First the Ins:
When the kids came to us, they had a very "institutional taste buds" at the dining table. They turned down almost all sauces and melted cheese concoctions. Of course Christina led the "turn it down before you taste it" charge. Bare noodles, rice or potatoes went down well, but au gratin, lasagna or (very yummy) spaghetti, PB and J all met resistance, more or less.
The added bonus to blessings of the delivered dinners so many wonderful folks from our church brought over, they reflected many approaches to cooking and styles of preparation. We have also developed our skills of presenting and incentive-ising new tastes and textures. It is now a bit of a game to get them to try a small piece.
With time, we have been able to split up the "Nyet block" a bit at a time. Sasha and Tanya have been crossing the picket line more and more often.
So on Thursday, we had a bit of an Americana break-through in the junk food department. Masha and I took the three of them to Jimmy T's, a Capitol Hill favorite diner.
So we ordered open-faced peanut butter & jelly sandwiches and french fries for them. We actually convinced them to try a sample sandwich or two. They worked over the fries, with Sasha even trying ketchup (what a wild boy he is). Then they surprised us by digging into the onion-rings the grown ups had ordered. Then, the moment of truth, the corn dog came.
They passed it around and discussed what it may be made of, how, and where to bite it to find out. Wow, another success! These darn American swine make some things that are a tad better than porridge. And now for the outs.
We have been doing a complete work-up on the kids these last few weeks. The labs have been keeping us in constant contact with doctors. Intestinal parasites and other issues with inoculations and other tests pop-up routinely with these kids. So, as brand new parents we have a little kid medicine to catch up on. The favorite, so far, is the stool-sample regime. We have to collect three samples from each brave kinder and place them in a separate set of tubes, each. For those weak in math, that is nine samples loaded into 18 separate vials.
We had to get a score card going to keep track of the hero's work. Tanya is the bashful one coming in last and Sasha was the trooper, delivering the goods right up front. After the consultation Thursday with the Doc, it looks like the gang is due for another blood draw for a titers work-up to fill in some of the holes in the first screening. Good thing they like stickers, cuz they are collecting a bunch of them (that is the prize when they complete the shots and blood draws).Erik and Heidi
I love the pictures and writeup. I hope all is well with you and your family! :)
ReplyDelete--Alice
From: elisabeth
ReplyDeleteSubject: Re: Adopted from Russia
Date: Monday, March 16, 2009, 5:26 PM
I just read your blog on foods. I am constantly amazed at what my kids like and dislike. They drink pickle juice and love "jelled meat" - cold chicken with Mrs. Dash seasoning in Knox gelatin. I found that while I don't particularly like many buffets – like Golden Corral - they provided an excellent way for my kids to sample many different foods and figure out what they like. Of course, we had to watch them like hawks at first at the buffet, explaining that they needed a new plate each time they went to the buffet and no putting food back! The first buffet they tried was a breakfast buffet at our hotel in Moscow. My husband couldn't pronounce the restaurant's name so he called it a "Chunky Monkey Restaurant." Now any restaurant that has a buffet is referred to as a Chunky Monkey restaurant. I took them to several buffets at Disney World - that went over very well. My kids also tell me that they used to eat rice with sugar for breakfast. We actually haven't served rice for breakfast yet. They have enjoyed grits, oatmeal, Cheerios, Alpha-Bits, and Fruit Loops. They like waffles and pancakes, but only the youngest puts syrup on his. I have also found that they don't like "sweet" meats - BBQ. None of our kids likes the fried part of fried chicken. I suppose that is healthy – they peel off the fried skin and eat the chicken meat. We have been blessed however, while they protested very loudly against what they don't like. They will try anything once and have learned that, occasionally, they find some things that they like! I wish you continued success with foods. I have had many discussions with the kids about how they each have very individual likes and dislikes, and I tease them that all Russian children should like all the same foods and they tell me I'm crazy!!! Take care!!
-Lisa
We call it "doctor homework" at our house. I tell you, I was on my hands and knees, bathroom door locked of course, wretching like a fool and praying to God for strength to fill those vials. Fun times!
ReplyDelete