When I was a kid, whatever Mom made for meals - we ate. And because for a significant portion of my childhood we were “financially challenged”, that food wasn’t always something I wanted to eat. But nonetheless it was eaten.
When given the choice between food or no food, rice and kimchi for the 2,524th day in a row was fine by me!
When I became a parent to not just one toddler but two, I struggled with the idea of “kid friendly” food versus . . . food. So many of my friends would make special meals for their little ones in addition to the meals they shared with their SOs or older children. (One mom would actually make a meal for the family and then heat up chicken nuggets and macaroni and cheese for the little one. When I asked her why, she stated it was because “that’s what little kids eat.” Or another mom who said “my child will only eat foods that are white, yellow or orange-y” but none of the foods she listed were actual oranges . . . WTH?)
I thought (and still think) this was ridiculous. When we’d go out to dinner, I noticed kids menus listed things like mac and cheese, chicken fingers, pizza and lots and lots of fries . . . None of these things sounded very good. This did not do for me. Why did I exclusively nurse my child for 8 months and introduce them to a variety of foods throughout toddler-dom to ruin it all at 2 years of age?
When I cook, I cook ONE meal: The family meal. There’s a meat (I live in Texas – veggies are sides), there’s a starch and there are usually two veggies to choose from. Typical meals in my home: spaghetti with Italian sausages and pan-fried zucchini; bulgogi, white rice and ban chan (which may or may not include spinach, bean sprouts, potatoes and peas and carrots); roasted pork loin with root veggies and dinner rolls. All of these foods are foods the children ate when they were 10 months, 2 years, 5 years old. The rice had to be watered down and mushed, the pasta was over-cooked or mashed, the meat was cut up into teeny tiny pieces, but they ate it.
When we would go out when they were younger, they would usually eat off my plates. Bits and pieces of my salads were fed to the children (tomatoes, croutons, cheese, spinach, lettuce, carrots; plates of Tex-Mex tacos or enchiladas could be portioned to make 1 adult meal and at least 1 kid’s meal (trust me, the portions at some restaurants you could make 2 adult meals). And as they got older, they could split an adult sized entrée with an additional side to round out the meals . . .
Now that they are almost 9 and 6.5 years old, I don’t struggle with “kid-friendly” meals versus meals. We just have meals.
We’re just as likely to eat sushi (they LOVE rolls) as we are hamburgers; fried chicken or dim sum; tandoori lamb versus beef tacos. Sure there are some foods they like more than others (did I mention their LOVE for sushi?) – but who doesn’t?! I’d eat Indian every day if I could. I don’t particularly live for pasta, but I know they like it.
We try to eat something new and interesting when we go out and especially when we stay in. If they don’t like it, I make a mental note to try and prepare it a different way (AM won't eat spinach unless it's in a quiche; JC won't eat raw broccoli but eats it if it's steamed). If they do like it, it stays in the rotation. You’d be surprised at what they like and don’t like . . . especially once you get away from the kid’s menu.
-Angie in Texas loves chicken tikka masala, but may stray for a well prepared lamb vindaloo. (Her children prefer the tandoori chicken and shrimps.)
