8 Comments


  1. Todd,

    I absolutely love what you have to say here. I think that no matter how small the family, the above tips can help kids explore different foods and make meals “community-building” events. I still remember the fun of calling cauliflowers “little white trees” when I was small. And it got me to eat more of a vegetable that, in retrospect, was not one of the tastier ones.

    Looking back, as a single parent with one child, I wish I had employed some of these excellent suggestions. My daughter, now grown, has, miraculously become a “foodie.” She watches the food network and other cooking shows and is always trying out new dishes. Not sure how that happened, but perhaps she will pass it on to her children, if she has kids.

    Great tips. Every parent should read this.


  2. Todd,

    I absolutely love what you have to say here. I think that no matter how small the family, the above tips can help kids explore different foods and make meals “community-building” events. I still remember the fun of calling cauliflowers “little white trees” when I was small. And it got me to eat more of a vegetable that, in retrospect, was not one of the tastier ones.

    Looking back, as a single parent with one child, I wish I had employed some of these excellent suggestions. My daughter, now grown, has, miraculously become a “foodie.” She watches the food network and other cooking shows and is always trying out new dishes. Not sure how that happened, but perhaps she will pass it on to her children, if she has kids.

    Great tips. Every parent should read this.


  3. Yummy post, Todd! You touch on a lot of great points, and I totally agree that exposing your kids to a variety of foods and dining experiences is great “training” for the real world… Thanks!


  4. Yummy post, Todd! You touch on a lot of great points, and I totally agree that exposing your kids to a variety of foods and dining experiences is great “training” for the real world… Thanks!


  5. I understand this can work for some, and they are interesting suggestions. I don’t want my reply to be taken as a negative response, but rather the other side of this suggestion.

    For myself, as a child I hated trying new foods. To my mother’s disappointment, I liked what I liked and didn’t want anything else. (She’s what you might call a “foodie”) So, not everyone wants to be adventurous, especially when it comes to food. And I think it can be dangerous to force our kids to try things they may not be interested in or ready to explore.

    I think it would be best to implement variety in stages, and in unison with what they are used to. Maybe adding a new veggie to the plate, or side dish. If it is the entree that is new, have some side dishes that are familiar and don’t put a full serving until the child has tasted and likes it.

    If your kids are like how I was but you want to try these suggestions, I would always have their favorites standing by. If you are going to go all out with foreign language menus, etc. and if your child is uncooperative (i.e. isn’t liking the food or the experience), don’t scold them or suggest they are being difficult in any manner. Don’t take an attitude of “this is all you get” either. All it does is create resentment towards trying new things. In your child’s mind, they will always relate trying new things with “a bad experience”. So, pick up something familiar on the way home for them.

    You should do what you can to make every “new” experience fun, even if the children don’t like the food, you can turn the experience into an educational, fun experience. If you are trying squid, and the child isn’t digging the idea of even “tasting” it, use the opportunity to teach them about squids, or sea life and reward them for paying attention to what you are teaching them. Have a favorite dish on stand by so they don’t starve.

    Again, the suggestions are great for children that are adventurous but let’s not reprimand the children that have no interest in trying new foods. For myself, my tastes changed into adulthood, and happy to try new things on my own terms. I never thought I would eat escargot, but late last year an opportunity presented itself and I was ready (And to my surprise I liked it. It was drenched in garlic butter or something). If, as a child, my parents would have tried to suggest/force/coerce me into tasting it, I would have never forgiven them.


  6. I understand this can work for some, and they are interesting suggestions. I don’t want my reply to be taken as a negative response, but rather the other side of this suggestion.

    For myself, as a child I hated trying new foods. To my mother’s disappointment, I liked what I liked and didn’t want anything else. (She’s what you might call a “foodie”) So, not everyone wants to be adventurous, especially when it comes to food. And I think it can be dangerous to force our kids to try things they may not be interested in or ready to explore.

    I think it would be best to implement variety in stages, and in unison with what they are used to. Maybe adding a new veggie to the plate, or side dish. If it is the entree that is new, have some side dishes that are familiar and don’t put a full serving until the child has tasted and likes it.

    If your kids are like how I was but you want to try these suggestions, I would always have their favorites standing by. If you are going to go all out with foreign language menus, etc. and if your child is uncooperative (i.e. isn’t liking the food or the experience), don’t scold them or suggest they are being difficult in any manner. Don’t take an attitude of “this is all you get” either. All it does is create resentment towards trying new things. In your child’s mind, they will always relate trying new things with “a bad experience”. So, pick up something familiar on the way home for them.

    You should do what you can to make every “new” experience fun, even if the children don’t like the food, you can turn the experience into an educational, fun experience. If you are trying squid, and the child isn’t digging the idea of even “tasting” it, use the opportunity to teach them about squids, or sea life and reward them for paying attention to what you are teaching them. Have a favorite dish on stand by so they don’t starve.

    Again, the suggestions are great for children that are adventurous but let’s not reprimand the children that have no interest in trying new foods. For myself, my tastes changed into adulthood, and happy to try new things on my own terms. I never thought I would eat escargot, but late last year an opportunity presented itself and I was ready (And to my surprise I liked it. It was drenched in garlic butter or something). If, as a child, my parents would have tried to suggest/force/coerce me into tasting it, I would have never forgiven them.

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