Of all the things I was committed to as a non-parent, it was the idea that I would raise our children to enjoy many kinds of food.  There was no way I wanted to relive my nanny experience–the kids would only eat strained spaghetti sauce, corn or broccoli and potatoes.  They also helped themselves to nearly a quart of ice cream every night and only got exercise on a concrete basketball court that was on a roof of their building complex.

Audrey still eats lots of different foods.

You could say we got lucky.  That’s probably some of it.  We also made it a huge priority from a very early age.  I made her baby food. I tried to introduce non traditional vegetables and meats.  We used green onions for teething relief.

I also clung to an article one of my college roommates brought home from an anthropology  class.  It talked about something to the effect of how Italian families never serve children separate meals.  Kids eat the same foods as adults.  There was also something as to how the father would star meals with a statement like, “Look at the wonderful meal Mama has prepared for us.”  It was all about how different cultures set the stage for eating and how, unfortunately, American society has not made eating well a priority.

Here’s an article in Gourmet magazine that sounds a lot like something I would have written. I hope the author gets her wish.

Audrey still often eats at a different time than Jake and I do, mainly because she’s been ready for dinner around 4:30pm for the last several months.  Still, last night, she and I sat down to bowls of creamy garlic chicken pasta.  Her favorite part was the broccoli.