"Mama, when I look at my food my hunger goes away. Yes, when I look at this it just disappears."
~~~ ~~~
This is what I cooked today :
Indian food (without chilies): [clockwise from left] aloo gobi (potatoes and cauliflower, one of my favorites), basmati rice, a mild chana masala (chickpeas and tomato),* and sautéed tempeh (Indonesian soybean "cake"). Oh, and I took a picture of my plate, not his, which had no cilantro, and had just a tiny portion of each food, minus the tempeh.Maybe a little too exotic, but not bad, huh? The saddest thing is that he used to love this stuff as a "baby" (12-24 months - sometime in his 2nd year he went from eating everything to a being very picky eater). I had to fed him several spoonfuls, but he didn't eat much. Good thing the 2 1/2 year old still eats most everything.
I felt so discouraged! That's why I can't eat properly, I just don't have the energy to cook a meal and face this every single day, so I stick to the same tried and true recipes. I love potatoes, for example, but I hardly ever eat them now because my sons don't care for them... and the list goes on and on. I can't wait for them to grow up and become less picky even though I have my doubts whether they'll ever become like Jennifer McCann's "Schmoo." I took great comfort in one part of her great book that described how her son decided to start eating salad. And in this week's post she describes how his appetite changed in the past year. There's hope.... I hope!!
*P.S. Jeannette, did you know that one of your blog entries is the fifth result on Google for Indian chickpea stew?
9 comments:
I agree, Lilian. It's so frustrating to make a meal and have a child reject it--especially a child who used to eat the very same things! Hang in there--it does get better eventually. (Though my 9-yo still won't eat potatoes unless they are fries or chips...)
Ah, Lilian, I just love this post! Being the cook in our family, I just never know what will be devoured, and what pushed aside. Our four year old used to eat everything (the two year old still does), but the Painter randomly decides he won't eat something even things he used to love (and only occasionally adds it back to his diet). Fortunately, he still adores sushi (as do we). A bit expensive, but healthy.
YUMMY!!! Can I come over for lunch!?! I LOVE Indian food and have the same problem over here: my kids don't like it (anymore) - though like yours they used to eat it very well, even when it was a bit spicy. I don't know what happened that they decide to suddenly reject the best food you make for them. I'm tired of eating only pasta and bread - the only thing they eat, lately. I'm just glad to hear we are not the only ones.
Hi Lilian
Apparently their taste buds develop dramatically between age two and three. THis is why stuff they loved before is rejected in what seems like the next day.
Molly was the same. She loved avocado, all types of fish and mash potato. Overnight she rejected a lot of stuff. Slowly I have been getting her to eat mostly the same as us.
I read an article which said if you give a rejected food repeatedly, but about the 10th time it is usually accept again. This has worked for pink salmon, avocado, mash, curry, roast but not tomato. Raw tomato remains the most evil of foods to her.
I think what you made looks yuumy! ^_^
Hopefully, this is just a phase. After all, I hear a lot of parents say that their kids are picky eaters (Luckily, mine isn't), but you rarely meet an adult who is quite that picky about food.
My philosophy is that it makes way more sense to put energy into cooking for your friends than put energy into cooking for your kids. Your friends will actually appreciate the food and give you all kinds of compliments. Darling offspring? They expect you to be grateful they condescended to eat that "healthy stuff."
That plate of food looks absolutely delicious to me. Come and cook for me any day ....
Samantha was a good eater for about 2mths in her short life time so far (she's 16mths). Right now her diet consists of milk, yogurt, some fruit, bread and eggs. It is so frustrating to cook nice meals for her and have her say no. Arggg!!! Hopefully this is just a phase due to her teething.
And by the way that plate looked so delicious, come cook for me anyday!
I know just what you mean. When Buster goes off to college my cooking goes down to almost nothing because the little boys won't eat what I cook. It's so sad. Buster used to be this way too and now he eats everything I cook and loves it. So you just have to hang in there and cook for yourself, your husband and your friends until they grow up.... and hope somehow you all get enough good stuff!
Mmmm, that looks delicious! We face food battles here a lot, too. It's a real pain...
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