Red Sauce or White Sauce

Now don't start thinking that this will be any sort of post about buerre blanc and buerre rouge, because it's just not going to be it. I'd be happy to do one if anyone would like, but this post is one that has been kicking around in my head for a while and now I'm just going to start putting it out there and see what I come up with. The real inspiration for this post was a visit from one of my best friends, Matthew, over the July 4th holiday. We have been tight ever since our days at the University of Virginia, but our wives and kids had only spent a minimal amount of time together. The one thing I can say is that his daughter, 3, and my son, 4, got along great. Of course they battled it out here and there, but for the most parts they were playing together most of the time.

But what do I write about here? Inter-family bliss? No, I write about food and eating and so we need to get to what has been going on for me since their visit and my thoughts on kids and food. First the basics, his daughter is what you would call a picky eater. In fact virtually everything that goes into her mouth is accompanied by a generous amount of red sauce or white sauce. Now, in this case, the red sauce is ketchup (or catsup if you are old school with your spelling) and the white is Ranch Dressing. Seeing this really kind of freaked me out, and made me think back to my little brother who has definitely had to deal with a healthy dose of eating issues himself. For him it was more of a choice between honey and ranch dressing, but either way it was about covering his food in goop before he ate it. He ate the simplest and worst foods imaginable for a little kid and in the process he grew fat and unhealthy. I'm happy to report that he now looks great and seems to eat a more balance array of foods.

The question I find myself coming to is why kids fall into this spot where they eat a limited number of foods, refuse to try new things, and bury what they do consume in copious amounts of sauce. The answer I think is both simple and very difficult. First off, people just need to get off their lazy butts and put some time in the kitchen. Buying a bunch of premade processed foods and feeding your family with it every day is completely bankrupt in the humanity department. You owe it to yourself and your loved ones to put some effort into what is coursing through your veins. I know people that think more about what grade and kind of gasoline they put in their cars than they do about what they fuel themselves with. It's just wrong. You are not to busy to cook a real meal for your family. The TV or computer or whatever it is can wait until after the meal is made.

The excuse that really gets to me is the whole, "I can't" or "I don't" cook excuse, as if making that decision and labelling yourself in that way excuses you from ever having to put a pan on the stove. If you are a parent and raising children, it's not about you and what you can't or won't do. It's about your children and if you really and truly want the best for them, simply learn. Not everyone can get in the kitchen and whip up something fantastic, but the reality is that everyone can learn the basics and retain enough knowledge to keep the table filled with good things. The next time you reach in the freezer to pop dinner in the microwave just take a second to read the nutritional information on the side of your Stouffer's box. There's nothing good in there, I promise you that much. Go out and take a class, buy a book, surf for recipes online. Do whatever it takes, but don't just shove a chicken nugget and a french fry in your kids mouth because it makes them happy and shuts them up for a few minutes, because you are not really helping yourself. You're actually hurting them.

Unfortunately, I now have to end this post for the day because my lunch hour is nearly over, but I promise that tomorrow I will offer what I see as reasonable paths to better diets for our kids and not just a rant.