Mothership Meals and Satellite Saucers: Snapple Magic

Thursday, April 9, 2009

Snapple Magic

The milk petition is going well -- almost 1000 signatures on line and a few thousand more in person. We were hoping just to get 1000, so this is excellent!

When we were gathering signatures at the school, lots of kids wanted to sign, so we made a separate petition for them. One girl was running around the cafeteria recruiting signers.

If you haven't signed, please do. If you have, please pass on to friends in NYC who haven't signed.
www.healthyschoolnyc.org
thank you!

Meanwhile the Office of School Foods continues with the Snapple machines. Five years ago Michael Bloomberg made a deal with Snapple, that they could be the sole vending presence in NYC schools. Great, so the city's made millions of dollars on this deal, but at what cost? Doesn't it seem to a little counter-intuitive to be feeding unhealthy garbage to children, who are then getting nutritionally-caused diseases at unprecedented rates, which the city will ultimately have to treat?

Anyway, my ire was raised by Snapple the other day. I picked up my kindergartener in the school cafeteria. She had just come from gym and was overheated. The gym teacher suggested I get her some water. Too bad the water fountains in the cafeteria don't work so well, and I'd forgotten my water bottle. So it was off to the Snapple machines, which sell water in addition to Snapple. I put in the dollar and let my daughter punch the button for water. Uh... why did Peach Snapple come out? Did she accidentally hit the wrong button?

I really didn't want her to guzzle down a Peach Snapple, so I tried again, and this time I punched the water button. Peach Snapple again. First ingredient water. Second ingredient high fructose corn syrup.

I asked the security guard who was in charge of the machines and told him what had happened. "Yeah, that always happens to me, too," he said. I'm not going to accuse the Snapple people of doing an intentional bait and switch, but ... why is this happening?

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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.)