I got a wake-up call about feeding kids last weekend–in (of all places) a gas station food-mart.
I was traveling with my husband and kids, returning from a weekend visiting relatives. We stopped to fill up the minivan with gas and went inside the food-mart to order sandwiches for dinner (not ideal, but it works). My first grader asked if he could order onion rings with his sandwich.
Images of him regularly picking tiny pieces of onion out of his dinner flashed through my mind. Did he know there were actual onions inside those rings–big, slippery pieces much more threatening and offensive than those wee dices he surgically removes? Besides, I vaguely remembered him trying onion rings in the past and not liking them. I reminded him of this. My other son chimed in and said he didn’t like them either. I was feeling tired and impatient and not in the mood to waste money. I said no.
Then it hit me: Was I actually discouraging my child from trying a new food, one he’d rejected in the past (and in other forms)? Why was I telling my son that he didn’t like a food–when clearly he wanted to try it again? Wasn’t my goal to have open-minded, adventurous eaters? Sure, onion rings are greasy and deep fried, but they’re a new flavor, a new texture, and a new experience. (And not for nothing, but there is a big ol’ vegetable on the inside.)
So I reversed course. I apologized for being short with him. I said I was glad he wanted to try something new and that yes, he could get a small order of onion rings.
I watched him take his first bite. Just as I thought, a long piece of onion came sliding out of the crispy breading. He took it in his hands and gave it a look. Then he ate it. And ate another onion ring from the bag. He told me the onion inside tasted better on its own than inside the breading. I informed him that onions were actually those things he picks off the top of his pierogies. He looked at me like I was crazy.
And my older son (the one who claimed he didn’t like them)? He asked for one, took a bite, said “Mmm!” and suggested we get a bigger order next time.
For me, the moral of the story is this: My kids will change their minds. Their tastes will change. They’ll always surprise me. And they should be given the chance to try foods–and then try them again. Even if they’re greasy onion rings.
Photo by m01229 courtesy of Flickr Creative Commons.
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Jamie says
i love this story! I love how you body the real in your blog’s title. Thank you!
Jamie says
**embody**
Sally says
Thanks so much Jamie!
LeAnn @ Real Fit, Real Food Mom says
Cute story! And you’re right…it’s important to let kids try new foods and make decisions on their own! Thanks for the reminder! And thanks for keeping it ‘real.’ 🙂
Sally says
Thank you LeAnn!
World_runner says
Thank you for taking the time to share this story. This is why I subscribe to your blog – you are real about the struggles and temptations of trying to eat healthy and get your family to eat healthy. But I also love that you offered an entirely new perspective on “bad” foods. American children have extremely limited palates. Maybe it is because they are always being told, “No”.
And for the record, I love, love, love onion rings and do consider them a vegetable when I occasionally and moderately enjoy them! 😉
Sally says
Thank you so much. Yes, everyone has struggles and I am more than happy to share mine! I had a very limited palate growing up and don’t want the same for my kids. I hope they can be much more adventurous than I was (I would NEVER have tried onion rings, I know that much!). 🙂
Jenna says
I LOVE this post! This is the first time I’ve visited your blog and I can confidently say in my attempt at a Schwarzenegger impression, “I’ll be back!” As a fellow RD, I believe some people see us talking about foods like onion rings and automatically think that we are completely against them; even I imagined that this was the direction this article may be going (I apologize now for stereotyping just as others do to us quite often)! However, I truly appreciate how you pulled a new experience out of this “gas station food” misconception for your children that will only open up more culinary opportunities for them in the future! I think many adults can learn from this experience and continue to try to new foods or revisit foods they have continuously turned away in the past. Now I’d be interested to see if he tries the diced onions next time you make pierogies! 🙂 Thanks for sharing and I look forward to visiting your blog more often.
Jenna
Nita Sharda says
Thanks for sharing this story. Though I may not have a little on of my own, I’m constantly encouraging my little niece to experiment with foods time and time again. Even if it a super kid ice cream or fried samosa.
Caroline Kaufman Nutrition (@sweetfoodie) says
Oh Sally, I absolutely love this story. Way to be 🙂
Nicole Degner says
I have a son that is a really picky eater. One of his favorite foods is onion rings and he loves the onion when it comes out as well. I can’t get him to eat any meat or veggies. But, he loves onion rings. Go figure! I can’t even remember how I got him to eat an onion ring, but when he liked it all I thought was WHAT? He likes onion rings, but not chocolate milk. Something is wrong here! Your story was great. Thanks for sharing.
Ellen Twistol says
I love this!! One thing that my parents have taught me when I was young was to try something always once, if you don’t like it you don’t have to finish it. If I didn’t try things once I wouldn’t have found out that I love so many weird things that kids my age wouldnt even consider eating. I intend to do this with my children someday.
Steph says
🙂 When my brothers were growing up and a meal was being served– if they asked if they liked it, I would always say “yes!” Why discourage them right off the bat? 🙂 At least give them a moment to think that they *might* like it.
Elizabeth @ Enjoy Every Bite says
Love this! I always appreciate your honesty. I had a similar experience last week when my toddler wanted a raw carrot. I found myself telling him he won’t like it and won’t be able to chew it. Then I realized I just told my son he couldn’t have a carrot! I let him have it and of course it ended up chewed up all over the floor, but he tried it!