Here comes another one... but it's not what you think. French Kids Eat Everything is a surprisingly charming memoir about a family who moved to France with two picky eaters in tow and returned to Canada a year later with a happier, healthier, more educated outlook on food. Make no mistake: This isn't a U.S.-bashing book. It's not even a pro-French parenting book. It's just the story of a mom married to a Frenchman who moved overseas and discovered a whole new way of feeding her family. A more peaceful one. And I think they're on to something.
In it, author Karen Le Billon describes her own heart-pounding fear about initially getting their young girls interested in sophisticated (to North Americans at least) French fare -- duck, blue cheese, radishes and so on -- that even French kindergarteners chow down with gusto. With nary a Goldfish cracker in sight, they do it with few fits and tantrums, and actually seem to enjoy eating long meals as a family. It's like the French Paradox, Part 2.
So what's the secret? Why are these French kids so cooperative at the table? Why DO they eat everything? Le Billon suggests 10 observations in her book (for example, no snacking) but I'd point out one of the most obvious here: Because their parents do. Their brothers, sisters and cousins do. Their friends at school do, too. France is a nation of food lovers and by this I mean food, real food made from real ingredients. Not necessarily complicated though sometimes it is, they take their food very seriously. And they take the job of teaching their kids about this national pastime even more seriously. Most people know how to cook and it's considered a crucial life skill to confidently handle yourself at any table, at any age. Manners, food knowledge and an open mind about trying new things are all, well, de rigueur.
My husband used to live in Paris and one of his French friends once described to me, only half-jokingly, their attitude about food: "We're obsessed," she laughed. "All we talk about is food. When we get up in the morning, it's all about what we'll have for lunch. At lunch, we talk about dinner." But there's a big grain of truth there. Eating can and should be a pleasure. That's what the French do so well; enjoy their meals, before, during and after.
On her blog, Le Billon also describes her children's school lunches, which sound more like a menu from a delightful Parisian café.
There is no 'kids' food' here -- if Roquefort is on the menu (and indeed it is), everyone gets it. If smaller children don't like something, they'll be told that they have to taste it, but they won't be forced to eat it. This is because the lunches are viewed as a way of introducing lots of different types of food to children -- a sort of culinary education. In fact, children are much more likely to eat new things if they see their peers doing so with enthusiasm. It's a gentle, fun way of broadening kids' palates.
The same thing happens at our nursery school here in Rome, Italy, where my 3-year-old and 17-month-old spend their mornings. A full-time cook is on hand to prepare a morning snack, three-course lunch (pasta, meat and vegetable) plus an afternoon snack for those who spend a full day there. Fresh vegetables and meat arrive daily from the open-air market down the street, the one where everyone in our neighborhood shops on a regular basis. At the end of the day, we get a report card for each girl, noting what was served for each course (though there's also a posted menu) and how much of it they ate. They always eat everything. All the kids do.
The French also make eating an experience. There are tablecloths, even at home. There are courses, even at home. The family gathers together, eats, talks, eats some more and best behavior is simply expected from an early age. But you don't get here without commitment. Certainly it's easier to instil these values when your children are surrounded by them everywhere but still, sports and other hobbies seem to take a backseat to this family and food-centric evening routine.
I'm so inspired by what Le Billon has done to transform her family's eating habits, from what she's discovered to the way she's presented it. It's not preachy and there's no finger pointing, just some great food for thought. As she notes in her blog: "I'm not saying we should eat exactly like the French. But we could reflect on if any aspects of their approach to kids' food might be useful in our communities. My opinion is that the French have a great approach to both what and how kids eat -- one we could learn a lot from."
Let the learning begin! This week we're sampling a few of her recipes at our place and posting the results on Foodlets.com, where I tell my own story of feeding our family" as well as I can. One bite (and two bibs) at a time.
Julie Tilsner: What the Hell to Feed the Kids Tonight?: A Comedy in Two Acts
I offer different foods.
We do not go to fast food very often.
I do not buy chicken nuggets or anything like that.
I do not make my children a separate meal
BUT
2 of them are EXTREMELY picky.
If I make a beautiful healthy vegetable soup for dinner and bake homemade bread to go along with it, they only eat the bread and take a few spoonfulls of broth to make me happy.
If I make salad with grilled chicken on it, they will eat the lettuce, green pepper, and carrots on the salad-no dressing either for both of them.
They will always consistently go with the least healthy option on the table. They do not like to try new things.
It is interesting to me that so many of you have such an easy time of this. I would say 4 of my 5 are picky-2 of them EXTREMELY picky. The baby will eat anything. Today he had pickles and pulled bbq chicken and thought it was the best dinner ever. Usually, my babies have not been picky. They don't get that way until they are 3 or so. Then they stop liking things they have been eating.
It boggles the mind honestly.
This ensures they are filling up with the good stuff, and the bread is the side. They now know this rule without me having to remind them, and do it automatically.
At the expense of sounding judgemental, you have picky eaters because you allow them to be so. If healthy eating is really important to you personally, it should definitely be extended to your children. Lead by example, and set some strong rules around meal times and stick to them.
My story is almost the opposite - I grew up in a very European, omnivorous home and ate everything that was put in front of me, but last year I became vegan.
The funny thing is, I found it a lot easier than many vegans I know. I think because I grew up eating a very wide variety of foods and developed cooking skills at a young age, I've now found it easy to switch to a much healthier and cruelty-free diet.
No matter where you end up diet-wise, food is a huge part of all our lives and it's strange how many people see it as an afterthought.
Now, my husbands family on the other hand. Ate as fast as they can, bicker at the table, and don't talk! I found this very unsettling, noticed a change in MY eating habits when around them. So, I can only imagine how kids would react.
LOL. I was thin as a rail as a kid because I ate real food from our garden and played outside. She means thin and healthy, not emaciated.
FULL-TIME COOK.
It's all the typical American day care center can do to keep the little rugrats busy for eight hours, much less give thought to any culinary education.
If you try to teach children to eat one style of cooking, parents of the other children are going to complain, "Why are you feeding my child THIS?! This isn't what we serve at home!"