The secret to shaping kids’s palate from the start
We have a normal son, five years of age, living here in sunny Shanghai. He’s as normal as any kid can get, though slogging his way through a few languages and navigating life in one of the world’s largest and most exciting cities.
He is less normal in what he eats. That would be everything.
And thus the question, why is he this way ? Is it natural or genetics or what ?
Actually, it’s on purpose.
First, let me refer you to the best parenting book I’ve read: Brining Up Bebe, by Pamela Druckerman. This book is truly great on all levels, but especially about how the French look at food, and double especially that there is no concept of baby or kid’s food in France. We all eat what we all eat.
Taking that idea and coupling it with the research that says children’s primary tastes are formed very early, from 3–9 months old, we ensured he tasted everything we could find, well before he could even eat real food.
How? Sauce is the Secret. Chinese food is full of sauces, are are many Western foods, so we put every sauce we could find into his mouth, starting from about three months old.
Soy sauce, vinegar, milk, juices, ketchup, salad dressing, olive oil, and everything else that was ever on a plate. There was even a somewhat regrettable wasabi incident, which was fine after a few minutes of crying.
This process indoctrinated him to strong and varied tastes, such the he’ll eat or drink anything, and nothing is too strong. He pops olives like popcorn, loves all kinds of bread, especially with olive oil and balsamic vinegar. And when he’s finished with the bread, he drinks the olive oil, finishing it off with the balsamic vinegar. He likes strong stuff, this one.
What’s left? Not much, as we just started on sushi, which he loves, and foie gras, which he’s ambivalent about. Last summer we also finally got to oysters, which to my surprise he inhaled, and asked for more.
For our next child, we’ll ensure mom eats most of this stuff while pregnant, as research also shows a fetus soaks up these tastes and they become preferential tastes later. So we’ll stuff mom with the spicy wonders of the world, curry, Mexican, French, steak, and every other type of yummy food the world has to offer. Fortunately, she loves this stuff, too.
In the end, this is not that hard (in theory). Eat varied, rich, and if you can, spicy foods while pregnant. Then starting at three months of age, start to put every possible sauce, flavor, and texture in their mouths — it only takes a little, so a dab here and there on your finger is plenty, maybe sub-teaspoon once they are on hard foods. Build up to stronger stuff, and a bit of spice, too.
Certainly avoid drab and boring baby food, kids menus, and mashed up blandness — add varied spices, oils, and textures as early & often as you can.
You’ll be pleased & amazed when you have an true omnivore on your hands.