the young gastronome

I grew up eating some wonderful food.  Our meals were high quality, home cooked and fresh.  I am thankful for this – without it I would have been doomed to the prepackaged, mass market, frozen foods fate of my friends. This solid food foundation has allowed me to new discover wonderful flavors, expand my food experiences and have an appreciation for great food.

My six year old son is subject to my food habits and I must admit that I am impressed with his willingness to try things. We have an agreement – if he wants to go out and eat with me he must be willing to try things.  This does not mean he needs to like them – just that he will be adventurous and open and try them.

At home, I inflict all manner of grown up foods upon him – none of the mac&cheese and tater tots his friends are eating – come to think of it, no tater tot has never crossed my threshold! Last week we had lovely, local pork chops served with apples, leeks, and canadian bacon in champagne vinegar and white wine, snap peas and asparagus, and a shitake, morel risotto. He kept telling me that he loved the canadian pig. I did not eat this when I was six and I am thankful to have a little boy who is so willing to be adventurous and experience food.

My mother made the best pancakes and french toast.  My son will tell you that the very best things I make are pancakes and french toast. But I feed him truffle oil and pancetta, we go to farmers market where he selects produce and makes the purchase, he loves to be my helper and we get in the kitchen together and have a lot of fun. . . Ethan does the most beautiful braised carrots with fresh thyme. I hope that he grows up and wants to be a chef or a farmer or at least ends up with a healthy appreciation and respect for chefs and farmers.

Here is what Ethan has to say on the matter:

“I like farmers because they produce good food. Because some of their animals give us things – sheep give us wool coats and cows give us milk. They make healthy food.

“Well, they do good things. The crops that farmers produce – when they go back into the ground it is good for the earth.”

“I like chefs because they take the things that farmers make and make them into very good foods.”