The Unlikely Connoisseur

As part of our nightly bedtime routine, after Boo reads us his school books, we read him one of his choice.

Tonight, his book of choice (a short one, because it was late) was "Good Night America". As he finished the book, he looked at The Hubs and said "I like reading "Good Night America". I miss all of America sometimes. There are two places I really want to go see when we go back."

"Where is that?", the Hubs inquired.

"California and New York", he replied.

"Well, why is that, Boo?"

Says Boo "Well, I hear they have really good restaurants!"

Foreign Food

I know we have moved to a different country, and so food will be different. Going to the market has proven that, while we eat the same food (generally), preparation is quite often different. Prawn crisps replace BBQ potato chips on the store shelves. Hot dogs look like hot dogs, but aren't...quite....right.


However, the full extent of the realization that we ARE indeed in a foreign country shows most fully in the lunchroom at the primary school.


On the FIRST day of school, Boo said "I didn't eat the peas and carrots, but I did eat the rice and the chicken in sauce. It was good!"

Said chicken in sauce was curry, by the way. I'm most proud that he tried it when he didn't even know what it was.

Ain't peer pressure a wonderful thing?


Yesterday I asked Boo if he ate his dinner, and he said "Yes, but I didn't like it". (thank goodness for growth-spurt related hunger.)


"What was for dinner today?"

"Some kind of meat", he says. "What kind of meat?" I asked. "I don't know, it had stuff on it", he said; "Can I have a cheese stick?", dismissing the conversation.


Today, I spoke with Pea's teacher regarding meal choices, and learned that the mystery meat was roast beef and gravy. "Some kind of meat". Huh.

I also learned that there is a lot about the hot lunch program here that I didn't know. Like, in addition to the hot lunch choices (the main meal and a vegetarian alternative), the children also have a choice of a ploughman's lunch (either a ham, cheese or jam sandwich) OR a jacket potato (otherwise known to us as a baked potato.)

I only discovered this when Pea's teacher took me aside yesterday and said, once again, she only ate her pudding. Not surprising, as she really only eats crisps, fresh fruit, cheese, yogurt, cereal and white bread at the moment, but it was nice of her to tell me. She then told me Pea could just have a sandwich...hmmm.

Would it make me a Bad Mommy if I wait a few weeks ('til the end of the first menu rotation) to tell Boo that if he doesn't like what is offered, he can just have a ham sandwich?

(Bwah ha ha ha ha.)

Yes, it probably would. Give me my Bad Mommy button, please, I'm going to make sure he tries as much of the dinners there as he can (before he completely rebels.)

Today, thankfully, is fish fingers and chips, for the both of them. No sammies yet for Pea - can't have her all mad that everyone else is getting french fries and SHE only gets a cheese sandwich!

Now I'm going to sit here an mull over what other information I don't yet have.

Like the school calendar.

Meal Fail

Once upon a time, there was a little girl who ate all sorts of wonderful things. BOWLS of broccoli for dinner. Grilled chicken. Pork chops. Balsamic-glazed grilled asparagus. (Seriously!) Pasta by the pound.

Then, she turned 2-1/2, and started exerting her will over one of the only two things she has control of. (The other is the potty, and believe me, I've said it before: she just may be the first person to enter college in diapers. At least, it seems like that to me.)

Now, at three, she has a very simple diet:

Strawberry milk. Bread. Raisins. Bagels. Yogurt. Cheerios and Kix cereal. Apples. Did I say bread? Oh, and crackers in any form. And smoothies.

This, I present to you with much shame, is Pea's lunch for today:

And I guarantee, she will be ticked off that I put grapes on the plate. I assure you, they will not get eaten - but I will try.

Its amazing to me that she looks as healthy as she does - but I suppose she isn't starving. (And actually, I shouldn't be surprised. I LOVE bread, and it doesn't keep ME skinny, either.)

Someday, somewhere, she will rediscover a love for actual food that maybe, just maybe, I can put between the slices of "blead".

Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to eat the "glapes" that Pea just deposited on my desk with a huff and go make her some Carnation Instant Breakfast-doctored milk.