(Andrew's bitter at the River Cottage Canteen)After leaving Devon last week we headed East.
En route to my sister's place in Dorset we stopped off at the River Cottage Canteen in Axminster.
We are big Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall fans in this house and so admire him for all he has done to raise awareness of local food issues and animal welfare.
At the canteen Frank was able to have an organic beefburger and chips (he never eats the bun). The salad leaves on the side were regarded with horror and removed by me.
He regards them rather like I would a dead rat on my plate!
(The boy wonder and his meal)
(The other boy wonder eats his faggots)And Andrew chose Faggots.
I kid you not : pig's heart, liver, and fatty belly meat wrapped with caul (membrane from the pig's abdomen) No idea what it's called in the USA.
Am pretty sure it's not the same thing ... ahem.
I had the beef burger too. I am not at all fond of red meat but felt that here, in this cafe, of all places, it would have come from a happy cow.
I was veggie for22 years and still struggle a bit with the dead animal aspects of meat, even though I am in favour of it being eaten and farmed sustainably.
This day was a happy food day.
Other days are not so great.
****************************
I love to cook and have had such a great time introducing my boy to a whole variety of foods and tastes.
He began with rice porridge and mango and banana.
He ate everything I gave him, except avocado.
My boy that eats absolutely almost anything has now become the same child that (I swear he said this) told me three nights ago, on being presented with his bedtime snack of dried apricots, almonds and slices of apple: "This apple isn't crunchy enough, Mummy".
My mouth dropped open and I felt bewildered, again.
I am struggling to get a variety of food into him.
He is eating things one day and refusing them the next, often for the most spurious reasons.
He will eat meat and potatoes.
White bread and peanut butter (although I an now sneaking almond butter into him by stealth as I hide it under the peanut butter! Mwahaha!).
Carrots and peas from the pod.
He would live on bacon or
salami given the chance.
Have any of you been through anything similar to this?
Is it a phase?
Do you have any recommendations?
What more can I do?
P.S. I honestly don't let Frank know I have these concerns. He knows I want hm to eat lots of different foods that help him grow strong, but that's the extent if it.
Have any of you been through anything similar to this?
Is it a phase?
Do you have any recommendations?
What more can I do?
P.S. I honestly don't let Frank know I have these concerns. He knows I want hm to eat lots of different foods that help him grow strong, but that's the extent if it.
The almond butter under the PB had me laughing. Joe is pretty picky during the day, but for dinner he'll try ANYTHING.
ReplyDeleteI've been there with all three of my kids. In fact, my youngest is now going through a mac 'n cheese phase. It's all he wants to eat other than fruit and salad. Hang in there and keep offering Frank choices that you'd like him to eat. You'll get through this!
ReplyDeleteI like that you're hiding almond butter underneath the peanut butter. That's so smart! :)
I used to be a vegetarian, too, and I now enjoy a good burger, a good steak or piece of chicken. I share your attitude toward eating and farming meat. Though I have my days when I think about returning to vegetarianism.
Oh, I do understand your struggle! I have seen several children in my early childhood program who'd eaten everything as toddlers suddenly become picky. I know it would really bother me if it were my own child! I say just keep trying and trying and trying and loving it all yourself, and eventually, they come back around. But my best tricks (never serving bread with meals with questionable items, or they'll only eat the bread, for example, or offering foods and figuring they'll eat it if they get hungry enough) wouldn't work so well with you when you have to be so careful about what/how much he eats. Wonder if he'd eat the apples if they were slathered in the peanut butter? And have you tried green smoothies, or popsicles made of fruit blended with a smaller quantity of greens? Those go over with nearly all my kids. Good luck!
ReplyDeleteHeidi said it all, better than I can, as usual! But yes, I would guess it's just a phase. My kid went through it too and I thought it would never end but now she is game to try new things, at least once. Hang in there!
ReplyDeleteoh, my do we ever have picky eaters...the thing that makes me laugh the most about it is that I made the boys babyfood from scratch, carefully selecting all organic foods and making breads just for their little palates. Now I have one that wants EVERYTHING noodle and the other could survive on fruit and soy milk all day. I keep reminding myself of what our awesome pedi said, "Just keep offering a great variety of foods at all meals, they'll get their fill on what they need." I believe this as they're both growing rapidly and ALWAYS have energy to keep going :) I also remember learning about a study when in college that showed that young children will choose to eat the foods that their bodies need, for example if the child has a lower iron level they will choose foods high in iron. Its a really neat study. Anyhow, I know how it feels though and lately I've been told that everything is too cold, too hot, too smooth, too bumpy, too smelly, too sweet, too sour...well basicly never just so and I can't wait for them to just eat whatever they want without trying to voice their opinions over every meal! BTW that hamburger looks delicious, and I too am not a red meat eater!
ReplyDeleteEveryone has it covered! Addison has gone through these phases and I have the same exact history as Sarah mentioned above..everything made from scratch,organic, etc! Just the other day Addison was refusing to eat a sandwich because it was too " wet". Hang in there..keep offering good choices..and know it is a phase that will pass!!
ReplyDelete