Raisin Story: Part 2 (of 3)

We are open to trying new things

Awhile back, Brian and I wrote a Tanner Family Value Statement. It was a good way for us to discuss our own personal values and how we saw them playing out as our family expanded from two to three or more. One of the first statements on our list was "We are adventurous and open to trying new things." This was a value that had been important to both of us in our single lives, and a value we felt we shared as a couple as well. We wanted to pass a sense of adventure and openness on to our children as well.

The statement itself is very broad, and purposefully so. "Trying new things" can refer to activities, to movies or music or books. It can also refer to food. We both love to try new recipes, and unfamiliar ingredients (Brian's rutabaga* alfredo was one of the surprise hits of 2013). But we've also talked about our own food (non)preferences and the mystery of how not to pass our dislikes on to children. Neither of us are fish eaters, for example, and I think that my dislike of seafood is partly because I just didn't grow up with it. But if neither Brian nor I like fish, it's not likely that our children will grow up eating fish either, and will that just pass a distaste of fish on to the next generation?

Recently I read about someone (and for the life of me I can't find the reference right now) who decided to rid himself of food aversions. He would pick a food, and eat some of it every day until he stopped disliking that particular food. Surprisingly, he found that not only did he learn to tolerate almost every food he tried, but he actually came to crave many of the foods. I was intrigued by this story, and I realized that I had kind of done the same thing before. Like I said, I'm not a fish eater. But when I went to Spain on a study abroad I was exposed to lots of opportunities to eat fish, and I started ordering fish when it was an option. Often it was a failure and I had to fill up on whatever else was served with the meal. But sometimes I could tolerate it, and when I came back to the U.S. I started to purposefully order salmon (the easiest fish for me to tolerate) when I had the chance. Nowadays I still don't like most fish, but I love salmon. It's one of my favorite foods. I have an existence proof.

Raising Adventurous Eaters

A few days ago I read this piece about raising adventurous eaters on a recipe blog I sometimes peruse. The article spoke to me because one of the things I'm most excited for about motherhood is getting my children involved in the kitchen early and often. And also because Brian and I like to be adventurous and experimental in our cooking, and I'd hate to sacrifice that for the sake of too-picky eaters. And also because her ingredients for raising adventurous eaters seem also to be ingredients for a happy, healthy family.

As I was reading this piece, it struck me that being adventurous (and this doesn't just refer to eating) does not necessarily mean liking everything, it just means being willing to try anything. I'm usually pretty good at that. I will never order steak or shrimp, for example, because I just don't really care for either, but I absolutely will and do try a piece every time Brian orders either, and while I still don't like either I also dislike them a lot less than I used to. But I am absolutely 100% closed off to anything with raisins in it.

Maybe that's something worth changing?


* Babycenter.com told us that week that our baby was the size of a rutabaga...