I love food

My brothers and I grew up with probably more exposure than most people to "exotic" foods. We didn't eat a lot of what my family calls "white" foods growing up - no mac & cheese, bologna or pizza pops, and a very limited selection of pre-made foods (funny enough, I didn't grow up into some kind of food snob - I actually don't mind any of these foods, but I just know there are a lot of other better things to eat).

Our restaurant experiences also helped to shape our young palates - no Red Robin or Olive Garden here - El Salvadorean, Indian, Mexican, Japanese and more helped to provide a broad and tasty food experience. I remember spending every Halloween and many birthdays at "Korean Beauty" - a tiny authentic Korean restaurant with a smoky little bar at the back, and great Korean specialties. We learned to view food as an adventure, and enjoyed many things that most people would not even think of feeding their kids - frogs' legs, "stinky" cheeses, escargot (snails) and steak tartare (raw chopped steak with toast), just to name a few.

My dad's view, passed on from his eccentric French-Canadian mother was that God made food for us to enjoy, and if you don't like something, there is something wrong with you, not the food. And if you don't like it once, you need to try it again to get used to it. As harsh as this may sound, it really does work (other than for black licorice, which I refuse to recognize as a food)!

The thing that I have begun to realize as I grow older is that the appreciation of food that was instilled in me as a child by parents who refused to follow societal norms when it comes to children & eating actually extends to a lot of other areas. If you are open minded when it comes to what you put in your stomach, chances are you're probably more willing to try new things when it comes to music, arts, literature, travel and more!

I think we should keep our minds open and start challenging the lame and boring pre-conceived notions that many Canadians have about kids and food. Think children can't or shouldn't eat spicy food? Wrong! What do you think kids in India eat? Afraid your kid won't eat broccoli or peas? Maybe a garlic hoisin vegetable stir fry instead of plain steamed vegetables will meet their approval. You know the excuse "she just doesn't like it" (or even worse "oh, I know he wouldn't like that")? Would you stop sending your kid to school or let them stop brushing their teeth just because they didn't like it? Try actually reasoning with your kids when it comes to food and maybe adding a little creativity to the menu and you'll be surprised at how adventurous and open minded children can be with just a little help.