Stories Collected While Living in France

French la Vie

A Child’s French Dinner not made by Julia Child

 cafe au lait bowl
My niece, Juliette had an opportunity to go to London for a week. Though the only thing holding her back was she needed a babysitter. She gave us a call. Family being family means lending a hand.

We gave six hands for her two little children.

Juliette left a long list: Phone numbers, school information, what to do, what not to do, how to give the children a bath, where things were, their bedtime routines, and she left a list of their favorite things to eat.
I was the Queen of Picky Eaters when I was a kid. I think I liked all of ten things and only if my mother made them. Juliette left a pot of soup for her children, "They love soup for dinner."
Last night after their baths, before their bedtime story and during the chaos of coming home and settling down for the night: I served the soup their Mother had made.

The two of them grumbled, "This is NOT the soup our Mommy makes! We don't like YOUR soup."

I cried, "No way, it is YOUR Mommy's soup."

"No its not!" While the soup saga went on memories of what it was like being a kid filled my head. Dinner time was not my favorite hour. I dreaded having to eat things I did not like… and went to bed hungry without dessert many of nights.

I made pasta. Niece gobbled happily.

Nephew balked.

French Husband (who children adore) played the airplane game in hopes to get Nephew to eat. "Up up and around and around into the garage goes the pasta airplane!"

Nephew's garage was closed… all night.

Day One Down…. Milk and Cookies sound good for tonight's dinner.

Do you have any childhood dinner time memories to share? Or better yet, What was your favorite thing to eat for dinner as a child?

Comments

43 responses to “A Child’s French Dinner not made by Julia Child”

  1. jend’isère

    Tips for Juliette’s Child(ren):
    Form not content are key. Vegetables to dip in sauce or guacamole, wrap in tortillas or fried into little sticks. Peas to pierce each fork tong. Anything whipped up into a mysterious soup only works for spoonfed infants.
    Or try fun shaped macaronis & cheese and say American cowboys like it!

    Reply
  2. Jennie@clusternavigators.com

    I hate to sound like the Wicked Witch of the Pacific but I would be inclined to let the nephew widget have a night off from eating…he will be pretty keen for whatever you serve up come breakfast time…alternatively…find out his favourite thing to eat and give him a gloriously large helping of it!
    Keep up the stellar efforts!

    Reply
  3. Jeanne

    I love you♥

    Reply
  4. waftbyCarol

    my favorite thing for dinner was when my Dad had a meeting and wouldn’t be home . We didn’t have to have meat , we ould have hot rice with milk and sugar .
    Let them make something themselves-do the French eat peanut butter and jelly ?

    Reply
  5. Vicki

    I was traumatized by liver!!! We were always made to eat liver and once I got caught spitting it into my napkin…too bad we didn’t have a dog then!!! Well I got sent to my room and there was a horrible thunderstorm, the noisest one you could imagine, and I was terrified. I remember shaking under my bed….needless to say I don’t eat liver still and I still kid my dad today about the incident. Just the thought of liver makes me scared!! So I say you can’t go wrong with macaroni and cheese..it always worked for my children!!

    Reply
  6. Sheila Cain-Sample

    I was a very picky eater too when I was little. Eating was something you just had to do because your Mom said so. She used to make ‘fun’ food to get us to eat. She would make us ‘porcupines’ which are ground hamburg (with egg and bread crumbs) in which she added rice, roll into balls (on the large size) put in a caserole dish, cover with tomato juice and bake. The rice would stick out resembling porcupines. I still love them today.
    Don’t force neveu to eat, he will when he’s hungry.

    Reply
  7. Redness

    I was lectured about the starving children around the world and unfortunately used the same tradition with my children only learning recently why our German Shorthaired Pointers mysteriously put weight as the children fed the dogs their unwanted vegies under the table. Food rules have diminshed with newer generations … if they don’t eat then … they will when they’re hungry … be flexible especially for your Darlings while their Mummy is away. xo

    Reply
  8. Rhonda

    I would fill up my lap with what I didn’t want to eat, fold my dress or top up and politely excuse myself from the table to pour it into the toilet. Of course I got caught and was watched like a hawk after that. I sure love to eat now…

    Reply
  9. Beverly

    No picky eaters here! But I would say that it is probably a good idea not to make liver…or lima beans!
    Have fun!

    Reply
  10. Marie-Noëlle

    When I was young, dinner was always a good time to me… as I was a big eater ! I loved meals …
    For your nephew and niece, let them have what you’re having …
    And if they do not eat, well, it’s their choice … They’ll probably have a bigger breakfast, I bet …

    Reply
  11. angela

    I once had a little girl in my PreK Sunday School class tell another child (when he complained abt. the snack he got)..”ya git what ya git and ya don’t pitch a fit!”…remember I am in Georgia but it was so funny and now I use that on my own boys. They don’t think it’s as funny as I do.
    When I was little my mom fixed Meat Loaf(YUCKO!!)I still won’t touch that, bleh! but I couldn’t have my favorite fruit cup dessert until all of it was eaten so I would lift my fork to my mouth and as soon as she looked away I would throw it under the table. I got my dessert and then she swept the floor and then I got what I deserved! I remember going to Shoney’s with out of town family one night and my uncle ordered a hot fudge cake before I got done with my hamburger. I must have been 6 yrs old and can remember staring in awe at that cake, the hamburger went under the table as well while no one watched and I got some of that cake. Once again my sins were discovered when we all went to stand up. That fudge sure was worth it! Have fun Corey and GOOD LUCK!

    Reply
  12. Gina Johnson

    Oh do I ever! My brother was the King of picky eaters all to my Mother’s chagrin. One evening he and I were left alone at the table until we finished our zucchini. Our overcooked, mushy, cold zucchini. My brother tried as hard as he could to swallow his zucchini with a large swig of milk only to gag which made me laugh which made milk squirt out both nostrils like a fire hose. Hilarious!
    I have twin six year olds and they are “purists” as Sophie (my daughter) says. They don’t like their food all mixed up. Try rotis chicken with roasted sweet potato and broccoli. Or fish with rice and a veg. Simple works in my house. It’s boring but at least they are eating. Good luck.

    Reply
  13. Kathie

    Oooh, I was a picky eater as a child, too!
    But I could always make room for a grilled cheese sandwich, plus applesauce for dessert. (Curiously, my favorite cooked fresh vegetable was Swiss chard, which I realize not everyone likes, but I still love it to this day!).

    Reply
  14. Paula

    Oh my all time favorite comfort food was mac and cheese with fish sticks……yeah those nasty Mrs Pauls fish sticks.
    I fondly remember my grandmother telling me that burnt edges on the toast would make my cheeks rosy. She was so smart and I believed everything she said (ha!).

    Reply
  15. martha in mobile

    My daughter is very picky, and quite underweight. My husband is very picky, and quite overweight. But she likes bland and he likes spicy. So I cook to her tastes and hand my husband a bottle of Tobasco sauce.
    When I was a child, the dining room table had a little ledge on the underside where we stashed our vegetables and then knocked them off for the dog to eat. It didn’t work very well for mashed potatoes.

    Reply
  16. Bev

    When I was growing up I could not stand pickled beets. I also had to sit there until I had eaten what appeared to be one huge slice. To this day, I will not eat beets.
    For dinner: would they like some sort of fondue? My children like the bread and apples to spear into the cheese. Or pancakes?

    Reply
  17. Linda Tunnell

    loved your story and had to laugh……and realize my grandchildren arn’t the only picky eaters! Oh, I dreaded alot of meals especially when my mother had a day off and cleaned out the frig.She’d make a soup of “everything” and it always included cooked tomatoes and okra.I had to sit for hrs. at the table til I’d got it all in my napkin,wastebasket or under the bench.What a waste of time!
    I love “Daddy Daisy’s” new blog.

    Reply
  18. martina

    Mom was/is an excellent cook and baker. If you saw a childhood photo of me you’d see that I ate almost everything she fixed. However, she never got Dad and I to eat beef liver. BBQ liver, teriyaki liver, liver with onions and bacon. We ate the bacon and onions-left the liver. The other food I would not eat was watermelon. Now I love watermelon. However the other day a friend said we should try and cook beef liver. He was speechless when I yelled NO LIVER NEVER NEVER NEVER NEVER AGAIN!

    Reply
  19. martina

    Another commenter mentioned rice with milk and sugar. Our family likes rice with cinnamon sugar, raisins and milk. Like a comfort food dessert. Tastes like horchata with raisins.

    Reply
  20. Carolyn Mallin

    My favorite thing was canned ravioli–yes, little pillows of goodness stuffed with mystery meat. To wash it all down? Why,Pepsi mixed with milk.
    My mom was a wonderful cook but I didn’t like anything.

    Reply
  21. kim

    I was the world’s most appreciative eater and still am. I love all kinds of food and almost anything that anyone makes for me.
    However, I have babysat for various children in my life and I basically let them eat anything they want for dinner (but I don’t tell their mommies that). I’m all “sure you can have ice cream for dinner” , “sure you can have crackers and chocolate milk for dinner”, WHATEVER. I really can’t be fussed with upset kids over a little bit of dinner. Plus I don’t pay their dental bills. Oh I’m so naughty.

    Reply
  22. marlis

    lentils. my mother had me sit for two days over a bowl of lentils because i refused to eat those nasty things.. two days!! my dad did feed me on the sly.. but lentils, breakfast lunch and dinner. i remember the kitchen, i remember the chair and the table. What is funny – now i like lentils!!

    Reply
  23. Jeanette M.

    I love it when Mom would fix breakfast for dinner…especially french toast with lots of butter and syrup! bacon or sausage on the side! I happry girl I was! Or when she would make pizza which was not very offen…either of my parents liked pizza so it was a treat for us!

    Reply
  24. Parisbreakfasts

    WONDERFUL Story!
    And thank you Corey for the Michael Jackson tribute.
    I only ate “orange” foods. i.e. carrots, candied orange slices, orange ice..somehow bacon was orange in my eyes.
    I was always the last one at the table, decorating my place with food designs.
    Art came early to me.
    Such fun to be reminded of those days…

    Reply
  25. Nancy

    My Mom made the BEST fried chicken, mashed potatoes with gravy and homemade biscuits & the standard can of green beans…looking back, I don’t quite get it. With everything else so fresh, why the canned Maw? I cringe at the sight of canned green beans today…LOL

    Reply
  26. Liz

    We had little choice but to eat what was laid before us but we DID have nooks and crannies under the table where we hid the most offensive stuff for the dog to find.

    Reply
  27. Laura

    How about “American breakfast” for dinner? waffles, pancakes, scrambled eggs or hardboiled, fruit. Maybe?
    OR tiny crepes and let them fill with “their choice” from a few bowls on the table (one could be ham & cheese; another jam; another egg). It won’t be a “French” crepe, but might intrigue them enough to eat.

    Reply
  28. Di

    Hmm – I too was the pickiest child – I am amazed I survived to adult hood – and not through lack of food – more like my parents wanting to kill me ;o) I would eat raw carrots but not cooked ones, the only cooked vegetable I would eat were peas and the only salad item lettuce. I ate my mum’s broth (but only if there was a pea in every spoonful) and lentil soups and tinned Heinz tomato but no other! Baked beans were also a favourite!
    Now I’ll eat most things so I guess picky children can grow out of it – perhaps just not in the next 6 days!!

    Reply
  29. Kathleen in Oregon

    My favorite food was–anything with cheese, grilled cheese, mac & cheese, cauliflower with cheese sauce…
    Rarely did I have a babysitter, my grandmother lived nearby and usually I went to her house which was a great treat. Once though, I had to go to a real babysitter and she made me drink a huge glass of goats milk, yuk! I didn’t even drink cows milk much less goat. Boy did I have stories to tell when my mom picked me up and I never went back!

    Reply
  30. Parisbreakfasts

    Here’s what Supernanny does with picky eaters- she gets them to cook the dinner!
    First they get to pick from a list of ingredients.
    Then the bratlets go off to the store with adults of course to go shopping.
    Then they prep and cook – very young ones too!
    It helps if they have aprons…chefs hats is asking too much I guess to have onhand.
    You could call Supernanny..
    I wonder if she comes to Provence?

    Reply
  31. Mary Kate

    i have to make a peanut butter sandwich or sometimes a bowl of oatmeal for the little one. he is picky. rafa will eat anything and tells me: Mom, this is delicious!

    Reply
  32. v.j. kohout

    I was a horribly picky eater. I didn’t like anything, including sweets. As I grew up in Eastern Europe, the usual kid’s food stuffs was not available. No peanut butter, cereal, pizza, mac & cheese. I was “fed” before my Father got home for dinner to spare him the drama and I was never at the table with guests. Being an only child and a sickly one at that, it must have been a nightmare for my Mother.
    I did have strange favorites, goat milk, lard on a crusty bread, sweet condensed milk and raw eggs. I could not swallow anything with a bit of cooked onion in it and I negotiated the amount of rice I will eat by number of grains!! I never felt hungry. My Mother got her revenge, when my kids put me through similar ordeals.

    Reply
  33. Courtney

    When I was a kid all I’d want was cheese ravioli with four cheese sauce. I even put it on my christmas wish list for Santa to bring. LOL.
    Now my daughter (18 months) is really picky as well. She changes her mind on what she likes every couple of weeks so once I figure out what to give her for dinner she mixes it up on me. A safe bet this week are peanut butter sandwiches.
    She’d also rather pick at our food rather than her own plate of food even if it’s the same thing!

    Reply
  34. mindi

    When I was a child I hated meat. And would not eat it. I loved everything else! Good luck with them!

    Reply
  35. Min

    My favorite was a grilled cheese made with brie and raspberry jam! Yum…sounds good right now with some soup!

    Reply
  36. Gina

    My mum tried to make Irish stew once every blue moon. I HATED it. The vegetables boiled to mush, the stringy texture of the meat, the watery potatoes floating around in the stock. Give my the ingredients today and I would make a great meal with them but not all boiled to hell and back in a crockpot for hours….
    I followed the link to the Easter meal. Oh Corey! THOSE children. I laughed and laughed at the jumping in the creek story and this morning I am laughing again! I am so looking forward to the next few stories on your blog, and photos too!

    Reply
  37. carol

    I remember when I was about 5 stuffing my cheeks with green beans, then going to the bathroom and putting them in the clothes hamper. I’m sure my mom found them, but she never said a word.

    Reply
  38. Joanna

    But wait a minute…
    Isn’t the point of having your mom away, and having an adoring aunt being the substitute, the get away card for having ANYTHING YOU WANT for dinner????

    Reply
  39. Rebecca from the Pacific NW

    Will be interested to hear what ends up appealing to the little folks.
    What comprises comfort foods in France? (since even their mother’s soup didn’t do the trick. And that’s it, they probably thought they were being tricked somehow. Maybe even abandoned by Maman forever.)
    For me? My Texas mom’s fried chicken and mashed potatoes. Grilled cheese sandwiches. Macaroni and cheese. Sign me up. Yum.
    Enjoyed reading all these comments!

    Reply
  40. sheryl

    When I was a child we all ate in a big farm kitchen and my position at the table (and it never changed!) was the one closest to the rubbish bin and so I used to pop my peas, which I hated, in there.
    How about home-made pizza for dinner. I line up my three oldest munchkins with their own pizza base in front of a plate full of toppings and let them “make” their own pizza.
    surprisingly healthy toppings get added if i leave them to their own devices…

    Reply
  41. Bramble

    I’m of the school of don’t sweat the lack of interest in dinner. They will not starve and will eventually eat something! Macaroni and cheese (the good homemade baked kind) has covered up for many food omissions! I would never make a child sit at the table and eat the same thing (oh you pooor lentil girl!) But do “suggest”they eat one bite and if they don’t like it they are done. This method has got some VERY picky eaters to try things they thought they hated. Don’t forget that being away from Mom is tricky for the little ones; scary but an adventure at the same time. Make it a memorable visit…let them eat cake!

    Reply
  42. home before dark

    I’m with the Wicked Witch of the Pacific with a divide and conquer twist. If niece likes food, celebrate that. If nephew wants to pout, let him. It’s all about control, as I assume you already know. He won’t starve. Include, but don’t make a fuss about his not eating. My son loved anything made in his initial, nothing green, hated mushrooms, didn’t like his food to touch. Yes, reader, he became a chef! A French-style chef to boot. Go figure.

    Reply
  43. wendy b.

    i can sympathize with your frustration in extending this kindness … your niece and nephew will long remember how much fun they had visiting with you and FH in spite of the bumpiness over food choices.
    when i was 12 i stared my father down for a miserable period of time… much longer than an hour… over a plate of curried hard boiled eggs and black eyed peas.
    what i wouldn’t give for that meal now. my father lost the argument… i think he was unprepared for my steely resolve. i am really glad i made it to adulthood.
    xow.

    Reply

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