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NYT SundayStyles on 'Mini-Foodies"


Miami Danny

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“Food is the next frontier in terms of the precious raising of children,” said Pilar Guzmán, the editor in chief of Cookie, the high-end parenting magazine.“It’s a badge of urban sophisticate honor to have your kid be an adventurous eater.”

Oh fuck off.

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I don't know, I got a good laugh out of the fact that one of Mario Batali's kids won't eat stuff with "green flecks," which might be something of a problem. :lol:
I have read that before. It gives me a perverse sense of pleasure to imagine him sitting at the dinner table telling his kids to be quiet and eat their parsley.

I think it's the parental self-congratulation that gets to me - have an "adventurous eater" is yet another contest in modern competetive parenting, along with early reading, walking, etc.

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I don't know, I got a good laugh out of the fact that one of Mario Batali's kids won't eat stuff with "green flecks," which might be something of a problem. :lol:

Hell, at that age, my kids wouldn't eat any food that touched another of the foods on its plate. Into their teens, we were sending back pasta that had come to the table with grated parmesan on it (we did ask for it to be served cheese-free up front.. It'snot like we were dumb enough to be surprised, or anything. And hold the green flecks for my kids, as well). And don't get me started on cinnamon and French toast. Apperently, no matter how skeevy the diner or indifferent the hotel buffet may be, the chef has decided to class up this one dish with a little cinnamon.

But, on the more important matter, I would frankly rather nail my hand to the table with a steak knife, Godfather-style, than sit through a three-and-a-half hour formal meal with a six-year-old,no matter how precociously delighted they were with the jellied char with tarbais flan, foamed aspirin and virgin sea snails. Were one of my soon-to-be-ex friends to subject me to that, the last thing I would do before deleting their e-mail address and phone number frommy records would be to send the child a present containing 4000 individual pieces, requiring batteries and emmitting an entire series of unfortunate sounds.

(Also, it must be niced to be suficient well-heeled that you can drop a couple of hundred bucks on third-graders' dinners and not bat an eye. If I ever take my kid to Le Bernadin, we're going Dutch.)

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I think it's the parental self-congratulation that gets to me - have an "adventurous eater" is yet another contest in modern competetive parenting, along with early reading, walking, etc.
I'm with you, Heather, on the modern competitive parenting aspect of this.

At the same time, when the topic of 'what my kids eat' gets discussed among food-folks/gatronauts/callthemwhatyouwill, I think there can be an incredible level of snobbery displayed. I don't think the 'foodie' group is any more or less inclined towards competitive parenting, but I do think food is an arena where the foodie group (and specifically not saying Rockwellers, because I don't think it's any better or worse among this group of food-type-peple) can display a lot of pride/snobbery.

As the parent of child who is not an adventurous eater (I like to think he's on the north beach diet--high carb, high glycemic index!), I can tell you, that attitude gets to be really frustrating. It's usually accompanied by somewhat paternalistic advice on what I should do/should have done (as though I haven't thought about any of this) and presumes that one's child comes into this world without a single preference, a blob of playdoh waiting to be formed by me. Obviously, if the kid isn't an adventurous eater, it's all the parents' fault. :lol:

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I have a "no food can touch another food" kid, so I hear you.

Pride isn't the same as snobbery though. :lol: It's possible to be proud that one's kid likes aspirin foam without thinking less of someone else's kid that doesn't. I hate crap like this:

“It’s a badge of urban sophisticate honor to have your kid be an adventurous eater,” Ms. Guzmán said.
that makes foodie kids into just another accessory.
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I'm with you, Heather, on the modern competitive parenting aspect of this.

At the same time, when the topic of 'what my kids eat' gets discussed among food-folks/gatronauts/callthemwhatyouwill, I think there can be an incredible level of snobbery displayed. I don't think the 'foodie' group is any more or less inclined towards competitive parenting, but I do think food is an arena where the foodie group (and specifically not saying Rockwellers, because I don't think it's any better or worse among this group of food-type-peple) can display a lot of pride/snobbery.

As the parent of child who is not an adventurous eater (I like to think he's on the north beach diet--high carb, high glycemic index!), I can tell you, that attitude gets to be really frustrating. It's usually accompanied by somewhat paternalistic advice on what I should do/should have done (as though I haven't thought about any of this) and presumes that one's child comes into this world without a single preference, a blob of playdoh waiting to be formed by me. Obviously, if the kid isn't an adventurous eater, it's all the parents' fault. :lol:

Don't deapair about your kids...One day you'll turn around and they'll be bumming money for sushi for lunch. And, until then, virtually every kind of restaurant offers something with rice, noodles or potatoes.

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How ironic is this--my kid started out as a very adventurous eater, then got more and more conservative. As a toddler, she ate caviar, capers, loved sour and salty things as well as sweet. And ate every possible kind of meat or vegetables. Now? Fuggedabout it. She's on the the vegetarian version of the "Nothing tastes as good as thin looks" diet. Although, she will join me in eating stinky, washed rind cheese while Jonathan runs from the room holding his nose.

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(Also, it must be niced to be suficient well-heeled that you can drop a couple of hundred bucks on third-graders' dinners and not bat an eye. If I ever take my kid to Le Bernadin, we're going Dutch.)

:lol:

As well behaved as my kids can be, could you imagine sitting at Le Bernadin and having your kid look at the third course, and as the server explains it, blurting out " Dad....this doesn't look very good and it smells bad." :unsure:

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PM me. I can make you a deal. :unsure:
No no, PM me. Mine are smaller and cuter than his. :lol:

Antonio, I am imagining my four-year-old looking at something and saying "That's disgusting!" And not in his indoor voice either. My kids are pretty good in restaurants but we're talking Ray's or the like, not hushed temples of gastronomy with four hour tasting menus.

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