Children’s favourite food.
Do children eat more healthily today than they did 20-30-40 years ago? It's not really a straightforward question, we are not comparing ‘apples with apples” many of the foods that we loved as children don’t even exist today, even if they did they're not really on the radar of our youngsters.
Sunday afternoon tea for us was always a light snack, after a massive traditional Sunday lunch. Tea time (speaking working class, Northern) was a sandwich of some description, possibly crafted from whatever roast we had at lunchtime and a bowl of tinned fruit. I didn’t mind the cold roast beef sandwich it was the tinned fruit that made me retch.
The food was often served on trays on our laps in front of the TV, watching some inane program like Summertime Special or The Morecambe & Wise Show. More often than not, various grandparents had been invited over for the day. So there we were, all sat eating our tinned fruit (well not me, I could never face the slimy offering) Granddad liked his tinned pears with Carnation Milk and a couple of round of buttered Hovis (excuse me I have just been sick in my throat) he liked to wipe up every last morsel with the bread. (yes we were very Northern).
It’s hard to imagine the reaction of a 8 year old these days if you presented them with ‘granddad food’ they would be straight onto their mobiles phones Googling the Child Line number. Some food has endured over the years, Sausages; chips, (of various dimensions) chocolate is always on the list, but what about proper ‘sit down food’, what can we feed them without the wailing and moaning and amateur dramatics.
We took ten surveys that purported to know what kid’s like to eat, and yes! you’ve guessed it, we got ten different answers. Some were obviously trying to promote health eating and well done to them! Good old Jamie Oliver and that guy who keeps pigs (mmm Sausages!).
To a great extent Jamie and his food police are making a difference in a very positive way. Parents have a greater variety of raw ingredients (and ready-meals for that matter) to choose from today. Children are exposed to a wider range of foods than we ever were, they are well travelled and have an eclectic pallet, having sampled many local delights in exotic locations around the world.
The media constantly bombard our young ones with trendy food that their idols eat “and they simply must try”. Celebrity chefs shame us into cooking freshly prepared food with only 16 ingredients that every good parent should have in the cupboard, all this after a long day at work . And don’t get me started on ‘Bake off’ (actually it’s the one program the whole family seem to enjoy).
So getting back to the point. Which food would children actually choose, given a free choice? Sticking with the main meal, because puddings are a whole different thing (pudding in “Northern” is what comes at the end of a meal). These are some of the favourites, in no particular order:
♥ Spaghetti Bolognese (Spag-bol) everyone has their own version, it’s universally loved by all.
♥ Pizza you can’t go wrong with this tasty Italian classic, available in every combination you can think of.
♥ Sausages, a million variety’s served in a million ways (well perhaps not a million).
♥ Fish and Chips, a British classic. Not necessarily with mushy peas and possibly not a real fish (may be a finger).
♥ Curry and Rice. Could be a Tikka Masala, could be a Chicken Korma for the young ones. (don’t forget the Poppadoms).
♥ Chicken Nuggets, guaranteed to feed even the most picky child or adult.
♥ Burgers, beef or chicken, with our without cheese, it’s a firm favourite adopted by the America as their own.
♥ Fried Chicken. With 11 secret herbs and spices, good Colonel Sanders.
♥ Pasta dishes. You could say this is a bit of a ‘cop out’ but kids love pasta in all its forms (Pasta Tuna Bake mmm!)
♥ A Roast Dinner. Still a firm favourite after all these years.
Of course the list is far from complete. These days children are more willing to try a wider variety of food. As previously stated, food from around the world has educated children’s pallets to be more accepting of spice and herbs used in foreign cuisine; Tacos, Quesadillas, Burritos, Enchiladas, Stir Fry noodles, Ribs, Sushi.. The list is endless.
