Letters from the Chinese sandwich shop

[Flying Grype]

Not all of these are sucks, some of them are just funny.


Dear granny who feeds the chicken curry to your one-year-old granddaughter: the first time I saw this I was a bit worried, but that little baby seems to have an iron stomach (not to mention a refined palate). The fact that you keep coming back and feeding curry to the baby suggests that there are no diaper disasters post-lunch. Way to go, kid.


Dear nervous kid: aah, we like you, you and your dad are regulars. The overdramatic "Uuugggghhhh, finally!!" when I put your food in front of you was a bit unnecessary. Sorry, we're not McDonald's, and you did come in right smack in the middle of the busiest Saturday we've had in months. But I did hear your dad telling you "They're working as fast as they can" as I left your table, and you did intercept me after you ate to say "Um um, thanks for the food!" You're welcome. (Truthfully, this kid is a bit off kilter. Some of his behaviour reminds me of my own anxiety disorders. Ultimately he's a good guy.)


Dear people with confusion regarding the names of various ethnic foods:

1) It's not called sweet and sour soup, it's HOT and sour soup. It's about as sweet as an active volcano.

2) You want teppanyaki on your toast? Oh, you mean the olive paste. TAPENADE. I understand that you're confused by seeing it in a mostly-Chinese restaurant rather than a Mediterranean one, but I didn't think it was THAT weird.

[AccountingDrone]

ROFL - My friend Anysia and I used to go to a particular [now closed] chinese place in Taftville, she took her youngest Alan and would have him sitting in the booth in his seat thing, gnawing on one of the deep fried chicken wings. I really wish I had a picture of him. [she would feed him lunch at home, and the wing drumette was more to keep him happy and busy =) ]

And for all those who wonder at infants being fed differently ethnic foods - in China or wherever what do you think they feed infants - baby mush from a grocery store? Why shouldn't a kid eat whatever the parents are eating? Other than not loading them up with high fructose corn syrup or sugar it is all just food. [my goddaughters got whatever was for dinner put through a food mill to mushify it until they could chew]

[NorthernZel]

Actually, research shows that infants that are served seasoned (as in, lightly spiced and not OMGITSFRIGGINHOT) food have a greater chance of not becoming picky eaters when they get older.

[Food Lady]

I saw a news show like Dateline or something that discussed how these Indian kids, whose moms served very spicy food frequently, went to college away from home. I think it was in the US, because the food available to them while in school was much more bland. When they went back home on break they couldn't eat the moms' cooking because it was now too spicy for them. Kids' tastes are very adaptable to whatever the culture is. Still, so many of them hate broccoli.

[XCashier]

Actually, research shows that infants that are served seasoned (as in, lightly spiced and not OMGITSFRIGGINHOT) food have a greater chance of not becoming picky eaters when they get older.

I wish I'd known about that when my picky eater was a baby!

[Spork4pedro]

My son was one of those babies that ate anything and everything. His favorite foods were anything spicy, specifically the mango habenero sauce at Buffalo Wild Wings. Now unfortunately he's not as good of an eater (not picky...just doesn't like to eat) but he still likes spicy things every once in awhile. I always figured it was because I ate a TON of spicy foods during pregnancy.

[Andara Bledin]

Who knows.

My mother is notoriously picky, and my brother takes after her, mostly.

I, however, eat a whole host of things that never got brought into the house when I was young. Mushrooms, for example, which I love. While my brother likes some things that wouldn't have been introduced until middle school, such as really spicy hot sauce.

^-.-^

[Flying Grype]

Oh, don't get me wrong, my mother fed me whatever she was eating, ground up. Porkchops and applesauce are the first thing I remember thinking of as a favourite food. But her tastes were sort of western/suburban. What surprised me was the spicy food. Or maybe it's that a white person in this part of town would think of feeding spicy food to a baby.

[NorthernZel]

I wish I'd known about that when my picky eater was a baby!

Oh, I'm sorry, it wasn't to beat you around the head with that, it is only recent research (2006-2007 IIRC) and it only increases the chance, it does not guarantee certain food preferences.

Although I do have a funny story to go with that:

When Lil Zel was in day care, he refused to eat some (bland) cheese spread. So the day carer told us, and kinda berated us about the fact that we didn't offer cheese to our child, and cheese was an important part in his diet and blah-blah-blah...

I cut her off mid-sentence and said: "Well, have you tried offering him (cheese spread with garlic and spices) instead? Cuz that's what he gets at home, not the bland stuff."

Next day, the day carer had provided (spiced cheese spread) for all the kids and was surprised about the fact that the kids LOVED it. No shit, Sherlock.

[XCashier]

Oh, I'm sorry, it wasn't to beat you around the head with that, it is only recent research (2006-2007 IIRC) and it only increases the chance, it does not guarantee certain food preferences.

Ah, then it wouldn't have done me any good anyway; my son was born in 2001.

[Marmalady]

I remember asking at an antenatal clinic, whether it would cause the baby to have an upset stomach if I ate spicy foods while breastfeeding.

The midwife's reply was that if I habitually ate those foods while I was pregnant then the baby shouldn't have any problems after he was born... the only thing she advised us not to eat while we were still lactating was grapes.

[fireheart]

the only thing she advised us not to eat while we were still lactating was grapes.

Um why?

[AccountingDrone]

Actually, research shows that infants that are served seasoned (as in, lightly spiced and not OMGITSFRIGGINHOT) food have a greater chance of not becoming picky eaters when they get older.

I know that we were fed the exact same stuff as the adults. I can remember growing up eating asparagus, artichokes, brussels sprouts, shrimp with cocktail sauce and steak tartar. My western NY and Manhattan memories basically start when I was 5 [the major packing and moving back to the US was the major memory activity that pins stuff preschool down for the most part. Prior to that it was a lot of random memory flashes.] We didn't get defanged baby foods. My mom and nanny would have been horrified at the idea of having a dinner party and separating the kids out and feeding them mac and cheese and hot dogs. I had very definite food likes and dislikes. As long as we tried something, we were not forced to eat anything we disliked so there wasn't the huge struggle to feed us. I should amend that, every since I can remember I have had issues eating immediately after I wake up, I need to wait at least half an hour and something warm to drink like a coffee or tea. We ended up discovering that I do best with leftover dinner for breakfast instead of the normal foods. It took me years to work up to being able to eat oatmeal for breakfast. We figured out it was the oversweet form of breakfast foods. My breakfast oatmeal is sweetened only with about a tablespoon of raisins and a dash of plain ground cinnamon.

I remember asking at an antenatal clinic, whether it would cause the baby to have an upset stomach if I ate spicy foods while breastfeeding.

The midwife's reply was that if I habitually ate those foods while I was pregnant then the baby shouldn't have any problems after he was born... the only thing she advised us not to eat while we were still lactating was grapes.

WTF not? I would imagine that for thousands of years in the med ocean basin, where a major fruit crop is grape for eating and wine that nobody stopped eating grapes when pregnant. When you are in an era when distance transportation of foods tend to limit the food choices you *don't* just not eat something.

[Syriilord]

I'm the only picky eater in my family. My parents joke that I was the test kid. They learned how to raise my brother from their experiences with me.
I've been attempting to overcome this the last few years, but it's been veeeery slow going.

[manybellsdown]

Actually, research shows that infants that are served seasoned (as in, lightly spiced and not OMGITSFRIGGINHOT) food have a greater chance of not becoming picky eaters when they get older.

I'd read that breastfed infants are also more willing to try new foods, as breast milk tastes different depending on what mommy ate, and formula always tastes pretty much the same unless it's gone bad. Maybe it's anecdotal, but it seems to have held true with my kids - daughter will try anything, formula-fed stepson will eat half a dozen foods. Maybe. If you don't make them look or smell funny.