Today at the supermarket my husband overheard a french lady asking her small son if he would like some brocoli, we were anticipating the typical english response of yuk when he made us smile by responding miam miam...oh I do wish my little one would eat vegetables.
How do these french mums manage to get their kids to eat them. I've tried so many & I propose them at every meal in many different ways but each time she spots them she hand them back to mummy, buerk! Fruit on the other hand, she can't get enough of!
I thought it would be funny to share the conversations our kids or friends children have had which you cannot imagine occuring outside France...
I’m pleased to write that I had the opposite experience this week. We went past a lady in the supermarket selling Kiwis & she offered us one to try. My daughter happily chomped away & ate a whole kiwi whilst a french lady with small boy in the trolley next to us pointed out ‘regarde la petite fille, elle mange un kiwi, pourquoi tu ne mange pas des kiwis comme elle? Elle est plus petite que toi…’ Did I smile, yes I confess I did.
Now if the woman had been selling carrots - I’d wouldn’t have stood a chance against the little french lad
My daughter also started eating more veg when she began eating lunch at school. The policy at school is she doesn’t have to eat everything on her plate, but has to at least try it. It’s amazing how many vegetables she likes now!
I like this idea. Well my husband suggested making some of Jamie Oliver styly herb butter and freezing it, then chopping off one piece to put on top of her veg when I serve it. Certainly made a difference the first time I tried it. Here are the varieties I’ve made up:
Garlic & Basil
Mint & Garlic
Basil & Chive
Tarragon & Garlic
I have a little herb garden on my roof terrace so it’s also a great way of using fresh herbs too. (Although now she picks the basil leaves & eats them raw after seeing mama collecting the herbs. I now have to try to stop her picking leaves off any old plant which is a scary thought)
My little one will eat curry, chilli, whole garlic, olives & even raw onion, she eats the same meals as us and used to eat all sorts of vegetables when she was first weaned but now at 15m she won’t eat them. Perhaps it’s just a phase. She has eaten more types of fish in her short life than I had in my whole lifetime. One other saving grace - she doesn’t like frites! Give her a pomme dauphinoise or roast potato any day!
We also had a zero tolerance when they were little which makes life so much easier, my 5 year will also wolf down curry/chilli along with cornichons and saussison. The youngest is proving a bit more fussy - we joke he is like his Grandad in the UK - meat, 2 veg and potatoes at every meal, still I guess it could be worse.
I think I must be really lucky (or just a mean mummy) as my 3 boys (1, 3 and 6) all LOVE veg… to the point they are banned from going into the veg patch and eating it straight from the plants! The only difference I can see from the way we eat as a family and how some of my friends children eat (who wont eat veg) is that we have from the minute they start eating a ZERO tolerance policy… everyone eats the same and everyone has to eat what they are given plus noone is ever allowed to say they dont like something without trying it first! Does mean we have children who love ‘grown up’ things like curry, Hoummous and Olives!
P.S We only come over in November and they were like this in the UK!
Yup I would agree with Tracey that it is the French attitude and when they are older peer pressure. In the UK my 5 and 7 years olds regarded most veg as the work of the devil as did all their friends. Within two months of starting French school, they were eating almost everything - because their friends did too!
Ps viz the broccoli - try doing it gratin style - the recipe is on the SF recipe page - even broccoli haters seem to love it done like that!
Oh dear, I think mine are getting too french, not only do they get excited over broccoli, my 5 year old’s list of favourite food is topped by ---- sprouts, closely followed by every other veg you can think of including spinach. Her tea time choice (at 5.30pm, as we are so English) includes raw red pepper, grated carrot and cucumber!
The younger one will also eat any fruit or veg but not the salad stuff - is this because I ignored the advice from the PMI to puree salad veg for him!
To be honest I think it is down to the French attitude whereby they expect the kids to eat teh same as them, so they don’t even thing about offering them alternatives, both mine were with French childminders from 15 months and I think their healthy eating habits are down to them. The school also helps - mine are expected to eat everything that is put on their plate in the canteen - no choice what so ever! It certainly makes for easier mealtimes.
