Brainy Bites – You’re not a short order cook

Most children’s pallets don’t fully develop until the age of THREE! And, I don’t mean they can finally appreciate a good caviar. At the age of three, children can finally use all four or five banks of their taste buds – which is the reason why they seemingly flip a switch and don’t like the foods they loved once before.

My son, absolutely LOVED avocado when he was younger, but recently wants nothing to do with it – although, he will eat guacamole on a tortilla chip…

Truth is, I lied to him to get him to try it. (You can’t prove that the HULK hasn’t tried Guacamole at least once.)

But before you judge me; there are some parents out there that allow their kids to change the menu at meal time! Can you believe that?!? The parents are having steak and potatoes and the kid wants dinosaur nuggets (whatever they are) or a hot dog – and there goes the mom, shoving crap in the microwave to appease a toddler who basically said something on a whim. How else is he going to test his boundaries?

Imagine his surprise and delight when he found out he didn’t have any limitations, rules or restrictions – you and I wouldn’t know what to do with such power!

Before I get into a rant, you’re not a short order cook. Here’s why – because the average family with children under the age of SIX wastes $100 of food per week in leftovers and prepping food their children don’t actually eat.

Also by changing the menu, you’re stifling their ability to explore new flavors and experience the rewards of being culinarily adventurous.

I cooked a pork loin for dinner one night, and my son said,
“I don’t want that!”
Me: “What is ‘that’?”
Son: “THAT!” (pointing)
Me: “OK. I’ll just give your piece to your sister. She seems to like it…”
Son: “Is it meat?!?”
Me: “Sure is! Not only that, it’s pork! The best meat! Did you know that bacon is made out of pork?!?” (knowing he LOVED bacon)
Son: “Oh! I like ‘pork’. ”
Me: “That’s awesome! Would you like to try some?” (Spooning some pork medallions on his plate)
Son: “NO! I want that big piece!” (pointing)

If I would have gotten up and cooked something else or yelled at him for being (a brat – I mean) picky – neither he or I would have won. He wouldn’t know what pork loin tastes like – or that he now LOVES it, and I would have had more dishes to do, not to mention, the same headache next time pork loin is served.

“Parenting is being selfish whilst keeping to the best interest of the child.” ~ Cerebral Dad

Let’s call this step “conning a con-artist,” because if the answer is “No,” it can never be “Yes.”

Eventually, children get hungry – fortunately, the only thing in front of them is delicious food – Lucky them!

Next on “Brainy Bites” – Snack time! Then, we will explore a few recipes that I had success with when feeding the little ones.

As always, thanks for the support! And please share with your friends, family and neighbors! Follow me on Facebook and Twitter!

How did you like this post? Take a second to support Cerebral Dad on Patreon!
Become a patron at Patreon!