Staredown at the Oval Table, A Dinner Too Far, or Hush Up and Eat!

We've all been there.  At the dinner table staring down a plate of something you find objectionable, as well as the stone-cold stare of the meal maker.  A battle of wills where there is rarely a winner.

For me as a youngster it was cow tongue and roasted pumpkin...one night I made it to midnight...my four brothers and sisters already off in dreamland. My mother and I angrily facing off...she gave up/in and I was jubilant and smug.  Only to face it the next morning for breakfast--cold. I shiver just thinking about it.

Now as a mother, I find myself facing this more and more.  I don't serve tongue or pumpkin or liver & onions, but a nice range of foods from a nice range of cultures. So I don't see the problem.  My kids however, see a big problem, each from a different perspective.

For my son, it turns out we can sometimes be a bit too fancy.  This was in repsonse to a garlic chicken and raosted brussels sprouts in a pesto sauce over rigatoni.

For my daughter, it is the opposite.  A self-proclaimed "foodie" at seven, my cooking can be a bit dull for her newly refined palate.  Sweet and Sour Chicken, Roasted Pork Chops...when these are on her plate being ignored, we ask what's wrong and her answer, like the other night is invariably in the vein of:  "Mom, I'm all about food.  Good food.  Better tasting food." 

And she leaves this hanging, waiting for me to 'get it'.  I choose, often, to ignore her mom-baiting.

Rather than have it turn into an epic standoff, our children are asked to put their leftovers in tupperware, and to make themselves a sandwhich.  For my son, it is the classic fallback...pb&j and a giant glass of cold milk (like mother, like son). For my daughter, she puts together a plate of self-made 'amuse bouche'...strawberries upon gouda, brie wrapped in turkey, grape topped almonds, apples and chedder.

They eat, but I find it irritating and wasteful.  So, in order to stave off these utterly frustrating evenings, we have started family cooking--sort of like our version of the family bed, but with knives and fire.

Our guide is either the original "Art of French Cooking", which is surprisingly simple in it's writing.  Or, a great cookbook for the family, "The Family Kitchen" by Debra Ponzek. Easy to follow, but with a sophisticated grouping of tastes.   The product description on Amazon.com says it best:  ...simple enough to please kids, refined enough to satisfy parents..., chapters include 125 flavorful crowd-pleasers such as Pan-Seared Pork Chops with Green Apple–Cranberry Compote, Honey-Glazed Carrots, and Double Hot Chocolate with Homemade Marshmallows. This is food you and your kids will want to eat every day—and not a smiley-face pizza in sight!"

Evenings are not all sweetness and light, but there is a light at the end of the tunnel.  The kids do tend to enjoy the food more when they've had a hand in it.  And, I let them name it.  Let's face it, what kid isn't going to choose "Green Eyed White Dragon" Soup, over Zucchini and Leek Soup.  Or Bloody CreepLoaf (kay, which made me not want to eat....).

However, I have found nothing, including sound effects, which have turned brussels sprouts into a favorite. Oh well, more of Jolly Green Giant brains for me and hubby!