Table manners & eating veggies (food pics)

I grew up in a family where table manners mattered.  

(If you just want to see the lunches and breakfasts, scroll down!)

My dad was a hotel manager, and we dined at the hotel restaurants several times each year.  

It was a way for my dad to be present & working on the holidays, while still sharing them with his wife and kids.  

My sister and I LOVED it!

I remember each Easter, we'd take our time at the gorgeous, over-the-top buffets, with their enormous flower arrangements, swan-shaped ice sculptures, the chef with his big knife and tall white hat slicing the prime rib, and fairy-tale columns of chocolate-covered strawberries.  We filled our plates thoughtfully, selecting our favorites, returning for a little more noodle kugel or smoked salmon, and eventually a fancy cocktail glass of rich chocolate mousse.  

My dad's place at the table was empty for much of the meal, as he mingled with servers, sous chefs and housekeepers, acknowledging each of his hundreds of employees by name for their good work, and putting out the small fires that are the nature of the hospitality business.  

Our job was to be polite.  

Pleases, thank-yous, napkins on our laps.

Wait for everyone to be seated and served before anyone begins.

Salad fork for salad, switch hands to use the knife, utensils at 4 o'clock to let the server know you're done.

And absolutely, positively, never eat with your hands!  

(French fries & lobster, our favorite birthday meal, was an exception, along with the occasional burger and dill pickle.)

Want to hear something funny?  

My child has a habit of eating with his hands!

I can imagine my father's horrified gasps and grimaces at what I allow at our table.

And I smile, because I've made a darn good trade.

When my baby boy started eating "real food," it was all about the fiber-rich, gut-building, mood-stabilizing, immune-supporting veggies.

It was intentional.

I was training his tastebuds to appreciate the "bitter" flavors of cruciferous veggies like kale and broccoli.

I was letting him relish the sweetness of onions and carrots.

And he did!  

Fistful by delighted, pudgy fistful.

(There usually weren't sweet fruits or addictive carby breads & cereals or grains on the table, so he wasn't distracted.) 

He'd gobble up his veggies and reach for ours.

Simply put, the more his healthy veggie-loving belly-microbes were fed their favorite food (veggies), the more their populations expanded and asked his brain to eat more veggies.

Better a healthy, happy child with lousy manners, I thought.

Why let utensils get in the way?

Well, it worked.  

(If you're thinking this wouldn't ever work for your kid, hit reply so I can share some powerful, life-changing resources with you.)

I put out plates of veggies with olive oil and a little sea salt, and he says things like "I could eat this forever!" and "Can we have this every night?"

Yes, it's taken years of reminding him "use your fork," and at age 8 1/2 he sets the table correctly and uses a fork and knife like a pro.

But the other night I put out our dinner a little late and invited him to get started without me.

When I turned around, he was stuffing a handful of raw cilantro into his mouth.

Yep, I'm ok with that!

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