There is a certain challenge inside me when it comes to American kids that believes fully that the more of a chance children are  given and the more food knowledge they have, good choices will simply follow.  On this family trip to Nosara, Costa Rica as I said we traveled with 6 children between the ages of 8 months and 8 years of age.  To be exact 8 months, 1 ½ years, 4 years, 5 years, 7 years and 8 years.  I cannot say that these kids eat everything or that they never irritate me with their I don’t want to try it kind of talk but in general that are pretty good about eating.  Individually they all have their quirks and limitations but they are also willing when it matters most to step up to the plate, especially when it is presented to them as a unique cultural experience.

It’s amazing to see children choose wisely and be more accepting of trying new foods when excitement and nostalgia are in the picture.  The children were so excited to be in the land their fathers were in as children that the wanted to experience it similarly, therefore they were inviting the newness in with open arms.  The four year old Stavin who previously to the Costa Rica trip, did not like beans, had heard all of us speaking about how excited we were to eat gallo pintos, we told stories of his father eating them as a little boy in Costa Rica.  He too began to crave them before even landing or seeing what they were.  Now gallo pintos are simple beans and rice sautéed together in this really lovely way.  He loved them and asked for gallo pintos every day.  Now Svea who is 5, and really the best eater was in heaven, eating and tasting everything with gusto and a big smile, it was lovely to witness a child with no food boundaries.  Now Kianna and Lief were a bit pickier to begin with but for Kianna it was the lure of the tropical fruits that allowed her to try things like fresh tamarindo juice and fresh banana juice, which even I was even skeptical of. Leif went with the flow as well and was excited to actually see the trees in from of his eyes that he was eating, mango and papaya trees.  Ivin who is 1 ½ had no food issues whatsoever as the third child he eats what is put in front of him and for sure he will look back one day on the pictures and see himself indulging in the Costa Rican tropical faire and be delighted that he was so.  Lexa the 8 month old who had only been eating homemade baby food and formula at this point was difficult to stop from eating the Costa Rican foods.  I am not sure if it  was the food or the fact that she basically wanted what the other children were eating.

At the end of the day, the children ate more that I could have ever imagined they would and the greatest part about it is they loved what they ate and I know form my own experience with teaching children about food and cooking that making eating and learning about food fun is the path towards more knowledgeable kids who make better eating choices and who are not afraid to try new things.