Conscious Choice: Let Children Play with Their Food

August 2003 | Conscious Dining

Let Children Play with Their Food

by JoAnn Milivojevic

A four-year-old who loves Thai and Mexican food, a nine-year-old who chooses to eat spinach, and a very picky 17-year-old tries calamari and likes it. Hey Mikey, what’s going on here? All these kids tried new foods at restaurants. Our unscientific survey shows that some kids who dined out became more adventurous eaters who also — surprise, surprise — made some healthy choices too. The trick, however, is in carefully choosing the restaurant then leaving the rest up to them.

According to Paul Rizzo, start dining out with your kids when they’re very young and they may never see ethnic or unusual foods as something to avoid. Rizzo and his wife, Barb, have been taking their child, Felicity to restaurants since she was a baby. To keep fidgeting at bay, they make sure she’s properly rested before they dine out. To encourage her to try new dishes, they suggest that ‘it tastes like chicken.’ Today, Felicity eats Mexican, Thai, and Chinese with equal fervor. And she’s only four years old.

A perennial Felicity favorite is pasta. These Northwest siders like the family restaurant Martino’s, which features homemade soups, sauces, and variety of pastas. "We started her off with pasta shapes that were easy to spoon," says Rizzo, "now she twirls her spaghetti like an adult, it’s a pasta "right of passage" and she’s thrilled."

Italian food in the shape of pizza is an obvious kid favorite. Jeff Siegel, father of 10-year-old Spence, says that Wolfgang Puck’s Café pizza bar is a sure winner for them. Kids sit at a bar where they learn to make their pizza with a chef to guide them. "The pizza chef sprinkles flour in front of them and gives them a big hunk of dough," explains Siegel. "Kids learn how to knead the dough and form the crust; the chef patches up any holes before they add sauce and ingredients." The handmade pizzas are placed in a wood burning oven and kids can watch the flames dance around their creations. From dough to finished pizza takes about 45-minutes. And given the quality ingredients, pizzas get higher marks then say the triple-cheese stuffed versions. The kids’ pizza bar is just $5.95 and includes a drink and dessert.

Interactivity wins favor with my own nephew Michael, now 17. Though reluctant to eat many veggies at home, he and his buddies head to do-it-yourself stir-fry restaurants like Flat Top Grill. Michael likes following the recipe cards that suggest combinations. His experimentation led to something that has become a new food favorite, calamari. My sister-in-law was shocked that her meat-and-potatoes boy actually tried, and liked, squid. But it seems that choice paves the way to new food journeys.

Mother of two, Ann Pitcher also dines at Flat Top with her kids. She sees the buffet as a real bonus because kids can walk around. "They don’t have stay in their seat the whole time," says Pitcher, "kids are in control and can choose things they like." She was amazed to see her daughter Allison, nine, with spinach in her bowl. Of course, she didn’t utter a word, she just marveled at the choice. Flat Top Grill features a fresh buffet with 22 vegetable choices, 17 sauce selections and a variety of protein options from tofu to chicken to seafood. An added bonus is the low price point; a family of four can eat out for about $40.

Sharon and Alec Bloyd-Peshkin are vegetarians and so are their two young children. Thai and Mexican top their list of favorite ethnic foods. "My favorite Thai dessert is lycees on ice," says 11-year-old Hannah, "when you peel off the hard shell, it look gross, like white brains, but it tastes really good." She also likes the Twisted Lizard Mexican restaurant at Navy Pier because they are willing to accommodate the ingredients to meet vegetarian needs. Hannah often asks for a burrito stuffed with vegetables and the kitchen is happy to create her special order. Eight-year-old Alec is partial to not-dogs at the Chicago Diner, another family favorite.

So the bottom line seems to be choice and letting kids choose. Just go to a restaurant where the selection doesn’t include burgers and fries. Take that option away, and you just might be surprised what your kids will try.

Chicago Diner, 3411 N. Halsted, Chicago; 773-935-6696

Flat Top Grill, 3200 N. Southport Avenue, Chicago; 773-665-8100; 1000 W. Washington Street, Chicago; 312-829-4800; 7007 Church Street, Evanston, IL; 847-570-0100; 726 Lake Street, Oak Park, IL; 708-358-8200

Martino’s, 3431 W. Peterson, Chicago; 773- 478-5410

Twisted Lizard, 700 E. Grand Avenue, Chicago; 312-494-9400

Wolfgang Puck’s Café, 1701 Maple Ave, Evanston, IL; 847-869-9653

JoAnn Milivojevic is a freelance writer whose articles on food, fitness, and travel have appeared in magazines nationwide.

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