Mothership Meals and Satellite Saucers: Italian Sundays

Sunday, March 15, 2009

Italian Sundays

All weekend long I mentioned to the various large and small people in my family that Sunday was coming up and it was our Day of No Meat.

This announcement was repeatedly met with indifference -- until about 6 pm tonight, when indignation and outrage blossomed. ("WHAT?" "WHO decided THAT?" "Does DAD know about this?")

Here's how my Day of No Meat went for me:

Sunday morning:

Both kids had sleepovers the night before (a first), so I woke up, as usual, hours before my husband, to the calmest house I've experienced in 10 years. I drank coffee and read Curtis Sittenfeld's American Wife, which I am addicted to and highly recommend, and then walked the dog.

When I got back to my still silent (ahhhhhh) house, I made an omelette which I filled with a slice of what my husband calls "the Italian version of Brie, but I can't remember what it's called" and a leftover saute of leeks and mushrooms. MMMMMMM! Yes! A bazillion points for vegetarian breakfasts! Another bazillion points for our All-Clad saute pan, which it turns out does a genius impression of an omelette pan!

Later I took a few kids to the zoo, but at the pickup station was unable to resist a half a bagel with cream cheese and lox, which the other parents had spread out right in front of me. Okay, minus 2 (200? 2000?) points for the lox. That was lunch.

For dinner we had rice and black beans, with radishes, tomatoes, onions, cheese and hot sauce. Okay, fine, so the kale and the black beans both had some pancetta in them. I have, like, this HUNK of pancetta in my fridge. What am I supposed to do it with it, as I cook beans and kale? NOT use it?

Fine, so I'm doing the Italian version of vegetarianism. I lived in Italy for a year as a vegetarian; Italians were constantly reassuring me that I could enjoy this or that or the other dish, because the meat was in little little pieces.

Husband: "I thought this was a no-meat dinner."

Wife: "It is."

Husband: "What's with all the pancetta?"

Wife: (shrugging in that irrepressible La Vita é Bella! way): Just a little bit! For the taste!

Dinner was good.

9-year-old ate rice and beans, salad, and everything else on the table except for the kale

5-year-old ("BEANS AND RICE? BUT WHAT AM I GOING TO HAVE?") squeezed her own lime and fish sauce condiment, and ate a massive portion of brown rice, a few tomatoes, and, out of idle curiosity, one bean.

That's all that matters. We're on our way.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...: reminds me of the SNL skits where the woman ordered everything vegetarian with 'just a liiiittle bit of bacon.'

great blog. i enjoy reading about what your kids eat -- and happy to hear that modeling is paying off.; March 27, 2009 at 11:43 AM
Larissa said...: Yes, we are definitely embodying that sketch. Thanks for reading!; April 9, 2009 at 6:14 AM

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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.)