 |
Music •
Biography •
Press Kit •
Randomness •
Lyrics Gigs • Photos • Writing • Fun Stuff • Links • Contact |
Monday, June 18, 2007 Kid-Friendly Food It always mystified me that Americans consider certain foods particularly suited to childhood palates--"kid-friendly" is not a concept applied to food in Asian culture. A recent article in the Chicago Reader about school lunches highlights the case in point: The menu the OSP [Organic School Project] has introduced at Alcott [a public elementary school] has been an adjustment for staff and students alike. One morning’s breakfast included broccoli-and-cheese quiche. “We never did anything like that before,” says cafeteria manager Carmen Crespo. “The students didn’t like it—they went straight for the cereal. They’re picky. They like pizza, hamburgers, hot dogs, ravioli, macaroni and cheese.”Americans seem to think that food for children has to be simple in both flavor and preparation, dressed up in cheese or spaghetti sauce, or colorful (we're talking neon green or blue or purple here, not merely decorated in a pleasing, artful arrangement). If these conditions are not met, the youngsters will be less interested and won't eat. A Google search for "kid friendly food" as a phrase yielded over 25,000 results. In contrast, when I was growing up, if my parents were eating sushi, so was I. The same applies for dishes like curry, beef tripe, and shark's fin soup (easily $40 a bowl). The only time I can remember having foie gras, I think I was in elementary school--and I thought it was amazing. Recently I told my brother about this confusion, and he had a simple response: "It's because for Asians, food is communal." He's right. In a typical Chinese meal, multiple dishes are placed in the center of the table for everyone to share--if the adults are eating something "strange" or expensive, the kids are expected to eat it as well. They don't get special food for dinner, and few parents would be willing to accommodate requests that the entire party would not be eating as well (sure, we had pizza for dinner at my house sometimes, but the point still remains that everyone ate it, and it wasn't thought of as catering to the younger set). Thus a riddle, wrapped in a mystery, inside an enigma has for me been solved. Labels: America, Asian culture, Chicago, food ^ Top | 12:48 AM | | | 
|
