Something New

Human nature is an amazing thing. Our instincts tell us to be cautious when something dangerous is about to occur. When something fun & exciting happens, we have an adrenaline rush. We tend to dig our heels in when we are being forced to make an unexpected change. And, when it comes to trying new things, well, you can probably guess where this post is headed!

Wednesday night is our newly appointed "Try Something New Night" at the dinner table. I have become very bored & tired of the same old thing, week after week, and have decided that it is now time to force the family to break out of our safe but hum-drum menu choices. My oldest, Alex, is the absolute worst when it comes to trying new foods - he's my super-picky child and if something even looks a little different (even if its the same old spaghetti or Gold Fish Cracker Chicken), he will inevitably turn his nose up and begin with the "What is this?" and "What is that?" rigamarole. So, "Try Something New Night" was created specifically with him in mind.

Tonight's dinner? Fish, sushi, shrimp cocktails and fruit (grapes, apples, strawberries, and kiwi). A really easy, but really healthy and light meal. And just as I expected, as soon as we sat down to dinner, the nose turned up and his mouth began to form the words that I have become so accustomed to. But, before he could utter a single sylable, I stopped him dead in his tracks and explained the rules of our new tradition.

1. You may not say that you don't like something! If you haven't ever tasted it, then you don't know if you do or don't like it, do you?
2. You must try at least one new thing. If you've never tasted it, then that qualifies as your new thing.
3. If, after tasting it, you truly do not like it, you are finished with it and do not have to consume the entire thing. But, if you do like it, then I would recommend eating it and smiling your approval to me :)
4. But, when all else fails, DO NOT say that you don't like something until it has been tasted.

I felt these rules were pretty straight forward and easy to understand and follow! But, with his nose still turned up, he began asking what various items were. I explained what was in the sushi rolls (crab, rice and "other stuff"), told him that the kiwi was a small fruit from New Zealand and is super-delicious, and then explained how to eat a shrimp with the tail still on it. I then served up our fish and allowed everyone to peruse the other items on the table, allowing them to choose their 1 new item to taste.

Morgann went straight to the kiwi and scarfed it down - she is my fruit girl, so this didn't surprise me. What did surprise me was that she so quickly grabbed her piece and ate it without uttering a single word. This, the child that threw a hissy fit in the middle of the produce department this morning because I was buying "that icky stuff that is nasty and gross". Surprise! She loved it and proceeded to eat 3 more pieces before I stopped her and reminded her that she still had fish on her plate to consume, and that there were other people sitting at the table that might want a piece too. So, she took a quick bite of her fish, then proceeded to try a sushi roll, then a shrimp! She was obviously in a daring mood this evening.

Another surprise was that Michael said that he didn't think he had ever tried fresh kiwi before, so he was the next to eat and smile.

Two for 5!

At this point, I looked at Alex who was still sitting there with a turned-up nose, not saying anything, but looking at me with pleading eyes, as if to say "Mom, why are you torturing me? What did I do to deserve this?" But already knowing the answer he would give, I asked, "So, what is your choice?", to which he responded with a sigh, "I'm still thinking".

So, rather than to continue to press the issue, I decided to sit & enjoy my plate-full of yummy food (since I chose & cooked it, there was nothing new on the table that I had to try - I liked it all!). Michael, who was inhaling his dinner (not eating lunch will do that to a person), decided to work on Alex by making some suggestions. He began with cutting a very small piece of shrimp and handing it to Alex. He told him that he would probably like it if he would just get passed himself and taste it. Not surprisingly though, his nose remained in the turned-up position and his pleading eyes and whiny voice told Michael that the piece was indeed too big, asking him to cut it a bit smaller. So, he did, then handed it back to Alex.

With much fear and trembling (literally), he took the piece, slowly placed it into his mouth, and chewed. The result? A smile!

My child, the one that never tries anything, cries when you even suggest that he try something, and insisted with every fiber of his being that he wouldn't like the shrimp, liked the shrimp! He ate several more pieces in between eating his fish, and even went so far as to try to coax his sister into eating another piece (she had tried one earlier, right after taking a bite of the sushi roll, but decided that she wasn't a shrimp fan).

So, my oldest son tried something new, liked it, and didn't die!

It was a truly satisfying night. I am praying that this tradition will force him to broaden his horizons and will teach him to be a bit more daring, rather than always so safe & cautious. Sometimes you just have to throw caution to the wind, you know?