Connoisseurs in the Crib
The joys and challenges of raising tiny foodies
I was at a coffee shop recently when I overheard the barista tell a customer he is “a bit of a fish and chips connoisseur.” I loved the specificity of his declaration.
Connoisseur: an expert judge in matters of taste. From the French word connoistre, meaning “to be acquainted with” or “to know somebody/something.”
Evidently, the children in our house identify as food connoisseurs. They will not eat “kid food.”
Pizza—nah.
Whole fish roasted, eyeballs intact—yes, please.
Chicken nuggets—rarely.
Ribeye with charred broccoli—absolutely.
French fries—in no world.
Fresh bread—every time.
Scrambled eggs—hard pass.
Bao buns with red bean paste and pork soup dumplings—let me grab my child-sized chopsticks.
And, in case you missed it, they do not eat pizza.1
A refined palate, of course, was our intention when our children were small, milk-drinking potato blobs. Our children will eat real food, like civilized humans. They’ll ask for seconds on vegetables and experience a full range of global dishes.
And, fortunately and unfortunately, our wish came true.
Declan prefers cauliflower to every iteration of a potato.
Maeve’s favorite food has been black beans since before her first birthday.
They like real2 food.
Recently, our kids have decided we need to pray before we eat. They reach out their sticky hands to hold ours and close their eyes tight. Declan always gives me three short staccato squeezes, our little silent way of saying, “I love you.”
It is very sweet—their tender prayers thanking God for our food, and our love3, and our family, and our drinks4, but lately, the prayers have taken a bit of a turn toward food-critic.
Dear God, Thanks for my family and this dinner. I “a little bit” like the squash, but I really like the mushrooms. Amen.
Dear God, Thank you for our love, thank you for our drinks, thank you for this dinner, but I don’t like it. Amen.
While I don’t actually want my children to prefer kid food to the abundance of cuisine in our world, it would make things a lot more convenient at times. I understand why parents rely on fast food and frozen meals. Some days, they are hungry every hour, on the hour. They finish one meal and immediately ask for a snack. They raid the pantry while we are still cleaning up from the last time we fed them. But on the whole, I’m happy they are adventurous eaters. There aren’t any foods they consider “weird.” Sure, they don’t like spicy foods, they won’t even use mint toothpaste. But overall, they are happy to try most anything we put in front of them. Unless it is pizza.
What are you a connoisseur of? Fish and chips like the barista? Pizza like my husband, Adam?
I think I’m a connoisseur of wine and books. I’m quick to pass on a cheap glass of wine and a poorly-written book. I would rather have fine wine and an engrossing book on occasion than an excess of mediocre boxed wines and shoddily-written paperbacks. We all have some area of our life that is marked by a decision to embrace quality over quantity. What are your areas of expertise? How do you refine your discerning taste?
Just as I cultivate my appreciation for fine wine and well-written books, I’ll continue to develop an appreciation for good food in my children. It's more than merely nutrition—it's about experiencing the world through every sense, exploring different cultures, and finding joy in the communion of a shared meal.
the smell of a fish market at the edge of a Mediterranean harbor
the warmth of a bread oven
the sight of a market stand full of olives of every color
the sound of paella sizzling over an open fire
the taste of the first sip of coffee on a cold morning
sharing a bottle of wine with friends around a table
learning the stories of new friends
reliving the same stories with old friends over and over again
While pizza may forever remain a point of contention, I'm grateful for the opportunity to nurture their curiosity and guide my children on this delicious journey of culinary discovery. Hopefully there will be a day when we will eat sushi together in Tokyo and fresh baguette together in Paris and fish and chips together in London. But until then, we will bring the culinary world to our dining table. This journey, much like my own pursuit of delight in a wine glass or between the pages of literature, is a reminder that true appreciation comes from a willingness to explore, to experiment, and to savor the unique flavors of life.
*insert mindblown emoji*
read, expensive
Maeve
Also Maeve