Yummy Food, Big Names, Little People!

Posted By SLK on Friday, December 10, 2010   { 0 Comment(s) }

Kit is the official taster in her class. Teachers rely on her to encourage other children in her group to try new foods. Once at the table, she will volunteer to try all new foods, be it asparagus, hummus or a varied version of cauliflower! Her teachers tell me that other children watch her as she tastes it and announces “I like it!” – this encourages other children to at least try and of course it encourages Kit to carry on experimenting even if some days it brings out “I don’t like it. Yuck! Disgusting!”

We all know that food always tastes nicer with friends so it does break my heart a bit when Kit comes home and says that she now loves cauliflower and I think of the endless moments spent trying to make cauliflower attractive... where did I go wrong? Never mind, at least she eats is somewhere! Same with asparagus – I got so excited when she said she loved it that I decided to steam it right the next day...Kat was eager to try it too. I order groceries online so sometimes portions are a surprise – I didn’t realise a bunch could have that many stems! Anyhow, determined to steam that, I served it all up and they did look pretty in their beautiful green glory but I guess the portion size scared the two girls!!

One look and Kit said: “I just tried one in class and I loved it – I can’t eat so much!!” My heart sank.

Now it was Kat’s turn: “Can I just try one first?” She did and she gave me that sideways secret look (the one she uses to show her dislike when Kit is eating). I died.

Will try another time – I promise!

It is wonderful to see Kit come home excitedly with a sticker that says – I tried a new food today and I loved it! Other days I need to jog her memory to remind her what she ate for lunch and she will describe a new food to me: “we ate something white sauce with carrots” so I know it is ranch dressing – FUN game!

Yesterday was classic. She was sitting on the potty when she called me “Mummy I tried something new for lunch today.” All smiles for me!

Me: “Really? How wonderful! What was it?”

Kit: “Something yellow orange, very sweet. I know – I ate antelope today!”

Me: “Antelope? That’s an animal. Did you eat cantaloupe?”

Kit: “I think so it was antelope” At this point she looks very serious and nods her head. She is convinced she ate one!

After much fruit recognition (it’s not easy to convince Kit) she is content to note that she ate cantaloupe. To change the subject I casually look at her lunch menu and say “Tomorrow you will eat chicken wings”.

Kit immediately gets up from the potty – “Why? Why are we eating chicken wings?”

OH DEAR...!

Tags: health, learning new words, mealtime with kids, school, silly talk with kids