Rules for Raising Gastrokids
Guide and Tips for Gourmet Cooking with Children
Gourmet kids, mini-gastronomes, kids' cooking classes - all are at the top of mind for today's foodie parents. Let's keep budding gourmets safe and happy.
In Gourmet Kids I note the trend toward raising mini-gourmands in so-called "high-end parenting" circles. Much of the press highlights parents' wearing their "foodie badge of honor" earned through Junior's adventurous palate.
As a non-parent and a frequent diner I have some concerns. First , parents living out their gastronomic agenda through their kids are no better than over-zealous sports parents. Second, not all kids should be brought to all restaurants, at any time.
Here are some thoughts on how to keep dinner time civil, fun and healthy.
Ground rules for creating Gastro-kids:
- Make sure it’s safe and age-appropriate. Even if your pediatrician is not a gourmet, he or she knows something about when it’s safe to introduce what.
- Make sure sophisticated food doesn’t become the new food battleground. How many people have no sense of satiety or portion control because we were forced to clean our plates in post-Depression era families?
- Praise kids for trying a new food, not just for liking it. It’s the action you want to reward, not a result, per se.
- Cook with your kids. Don’t just plunk them down in front of the Food Network because of the bright colors. TV is TV. It’s not an activity.
- Teach your kids about healthy eating, you might learn along the way, too. Let them pick out a new grain or new vegetable or fruit and try it together.
- Make sure the food exploration you are encouraging is about them and not about you trying to out-do the foodie-parent next door.
- Introduce them to restaurants in age-appropriate ways. Your toddler may be adorable, but it’s not fair to expect them to be entertained through an adult meal. Nor is it safe or fair to let them run around the dining room when others are serving hot food and still others are trying to enjoy it in peace.
- Grow something together to teach them the connection between growing food and eating it. Even a city dweller can find a windowsill for a small pot.
- Incorporate food lessons with lessons about other cultures or countries.
- Teach them about your own family history through food. What did Grandma used to eat? This can be a rich and rewarding exploration for the whole family.
Other resources:
- I am all for getting kids into cooking early. Here are some classes for little chefs. In Manhattan: see Minichef NYC. In Seattle: Blue Ribbon Cooking.
- Cookbooks and blogs are riding the wave, too. Tanya Wenman Steele, in Epilog notes additional resources for parents.
Who's doing bartending classes for kids?
The copyright of the article Rules for Raising Gastrokids in Gourmet Food is owned by Jacqueline Church. Permission to republish Rules for Raising Gastrokids must be granted by the author in writing.
