Pictured above: The Offending Meal
"...and you never cook what I want to eat!"
This is what my six-year-old son wailed the other night when I presented him with dinner: a potato, zucchini and cheese frittata. I thought Jasper would appreciate the egg (we like scrambled eggs, yes?), the potatoes (potatoes are okay) and the cheese (total cheese fiend) and just overlook the zucchini (controversial). But, no. Somehow all of these ingredients together managed to conspire against my son and convince him that the sum of their parts was too horrible to face. And so, despite my attempt to feed my family a nutritious meal that would appeal to both kid and adult palates, yet another dinner had dissolved into grief and despair.
I think it's pretty fair to say that we're all doing our best. As parents in this relatively prosperous neighborhood, with access to nutrition education and just about any food you could possibly want, we all pretty much know what the Platonic ideal is (entire family sitting around the table enjoying a home-cooked meal, no crying) and what the parts are (lots of vegetables and whole grains). But we don't always know how to put all the parts together in a way that works for everyone in the family. That's what I've gathered from reading food-related posts on the Park Slope Parents listserv over the past few years.
So look, not only do I belong to the Park Slope Food Coop, I'm also a founding member of the Brooklyn Food Coalition, I’m a food writer, a sustainable foodie, a would-be locavore. Have I mentioned my obsession with pasture-raised meat? There's a lot of potential here for me to write a self-righteous, preachy, guilt-inducing column. But while I am passionate about food I'm also just another working parent trying to find my own kind of balance. I'm learning right along with everyone else how to do this parenting thing - how to raise a healthy, civilized member of a community. I'm no expert, but if you've got questions about cooking for your family I've got some answers, or at least I know how to find people with answers. So send me your questions, complaints, tales of meals happy and sad and you just might see them in my column. Write to me at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
Another thing I'd like to do with this food column is celebrate the fantastic smorgasbord of restaurants, shops, markets, chefs, butchers, bakers and candlestick makers we enjoy in this neighborhood. Sometimes I can't believe I really live here. And yes, I'm the same person who told you about the at the Liddabit caramels at Blue Apron now also available at Bklyn Larder. You're welcome.
