Kids Cuisine

It isn’t always easy and it doesn’t always happen, but I try to maintain the family dinner table at my house. There have been times when, I must confess, my 4-year-old got the PB&J sandwich she was whining for, the twin babies were given Gerber finger foods, and my husband and I didn’t even eat until everyone is in bed. Most nights, though, I try to be sure we all sit together at the table to enjoy dinner. It wasn’t an easy plan to implement when the twins first arrived, but being consistent and stubborn seems to have helped us establish a good dinnertime routine.

The Slow Food Movement isn’t just for grown-ups. Children and families can truly benefit from slowing things down at dinnertime. Children develop healthier eating habits (dinner in front of the TV isn’t really a good habit for later in life). Parents and children get a chance to break away from their hectic lives to connect.

Here are some ways you can introduce your kids to Slow Food:

• Take them to a local farmer’s market to help you pick out fresh, locally grown produce to use in preparing dinner.
• Let them help you make dinner. My daughter has the Mom and Me Cookbook, which has recipes for appetizers, main dishes, and desserts at the dinner table.
• Have a cocktail hour while you prepare dinner. You can put out sparkling grape juice in plastic wine glasses for the kids, and put out light appetizers. That will help get everyone centered around the table and kitchen so you aren’t hunting down kids and spouse when dinner is ready. That will also get everyone into a dining and socializing mood. Besides, how cute would it be if your kid starts saying terms like amuse bouche.
• Get rid of all distractions during preparation and serving of dinner. That means turning off the TV, turning the phone ringer off during dinner and turning off cell phones.
• Let your kids help you with the schedule of meals and any other preparation so they feel a part of things. They will probably be more interested in the whole dinner process if they helped plan the meals, buy the ingredients, prepare the dish, and set the table.

As the kids get older, I know tough homework, playing at friends’ houses and, ultimately, the teen era will conspire against my family dinner table. But I plan to push for a civilized family dinner as often as possible.

Photo of dinner table, © Dani Simmonds at Stock.xchng.