There's a World Outside

The gloomy, rainy weather today didn't stop us from venturing out and frequenting one of our favorite local Indian restaurants, Tandoor Indian Cuisine.  After having been exposed to authentic Indian food in Muscat and in Princeton, we've become pretty good connoisseurs of the flavors and selective of the restaurants we patronize.  


Giving kids exposure to different types of ethnic dishes and the countries that represent them is a noble task.  The U.S. is a homogeneous country as far as language is concerned, but we do live in an integrated, international society.  Each person you meet has an interesting story to retell.   

Toddler S and her Chicken Tikka


Now, for the hard part.  Theoretically planning an outing to try new flavors of food is one thing, but in the back of my mind, I wasn't sure how it would play out in real life.  For one, Toddler S is not very patient or neat.  It is all about her needs and how quickly they can be met.  She doesn't give you much leeway to react either.  I do try to help her be civilized.  Specially when those evil looks start to come my way from folks that are appalled at what is happening.  Most of the time, these people have grown children, and don't remember how challenging children this age can be when they simply do not want to cooperate. 

We went with the lunch buffet.  A killer move for most and I will include myself in this group.  I have no self-control.  It's hard not to have multiple servings of Dal or Spinach Curry.  However, it is a simple way to try many foods at once. 

The next question I had was how long would the behavior last.  Indeed, I was surprised.  G behaved beautifully and Toddler S was herself, but a bit more polished.  Her big sister helped in that aspect and I also made sure to end the outing while I was ahead!  Waldo, wishing you were here...  

Get tips on How to Shape Kids' Food Preferences.  Happy reading.



G enjoying Naan