The Other Palate...

There are about three different palates that play an important role in the food scene of our family: mine, my husbands and now, more so than ever, our son's.

And it is this "other" palate that has really thrown me for a loop over the last couple of years.

I assumed, wrongfully so, that because I'm a no-holds-barred kind of eater (meaning I'll try most anything... [other than raw oysters or anything I deem "unsafe"... c'mon, common sense, people?]), he would be, too. Oh no... how wrong I was. 

He is prototypical picky and uninterested in food. I think food, for him, is just a way to keep him from starving to death. The balance for me as his RD mom, though, has been to ensure that I don't fall into the trap of assuming he'll only eat "kid food". A few of my favorite RD food writers recently addressed this topic... for more info, click here.

What I find interesting in this discussion is what Janice Bissex points out... that the concern is as much about what food places ARE NOT serving, as what they are. That's been my argument all along with the obesity epidemic in general. It's not enough to get rid of "unhealthy" (that just leaves people feeling deprived.) The goal should be to provide the good-for-you foods that people, kids especially, already naturally like and will eat. 

I know as a mom I am tempted to assume that's gonna be the old standbys: chicken nuggets (which, yes, he does like), french fries and maybe applesauce (as a "fruit"). And while I'll admit he does like/eat those foods, he also adores most any fresh fruit you put before him (especially blueberries, raspberries and strawberries) and snatches broccoli "trees" off his plate. What could be better, right? 

But the struggle related to the kid palate, to me, doesn't end there. The other issue that we struggle with is the need for a kid-friendly atmosphere at places that already serve better-for-you food. Fortunately, Chick-fil-A has some better choices: fresh fruit cups, grilled chicken (for moms, though... I wish this was somehow offered in the kid's meal), low-fat chocolate milk, etc. And as much as I love the Atlanta-based fast food chain (they really cater to kids, if you ask me), I'd love to be able find a place that served me a grilled salmon salad with a soy-miso vinaigrette, topped with edamame and fresh red peppers... all the while, having a place that my son can maybe stretch his legs afterward, expend some energy and just be a kid. I guess I want a place where a "kid-can-be-a-kid-but-we-don't-have-to-eat-like-one." (If you've been to the pizza/kid chain that you know this comment alludes to, the memory of the food is enough to make you not want to go back.)

So that's my request for any of you aspiring restauranteurs out there: better menu for kids, better menu for parents, better atmostphere for both. You build it, we will come.