Restaurants

For a long time I have been writing random posts about parenting in this blog, and sometimes I review music or films. With the Fall approaching, and the purchase of my first lap top one month away, I would love to start doing this more often (now that I actually go to the movies :)) and add restaurant reviews. I have been looking around, and if I have found restaurant critic focused on kid friendliness, the subjects were family restaurants. I respect them and like them, but we like food too much to limit ourselves in that way. We have always liked cooking and eating out, and we included little L in our outings at the tender age of 2 months. Of course, we waited half a year to offer him food from our plates. Only in rare occasions he stays at home, like when we try to go on a date. Otherwise, he has been in Mexican, Indian, Italian, Chinese, Japanese, Ethiopian, Peruvian, German, French, Thai, Spanish and American restaurants. And in all of them he found something he liked. And it didn't come from the kids menu, from which we rarely order (why? It's basically Mac & Cheese and Chicken nuggets). At the age of three he is an adventurous eater who will try pretty much anything. His only pickiness is that he doesn't like cheese. But for me it was an acquired taste too, I didn't like it until five years ago.
Bottom line, I think it's totally OK to take kids to restaurants. But some restaurants don't agree, but don't worry, in the Chicago and Vitoria area, I will try to figure that out for you.
I'm also thinking about starting a blog in Spanish. Why not? I'm already taking two jobs, trying to go back to graduate school and taking care of my toddler and husband, so why not add something else in the mix, to give it a little shake? We'll see.

De McDonalds y libre albedrío

Libre albedrío is the Spanish equivalent of personal choice, individual responsibility. We all know what McDonalds stands for in any language. Or don't we? I read in disbelief in the Chicago Tribune that several associations are trying to ban McDonals from giving toys with Happy Meals, and they even want to retire Ronald McDonald. How stupid are we getting? Do they really think McDonalds is responsible for childhood obesity? No, my friends, I don't think so. McDonalds doesn't put a gun on your head and make you eat a Big Mac. It's a choice you make. I make it some times, for that matter. My son loves the place, and we go once a month or so. I'm perfectly fine with that since he eats at least five pieces of fruit every day, milk, meat, fish, vegetables... He eats pretty much anything, and that's why I can go to McDonalds occasionally with a certain piece of mind. On top of that he is a firecracker who spends his days running, swimming, playing around... and yes, watching some TV.
The problem is not TV itself or big fast food chains. The problem is the amount, and that's within our control. The problem is the Big Mac followed by the mac and cheese, followed by the chicken nuggets followed by seven hours of TV. I have been extremely surprised to see how the same people who ban their kids from eating candy will serve them for dinner a gooey serving of the orangy stuff, or just pop processed food in a microwave.
If there is something I didn't adopt from the American way of raising kids, is the nutritional part. Since he was 1 Little L has eaten from whatever we eat. By age three, he eats pretty much everything but cheese, is adventurous about trying new exotic foods, and even helps me cook and plant vegetables and flowers. I want him to know where his food comes from. I was raised in the Spanish countryside, so I always did. And it does the trick. They will eat what they cook. But for that being possible, the parents have to cook in the first place. And stop blaming McDonalds for all of our culinary sins. I would be happy to post easy nutritious recipes that don't cost a fortune. And you can find cheap fine produce in many places, from Trader Joe's to Pete's to Mexican markets. Just give it a try. And enjoy your occasional Big Mac, Whopper, or the likes.

cooktopless

Only when you are deprived of them do you realize how much you use, thus how much you miss certain things. Like a cooktop. Since the fire incident last week we are without one. I'm sure this will be solved in the next days, but the experience is teaching me how much one can miss boiling water for tea. Or eggs, for that matter. Cooking pasta, or making a soup. Grilling steaks, and sandwiches. Frying any kind of stuff. Brewing coffee in a tiny Bialetti. There are so many things one can do with a little fire...