Making New Foods Familiar

Making new foods familiar I find stir fries a quick and easy meal when I have no interest in cooking dinner but have to anyway.

For my last stir fry, I wanted a bit of a change and added bok choy, an Asian green. Of course, our kids turned their noses up and wouldn’t touch it. Then with a touch of genius that comes out now and then, The Big Cheese called it ‘Thai celery’ and Brie Boy tried it, liked it and kept eating it.

So why did ‘Thai celery’ convince Brie Boy to try it. The Big Cheese made it familiar to him.

One of our holidays was to Thailand where we all had a great time so it is fondly remembered and still talked about and celery is one of Brie Boy’s favourite foods (for the moment!) By making the unfamiliar food of bok choy familiar to Brie Boy he was more readily to try it and looked at it differently than as green yucky bits.

Now I must add that it didn’t work for my daughter. Baby Bell is younger and not as keen on celery as Brie Boy. So you will have to tailor it to suit the child and it may work for one but not the other.

We have use this strategy again with successful results but this time with Baby Bell. Baby Bell loves hummus but wouldn’t eat chick peas so now we call them hummus balls and she will eat them in a meal.

What new foods can you make familiar to your kids?