Mothership Meals and Satellite Saucers: Um, Mark?

Thursday, January 29, 2009

Um, Mark?

I will say this about my friend Mark Bittman -- and this is not meant as a complete trashing, more like a polite expression of confusion -- for someone recommending less meat in our diets, he sure does recommend a lot of meat for our diets.

I read a few posts and I'm all ready to go buy me some rib-eye, or soak some ribeye in cinnamon wine, or have a pig dinner with some farmers. (sounds AWESOME!) All the posts are either "don't eat meat", or else "hey check out this delicious meat you can eat".

It's okay. He's a good man. I know he doesn't mean it. He just likes meat, but he knows it's bad. I completely relate.

2 comments:

lalamirahoney said...: hi larissa,
your bog is looking great -bad time to read it-I'm starving. so funny you mention Mark so much, last year I used him as a tool to teach english to one of my students who was going to study at a culinary school in nyc -got really addicted to is site, but have not looked at it in ages.
I belong to this mom and babies group here and now that Gioia is of eating age we don't talk about anything but what to feed them. I've made friends with a woman named caroline whose a nutritionist and 1/2 english. She was telling me some theories similar to mothership so I am passing your blog onto her -she ay contact you. Thank goodness for 3 things: 1. you had kids before me 2. you feed them healthy food and 3. you are willing and able to share all these great ideas. If you have any advice on foods the first year -please pass them on.
I have my regular doctor telling me it's ok to introduce animal products and gluten and the homeopath saying wait a year.
sorry this is an email really not a comment-my bad
xoxo
christina; February 4, 2009 at 1:58 PM
Larissa said...: Hey there, thanks for passing on the word.

I really think that each baby is so different. Gioia knows what she needs. I feel so vindicated by Booker's near-total recovery from the last 8-9 years of food weirdness. Running out to his piano lesson tonight, he accepted a "hearty rye" Wasa cracker with goat cheese on it, crammed it down, asked for another and ran out. This is the kid who wouldn't drink juice or eat cake, he was so picky.

I know, I gotta stop talking about Mark Bittman, but I just keep getting deeper and deeper.

I miss you! Come back to NY!; February 25, 2009 at 6:22 PM

Post a Comment

The Mothership Method

(Or, how to sit down for dinner with your family without completely losing your mind)

It would be great if kids AND parents wanted boiled chicken and baby carrots every night for dinner. But, too bad, we picky parents want spicy, exotic, fun foods, and our kids want, well, sorta lame foods.
Here's the solution: break it down. Serve the dish deconstructed, and let everyone put their own dish together at the table. Sort of like tapas, or smorgasbord, or tacos. Or how in some parts of China you get a bowl of rice, and everything else is in the middle of the table and you take what you want for your own little bowl of rice. That way everyone gets to eat what they want, parents don't have to nag their kids, and kids get to feels some ownership over their meals. Plus, kids get exposed to the look and taste of the foods you hope they will one day love. But it's not just tacos. You'll be amazed at what can be served with the Mothership Method.

Ten Tips to Get Through Dinner Without Having A Nervous Breakdown

1. Accept That Kids Are Picky. No need to freak out on your cooking ability, or look at your kids like there is something wrong with them. It's called "neo-phobia", and it's just how they are, especially from ages 3-6.

2. Serve Meals Broken Down. Even grown-up meals like coconut curry or linguine with clams can be served in their elements, making them more appealing to kids. Grown ups can assemble their own jumble of deliciousness at their own plate while kids take on the pared-down elements.

3. Push if it Works, But Don't Nag If It Doesn't. Some kids are okay with being expected to taste everything on their plate. Others aren't. I think it's okay to push kids -- but not if you're turning dinner into a battlefield.

4. Suggest a Smell. Smelling a new food is easier than tasting it, and can sometimes provide a kid with the information needed to take that scary first bite. But don't confine smelling to new foods. Smell favorites, too, and help them develop their sense of smell by making a game out of it.

5. Don't Ask "Do You Like It?" Instead, try, "What does this remind you of?" or, "Would your cousins like this?" or, "Does this taste salty or sweet?". Asking if they like it or not gives kids too much power and ends the conversation. Besides, we don't care if they like it! We just want them to keep tasting it until it is familiar.

6. Don't Get Frustrated. Imagine being in Taiwan, or Nairobi, or Rome for the first time. Would you eat everything on the local menu? New foods are scary and gross. Our kids need time to learn about the foods that we eat.

7. No SubstitutionsThis is family dinner, not a diner. You, in all your wisdom, have provided foods that are healthy and delicious and appropriate for your children. There is something on the table for them to eat. Period.

8. No Snacks Before Dinner. This can be the hardest with our hectic schedules and hungry kids. But children who come to the table hungry are more likely to eat than cause trouble.

9. Put Peer Pressure To Your Advantage. School children are more likely to accept new foods if the alpha girls in their group accept them. Swap healthy food ideas on playdates.

10. Involve Your Kids In Cooking, Shopping, and Gardening. The more experience kids have handling and preparing a variety of foods, the more likely they are to eventually accept the foods. (But don't get upset if they help you make a complicated wonderful meal, and then refuse to eat it.)