of a lady bug. “here ya go, sweet pea. here’s your brussels sprout caterpillar. look how expertly mommy made use of the toothpicks and chewing gum to keep it all together!”

frankly, i wish i had the time to think about ways to make food attractive to picky eaters. especially with my middle daughter. if it’s not a white carbohydrate, it doesn’t cross her lips. i’m sure i could dutifully puree cauliflower and put it in apple muffins. but by the time i pureed the cauliflower, i’d probably just end up making soup.

my only hope is that one day, when they’ve had enough bad cafeteria food and a metric ton of ramen noodles, they’ll realize that my risotto with chanterelles wasn’t half bad. and the roasted asparagus with the balsamic glaze was rather tasty too.

i wonder, though. at what point do your taste buds mature? i remember loathing asparagus as a kid. now i like it. and you couldn’t get me in the same room with a beet. admittedly, i merely tolerate beets now. but, if you add some fresh goat cheese, beets are a relatively pleasant experience for me.

well, whether my taste buds are maturing or i’m simply on the path to a bowl of pre-masticated food as an octogenarian, i’m going to enjoy what i do eat and hope my kids come along for the ride.

1 comment:

Karen said...

there is no appeasing kids and their testy taste buds. It is a time-honored dilemma.

I agree-just strap those kids along for the ride. They'll either learn to like it, or starve to death. Either way, problem solved! ;o)

Or you can raise kids like mine who CLAIM to like certain foods like **ewwwww** fish and then when served it, say "No, not like THIS..." My response? Fine--then starve. You can see, they're not wasting away too quickly, thank goodness!!