'I can be impatient, you can be insane, vice versa. What we agree on is that, from time to time, dessert is dinner.' Chef's kiss to Eli for this essay!
I remember those times well. I am happy to say we leaned hard into not giving way to years of chicken nuggets or other "easy" answers. Certainly they were allowed at times, but mostly I made smaller portions of what the grownups ate for him, sans the "spices" (which really were just herbs and not actually senvied. Also key is leaning towards healthy snacks and limited sugary food/deserts (though never outright prohibited). Gradually, ever so slowly he adapted to a bit more flavor, a year at a time, until one day around 6-7 years of age? REAL food! Food with actual flavors and textures were not just accepted, but asked for!.
Like everything else that feels difficult at the time, your kid will in fact thank you for not giving in to the point where they are STILL a "picky eater" at age 18 or older. My son knows college age friends who eat more like 4 year olds and that's not something he envies.
My brothers and I were great fans of “worms on toast” (spaghetti in tomato sauce on a crisply toasted slice of bread)
Weaned on mashed potato with beetroot to turn it pink. My mum was inventive! We had to eat a rather nasty pud that was like a thick glutinous rice pud and we called that “frog spawn”. It was served with a tiny spoonful of strawberry jam and I used to eat the jam and ignore the rest.
Makes me wonder if my mom ever felt this way when she cooked for me and my brother. My father too, when we were broke and all we could make for meal prep was pork curry and rice, or spaghetti Bolognese 😆 Lovely read.
omg.... so many favorite lines in here... incredible writing, Eli!
"not a naturally independent diner"
the whole thing about "perfect"
"you want to do important things"
"the thing that I opened my hand to take, for some reason"
"to not only be receptive to feedback, but to preempt it"
such a vivid testament to the degree of devotion in motherhood, and in other forms of "food work" as well as being hilariously real
This is my favourite piece for a while. Absolutely perfect.
Oh, this is lovely! I don't even have children, and I read this all the way through with delight.
Painful for the writer but hilarious for the reader.
God this is perfect
'I can be impatient, you can be insane, vice versa. What we agree on is that, from time to time, dessert is dinner.' Chef's kiss to Eli for this essay!
It is pieces like this that make Vittles, for me, so very special.
Many thanks.
Love this in every way
Reminds me, vaguely, of Delia Ephron's "How to Eat Like a Child".
🥹🥹🥹 gorgeous, funny, perfect essay
I remember those times well. I am happy to say we leaned hard into not giving way to years of chicken nuggets or other "easy" answers. Certainly they were allowed at times, but mostly I made smaller portions of what the grownups ate for him, sans the "spices" (which really were just herbs and not actually senvied. Also key is leaning towards healthy snacks and limited sugary food/deserts (though never outright prohibited). Gradually, ever so slowly he adapted to a bit more flavor, a year at a time, until one day around 6-7 years of age? REAL food! Food with actual flavors and textures were not just accepted, but asked for!.
Like everything else that feels difficult at the time, your kid will in fact thank you for not giving in to the point where they are STILL a "picky eater" at age 18 or older. My son knows college age friends who eat more like 4 year olds and that's not something he envies.
My brothers and I were great fans of “worms on toast” (spaghetti in tomato sauce on a crisply toasted slice of bread)
Weaned on mashed potato with beetroot to turn it pink. My mum was inventive! We had to eat a rather nasty pud that was like a thick glutinous rice pud and we called that “frog spawn”. It was served with a tiny spoonful of strawberry jam and I used to eat the jam and ignore the rest.
Makes me wonder if my mom ever felt this way when she cooked for me and my brother. My father too, when we were broke and all we could make for meal prep was pork curry and rice, or spaghetti Bolognese 😆 Lovely read.
I really loved this and I’m with you. Our son is 2 and it is my job to adore and mollify.
👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽
What a gem!