the fussy eater

i'm listing the bean's peculiar dietary preferences just so's i can compare with what she will or won't eat when she's older. by the way, i am hoping she will grow out of her pet food hates and become a more catholic eater.

meats/fish
1. salmon - she'll eat it ovenbaked or grilled, not dressed unless with a light sprinkling of salt. (unlike some kids, the bean doesn't like any sauce on her food.)

2. ocean trout - again, ovenbaked or grilled as is.

3. birdseye frozen fish fillets with spinach & feta - i've tried her on normal kids' fish fingers and she is not terribly fond of those, nor would she gobble down other 'flavoured' frozen fillets as much as she does this particular version with spinach and feta.

4. beef - she likes the japanese-style very thinly/finely sliced beef. i think she likes beef only when it's tender and not chewy.

5. chicken - normally she hates whatever chicken i cook her but yesterday i tried her on small pieces of teriyaki chicken and she liked those.

vegetables
1. broccoli - she'll eat a few and then needs lots of coaxing to finish the rest. plus, she's partial to the stems. she doesn't like the florets part of the veg.

2. celery - she likes this raw, without the leafy bits.

3. spinach (or any other leafy veg) - will eat only when i spoon-feed her.

4. kailan - she used to eat a lot of this (simply stir-fried, not too oily, and must be tender) but we haven't been giving her much of it lately

fruit
watermelon is arguably her favourite fruit, tied with blueberries and mangoes. she will eat the usual apples/pears/mandarin oranges/grapes et al but they won't be greeted with the same enthusiasm.

she told me today, "i don't like it" looking at the bowl of rockmelon i had placed on her table, but when i asked her to try just one she managed to scoff down most of it.

as a baby she used to retch when i tried to give her bananas. but after she turned 2 she began to like them more. she still won't finish an entire banana but now she will pick one up and peel it herself - when she is in the mood.

rice/pasta/bread
she likes boiled rice (she used to like fried rice but she doesn't like egg, in whatever form) and she prefers plain brown bread to any fancier gourmet variety that i am partial to ("without the seeds mama"). she will eat ravioli if it's just stuffed with spinach and cheese. i tried her on beef ravioli and that was a dismal failure.

miscellaneous
1. macaroni cheese - the easy-cook pasta packs are her favourite. she doesn't like it when i melt cheese into cooked macaroni - i think it's the lumps and gooey cheese that turns her off.

2. spaghetti bolognese - this is on every children's menu in restaurants, but the bean hates it

3. sushi - to be precise, it's "cucumber hosomaki", i.e. the plain nori-wrapped cucumber rolls that have been sliced into bite-sized pieces. she doesn't like it when i change the filling to chopped carrots/tinned tuna etc.

4. spinach/ sausage rolls - yup, those rather unhealthy pastry shop snacks. she usually gets a sausage roll and a cup of hot chocolate after her swim lesson. and when we used to do kindermusik, we used to pacify her with a roll and a babycino after class too.

5. french fries - the chips in fish and chips used to be a bean favourite. but lately she is not as into them as before...or maybe it's just that she prefers sushi now?


food hates/loves
egg could top her list of food she dislikes. she doesn't like egg in any form - boiled, fried et al - which is a bit inconvenient as a boiled egg is such a wholesome all-in-one food. several months ago she used to be given one at least once a week, and although she'd only eat the egg white portion she would at least go them a go. not so now.

an inherited trait, her very favourite 'food' is ice cream. i even tried her on green tea ice cream yesterday and she loved it.

it's a sign that childhood is no longer what we remember it to be when kids cry out for a babycino. and er...the bean is no different from any other middle-class aussie brat with a penchant for the foamy milk concoction laced with cocoa, having announced 2 days ago as i drove her to playgroup, "we are going to a cafe. i want a babycino mama."

food for thought? it's truly bemusing business feeding the bean.