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Strollerderby
Beyond Chicken Fingers and Mac and Cheese
If there’s one complaint I could register with the owners of my favorite restaurant, it’s the need for kid portions. Not a kids menu, mind you. I don’t need chicken nuggets and mac and cheese at a Greek restaurant.
But half the Phyllo dough filled with feta, spinach and onions would be nice. A half a gyro, cucumber sauce on the side for dipping rather than dripping.
Kid friendly doesn’t have to mean kid food.
Our four-year-old is content eating bits of my spinach pie, pieces of my husband’s sausage dish. But most places don’t give her that option. She’s seated with a coloring book/menu, pictures of hot dogs and grilled cheese sandwiches so prominent they might as well have placed a flashing neon arrow just above. The power of suggestion preys heavily on her better judgment.
And as it’s a one-off, I generally don’t care. A few hot dogs and nuggets are not the makings of a lifelong problem, provided they’re supplemented at home by spinach and squash. We’re like most of America – we don’t eat out much.
But it’s not about whether the food is bad for her that bothers me quite so much. It’s the idea that dumbing down the menu for kids is necessary in a world where parents are being pushed to raise healthy, adventurous eaters in the battle with childhood obesity. Don’t want parents serving hot dogs every night? Why not stick the nitrate-laden stick of meat back at the ball park where it belongs?
I literally salivated at this article in Time Out New York Kids, a run down of Manhattan restaurants that have taken family friendly seriously. The children’s menu means adult meals in smaller portion, perhaps with less spice. You’ll note mac and cheese makes its appearance, fries too. But the menus are bursting with flavor and creativity. Who wants a popsicle when you can spoon hazelnut pudding into your darling’s lips?
Would your kids say “I’ll have what she’s having” if they could?
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Cali Mom commented on Aug 04 09 at 6:06 pmRestaurant portions are so big (even at nicer restaurants) that we can usually get 2 items and share it between the 3 of us and that is more than enough. Sometimes we get an appetizer for variety. We just tip a bit extra to make up for the extra seat we are taking up.
Angercontrolproblem commented on Aug 04 09 at 8:29 pmAnother whiny blogger looking for someone to blame, and society is a great scapegoat for when your favorite restaurant doesn’t sell kids portions of falafel.. Get a grip, kids don’t eat fucking feta cheese and kalamata olives.
Oh, and if you don’t like your kid seeing the picture of a grilled cheese then don’t give them a menu.. Do your own parenting, crybaby.
Va Mommy commented on Aug 04 09 at 9:25 pmI think that restaurants should have smaller portions available for anyone. So that if the kid does like Gyros, then they can have one. Or maybe more parents should save their money and share some of their meal with their kids. After all, how many times have we ordered food for our kids, only have them not eat any of it?
PlumbLucky commented on Aug 05 09 at 8:19 amThe funniest thing I have ever witnessed was when my friend’s daughter (at that point age six) ordered falafel. The waitress asked if she’d rather have macaroni and cheese. The six year old, very politiely and sweetly, said “no thank you maam. I would rather have falafel please.” And then proceeded to eat it.
And well, as a child, I didn’t eat effing feta. That’d be gross. I just ate feta. :-)
Katie commented on Aug 05 09 at 9:34 amAngercontrol problem, I have to disagree with you! My kids love feta cheese, olives, falafel, Moo Shu Shrimp, Maki Sushi, and all sorts of other foods from a range of cultures. They even eat their veges (my 5 year old loves broccili, and my 4 year-old loves tomatoes, and my 2 eats just about anything she can get her hands/mouth on. Kids learn to like diverse foods by eating them, and develop a broad palate by being exposed to a range of food choices. Sorry, Angercontrolproblem, that you have such picky eaters!
Walker commented on Aug 05 09 at 11:26 amAngercontrolproblem is the funniest thing I have seen in a while. What a joke. Time to take your Lithium, honey.
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