19 August Friday

Having recovered from illness, having managed to fly across country, I find myself at my childhood home and with children no less. A niece and nephew. Fun fact- being in your own childhood home with children can throw a man into a psycho-spritual labyrinth of memories, hopes, fears, and curiosities. The toys that I played with as a child which I had long forgotten about suddenly appear on the bedroom floor, and in the mind, suddenly appear memories of family or friends or events from the distant (to me) past. This is especially true if the kids are playing with something that had been a gift from someone that is now dead. The little ones create new experiences with the toys, and some day they may remember me when their children or grandchildren play with some of the same toys. In the meantime, we all have work to do.

Children and food. How do our food habits develop? When do we go from people that only eat noodles and Cheerios to raw oysters, unusual vegetables, spice? And when, if ever, do kids start to be curious about making food themselves? From pouring milk on cereal to melting cheese on tortilla chips in the microwave to pulling your first turkey out of the oven? Seven is a great age to start to learning to do the interesting things in life. Cooking science included. For a fun beginning, I recommend whipped cream. First timers marvel at the miracle of a liquid turning into a solid, watching Uncle Ben beat and whip the cream with fury, my niece being in charge of slowly adding the sugar. Then, we three take a taste for sweetness. More sugar, more firm, or just right? Maybe the most important thing for kids to learn is to connect their brains to their tongues.

Can you taste a dish and identify the ingredients? We start with yucky and yummy and evolve to salty, sweet, and bland as well as crispy, creamy and chewy. Many palates hit the glass ceiling there. Some grown ups can tell the difference for more sophisticated flavors and textures, but many people don’t think about what they are eating. For instance, when you eat a scoop of vanilla ice cream, can you tell if that scoop has been made with custard-base ice cream or not, or if the vanilla is extract or bean? Once, I was eating a famous brand of “higher end” ice cream and distinctly tasted alcohol. I looked at the label and noticed for the first time that it said, Vanilla Flavored Ice Cream. Indeed, Vanilla Extract. An informed tongue is a good thing, teach the kids while they are young to be discerning. For breakfast we enjoyed Doritos. Cool Ranch. And leftover whipped cream. Heavenly.