Picky eaters have plagued their parents’ lives from the beginning of time. The blame often falls on moms allowing their kids to dictate what should be on the menu—chicken nuggets, canned soup, pizza—these foods are not only served at home but dragged along in coolers on visits to other people’s homes AND to the restaurants that don’t have a kids menu. Hard to believe that kids can even dictate the contents of most restaurant menus! How is it that these half-pints developed the power to get grownups to grovel when it comes to mealtime? It’s the threat of “give me what I want or I won’t eat!” Some kids get away with this today, but when our mom (Kukla) was growing up, our grandmother (Yiayia) was the boss!
One of our favorite stories that our mom used to share with us was about a memorable dinner she experienced when she was about 6, which at first seemed like a rude awakening. Our grandfather (Papou) worked in the coalmines in West Virginia, so money was tight with four kids to feed. Our grandmother was a master in the kitchen and knew how to stretch a dollar. She cooked everything and the kids learned from a very young age to, well, eat everything. Beans are a main staple in the Greek kouzina, a great source of protein, and inexpensive, so this was one food group that Yiayia made the most of.
Fava Fast
DAY 1
Fava, it’s what’s for dinner: One night Yiayia prepared Fava (φάβα), a split-pea puree made with olive oil and lemon juice. Yiayia set the table and called everyone in for dinner. Our mom took one look at the Fava and said, “I don’t like it.” Yiayia asked her how she knew that she didn’t like it if she didn’t try it. Our mom emphatically said that she didn’t want it. Yiayia told her that Fava is what’s for dinner and she had to eat it. Our mom stood her ground and refused, so Yiayia told her to go to bed without dinner. Our mom left the table and went to her room.
Fava, it’s what’s for dinner: One night Yiayia prepared Fava (φάβα), a split-pea puree made with olive oil and lemon juice. Yiayia set the table and called everyone in for dinner. Our mom took one look at the Fava and said, “I don’t like it.” Yiayia asked her how she knew that she didn’t like it if she didn’t try it. Our mom emphatically said that she didn’t want it. Yiayia told her that Fava is what’s for dinner and she had to eat it. Our mom stood her ground and refused, so Yiayia told her to go to bed without dinner. Our mom left the table and went to her room.
DAY 2
Our mom came to the table the next morning, happy that fava-day was behind her. She sat down and, after Yiayia served everyone a breakfast of bacon and eggs, she placed the same bowl of Fava in front of Mom. Our mom was stunned. She couldn’t believe this was happening to her again…for breakfast no less! She refused to eat it and, again, she was excused from the table.
Lunch came around and so did the Fava for Mom. Can you guess what happened to this feisty kid? Yup, she left the table hungry.
As the sun went down, dinner was served. Yiayia brought out a Greek roast-chicken-and-potatoes dinner and placed the same bowl of Fava in front of Mom. By now she was being stubborn out of spite and she once more refused to eat it…and, once more, she was excused from the table. At this point Papou felt the situation was getting out of hand and he spoke up saying, “Give the child something else to eat. You can’t send her to bed hungry again!” Yiayia told him “You go out and work and bring home the money, and I’ll take care of raising the kids!” A.K.A., don’t mess with a Greek mother trying to teach her kids a valuable lesson.
DAY 3
Mom was now starving and when the bowl of Fava was placed in front of her that morning, she dove in, wiped the bowl clean with some bread, and asked for more. She actually loved it and, from then on, she ate everything that was placed in front of her, partly because she didn’t want to go through that fava-fast hunger again, and partly because she didn’t want to miss out on food that was actually good. Yiayia’s fava-fast was a bit extreme but it worked, and it sent out a message to all the kids that dictating what was on the menu was her job, not theirs—learning how to eat started at home.
Our mom came to the table the next morning, happy that fava-day was behind her. She sat down and, after Yiayia served everyone a breakfast of bacon and eggs, she placed the same bowl of Fava in front of Mom. Our mom was stunned. She couldn’t believe this was happening to her again…for breakfast no less! She refused to eat it and, again, she was excused from the table.
Lunch came around and so did the Fava for Mom. Can you guess what happened to this feisty kid? Yup, she left the table hungry.
As the sun went down, dinner was served. Yiayia brought out a Greek roast-chicken-and-potatoes dinner and placed the same bowl of Fava in front of Mom. By now she was being stubborn out of spite and she once more refused to eat it…and, once more, she was excused from the table. At this point Papou felt the situation was getting out of hand and he spoke up saying, “Give the child something else to eat. You can’t send her to bed hungry again!” Yiayia told him “You go out and work and bring home the money, and I’ll take care of raising the kids!” A.K.A., don’t mess with a Greek mother trying to teach her kids a valuable lesson.
DAY 3
Mom was now starving and when the bowl of Fava was placed in front of her that morning, she dove in, wiped the bowl clean with some bread, and asked for more. She actually loved it and, from then on, she ate everything that was placed in front of her, partly because she didn’t want to go through that fava-fast hunger again, and partly because she didn’t want to miss out on food that was actually good. Yiayia’s fava-fast was a bit extreme but it worked, and it sent out a message to all the kids that dictating what was on the menu was her job, not theirs—learning how to eat started at home.
Turkey Day
Joanne, Mom (Kukla) & the turkey
Our mom, like her mom before her, raised us to eat just about everything from the time we were able to chew, but one Thanksgiving, my sister Joanne, who was about 5 at the time, refused to eat the turkey. She said didn’t like it. (Do you see a pattern here?) This was our mom’s juicy, delicious, most excellent bird (the recipe will be in our cookbook!) and I couldn’t understand why she wouldn’t eat it. I remember saying to her “how do you know you don’t like it if you don’t try it?” She said she didn’t like the way it looked. I told her that I’d make a deal with her, “try just one bite and if you still don’t like the turkey, you don’t have to eat any more of it.” She thought about it and felt it was a good offer so she took a bite and her eyes lit up…she said it was great. Next I told her to put some of our mom’s gravy on it and, again, she said she didn’t like the way it looked (she was a chip off the ole block!). Once more I told her to take just one bite—she did and she loved it. From that moment on Joanne was cured of finicky-eating syndrome.
Pass the Greek Veggies Please!
On the flip side, maybe the message kids are trying to convey is that the good-for-you stuff just doesn’t taste good.
We grew up loving veggies like broccoli, spinach, greens, and artichokes. We were clueless as to why the other kids didn’t. One day we had dinner at a friend’s house where they had spinach on the table. We took a hefty portion and it was awful. That’s when we realized that there’s something about Greek cooking that makes everything, including veggies, taste great. A simple olive-oil-and-lemon dressing (Ladolemono) not only makes ordinary greens seriously flavorful, the citrus helps your body to absorb their nutrients. And how about Spanakopita? What a great way to enjoy spinach! Joanne’s daughter Jackie has been eating it all since she was a toddler and now enjoys cooking it herself. Bottom line: Add flavor to make foods taste good, make a one-bite deal with your kids, and watch them turn into mini-foodies right before your eyes. |
|
I hope you enjoyed our finicky eater stories and our tips on how to turn the foods you thought you wouldn’t like into great-tasting staples in your own kouzina. Stay tuned for more on Greek cooking in upcoming blogs.
Sign up for our e-newsletter (if you haven’t already) and stay connected on social media for cooking tips and recipes, as well as for all Kukla's Kouzina updates and news.
We wish you all a very blessed and Happy Thanksgiving! Thanks for following us and we’ll see you next Monday.
Until then~
Kali orexi! Good appetite!
Kelly
Sign up for our e-newsletter (if you haven’t already) and stay connected on social media for cooking tips and recipes, as well as for all Kukla's Kouzina updates and news.
We wish you all a very blessed and Happy Thanksgiving! Thanks for following us and we’ll see you next Monday.
Until then~
Kali orexi! Good appetite!
Kelly
Copyright © 2018 Kukla's Kouzina: A Gourmet Journey~Greek Island Style / The Naked Truth About...Greek Cooking!
Web design by Kelly Salonica Staikopoulos
Web design by Kelly Salonica Staikopoulos
