Originally Posted by
EkekoBWI
No judgment, but I think upbringings are enriched when parents take the lead in pushing children to try new things, culinary ones included. Quickly tapering to hot pockets, fish sticks, pizza, and chicken nuggets is a too common and enduring rut. It does call for time and patience, which I know to be in short supply these days, but I think the investment is worth it. I was beaming when my daughter asked "I'd like something I've never had before" ahead of breakfast.
I'm so thankful that I grew up with parents who were relatively adventurous eaters (for the 1970s) and great cooks. We'd have enchiladas one day and mu shu pork the next, paella then lasagna, my mom even cooked tempura. We generally had to follow a "eat everything" or "try everything" rule, though ironically they did not force us to eat shrimp as kids and I joke now that it's because they appreciated the cost savings! Unlucky for them, I finally discovered I liked shrimp while flying transatlantic in first class on Pan Am -- thanks shrimp cocktail!
When I was little, we rarely ate out, with a few exceptions. We'd spend 2 weeks in a cottage on Sanibel island every year, and usually went out for 2 dinners (an Italian restaurant on Gulf Road, plus either Mucky Duck, Chadwick's or Bubble Room) and 1 brunch (Chadwick's) while there. And when I was 10 we moved to DC and had a family subscription to National Geographic's weekly lecture series, which ran maybe 8-10 weeks, always on Friday nights, followed by dinner out. When I was 13 we moved overseas and started taking international trips 3 times a year, so then my restaurant dining experiences really amped up.