kids “food”
It’s been somewhat of a tradition for fine dining restaurants to treat children like crap.
Obesity is an epidemic in Minnesota hovering at around 28% of adults. “Houston we have a problem” A majority of diners think dining involves a deep fryer at some point of the meal. The fact is that this sentiment started early, for years we have been feeding our kids from a “kids menu”, well I suppose the chickens are coming home to roost.
So I have taken the step of doing away with my kids menu. I can and do cook special items for kids. There is no getting around some facts of life, no green stuff, not too hot, etc… I would rather work with children and their parents to come up with something that they will eat as opposed to be a contributor to this cycle.
I sure as hell am not high and mighty on this issue, there have been times when I wanted my munchkins to get something in their bodies, and processed food has been on the menu. But we make it a rarity.
For those of you that complain about kids in restaurants I ask you this: isn’t it better to be seated next to a family eating a wholesome meal as opposed to paying the higher taxes that will be the result of the health care tsunami that Kraft is stiring up? Hey man it’s only a matter of time.
6 Comments to “kids “food””
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Agree with you on part one. Disagree with your final paragraph. My issue with kids in restaurants is not what they eat and obesity. It’s with parents who cannot control their kids; who in turn spoil my dinner by being loud and obnoxious.
It’s not that these kids are normally well behaved except on the particular evening. That’s the way they’ve been brought up and that’s the way they act … selfish & spoiled.
So I have to pay twice. Once for a spoiled dining experience, then for health care.
I would love to see a restaurateur stand up once and tell the parents that if they can’t make their kids behave like human beings, then they should leave.
When I was a kid I got really annoyed (and for some reason embarrassed) when a waiter would hand me a kids menu. I wanted normal food, damnit! So, good for you getting rid of the kids menu.
Misbehaving adults and children ought to be reminded of appropriate decorum, no question.
As the mother of a 22 month old, I don’t have a prob with kids meals per se. I just don’t want them to automatically come with fries. Give me a choice, please. Carrots, cheese stick, mixed steamed veggies. I don’t feed her hot dogs and kraft mac n cheese at home so once in a while is not a BFD, but what kid doesn’t eat the fries first?
In the end, good for you, for being willing to work with the parents.
Mary, working with other parents is easy since I am cooking for my own kids at the resto, it’s a home away from home for us, so we have had to come up with ways to motivate their appetites from the menu.
Excellent topic Shef. At least we know that if Aaron and Isaac end up overweight it’ll be from eating fois gras everyday, not french fries and noodles with butter.