SC - Babies have taste buds

[Philip & Susan Troy]

Jeanne Stapleton wrote:
> 
> I think the "bland foods" thing is largely an out-
> growth of the mental link between those sorts of
> foods for invalids and the idea that babies are
> inherently fragile...one of the most delightful things
> I ever saw was when we were out to dinner with some
> SCA friends and others in Portland and were at a
> wonderful Thai restaurant, and the two-year-old in
> his high chair was slurping down the spiciest curry
> at the table with every evidence of relish.

Yup. Not unlike the three-year-old I heard about, and later actually
witnessed, scarfing down third and fourth consignments of haggis I'd
cooked for an event (which doesn't seem like a big deal, apart from the
liver thing, unless you realize I believe that haggis is a sausage and
should be _quite_ aggressively spiced). 

<snip>
> Experts have written tomes on the role of nature v.
> nurture in these matters; all I can say is that I've
> observed that if you start kids early enough on a
> variety of foods, they'll encounter some they'll
> reject, but they'll be much more open to trying
> things in general, and will develop at least a couple
> of likings outside the Kraft processed foods realm.

Kids may also vary in the sensitivity of their palates, and may have
different hot buttons. I ate pretty much everything that was put in
front of me as a child (although I complained heartily on the subject of
eggplant and lima beans, but that's another story) and don't recall
having any real problems with the limited exposure to the capsicum-based
food group that is now an essential part of my diet. What I couldn't
stand was certain egg dishes, especially overcooked egg yolks, and
mayonnaise, and certain brassicas such as cabbage and sprouts. I suspect
now that I was able to taste the sulfur, and that threw me.

In general I agree, though, about childhood exposure. I spend a fair
amount of time with various kids, both singly and in groups, with and
without their parents, and I'm pretty convinced that the more extreme
picky eaters are often effectively encouraged in this by their parents.
Many parents are just not willing to deal with the occasional food
hassle, afraid of seeing themselves as some kind of crazed Joan Crawford
screeching over the fly-specked rare steak. Often they're simply too
tired to deal with it, find this particular discretion the better part
of valor, and start travelling with the boxes of chemical macaroni and
cheese because their kid will eat only that brand. I have a nephew whose
diet, when not at McDonald's, consists of frozen fish sticks, soda
crackers, and peanut butter. He's about ten now, and his six-year-old
sister thinks it's all pretty funny. I have another relative who used to
be a kid like this, and is now a nominal adult in her mid-twenties. She
visits my mom for a couple of days a year, and among her other dietary
peculiarities, my mother has to buy a jar of Miracle Whip <shudder> (for
those who don't know about this stuff, it's more or less a thick salad
cream -- pseudo-mayonnaise, and pretty terrible). She also won't eat a
sandwich in a restaurant unless it is made with a croissant. If she were
my child, well, suffice it to say that in this Enlightened Age I'd
probably be thrown in jail. But then my own kid doesn't do anything like
this, and doesn't seem to be writing any exposé novels about his
horrible treatment at his parents' hands.

I feel such children, and such adults, are victims of a crippling as
severe as foot-binding, in a way, and like foot-binding, their parents
and guardians are largely responsible for it because they often think
it's cute.
      
Adamantius
- -- 
Phil & Susan Troy

troy at asan.com