I noticed his interest in food when we has very young. He would always be in the kitchen with me. The other two would also want to help occasionally but they would lose interest very quickly and run off to play with the Lego’s or kicking the ball outside while we finished up the cooking. The we, is myself and my youngest, he would stay, he would help stir and watch as the pots simmer. Even as a toddler I would have to give him uncooked pasta, a little pot and spoon so he could ‘cook’ alongside me. This was probably the start of his interest. As the years have gone by he is able to help more and do more with me.
The twins both love to help but more importantly they love good food, and they don’t hold back when commenting on a good a meal or bad. Luckily, my culinary skills are not dismal (thanks to my mom’s recipes) so every now and then they are raving about the food they have just eaten. Saying how I was the best chef in the world and making me feel much more confident in my cooking skills than what’s actually warranted.
I must say I do love food. I find that food is what brings people together. The main attraction to every celebration or family get together. If not through food, how else do we welcome a new member of the family or celebrate those birthdays! Well actually there’s never a shortage of reasons to try out a new restaurant or visit an old favourite. Then of course there is always the need for a braai (barbecue), I mean who can resist the delicately spiced succulence of a deliciously flamed grilled piece of meat, with all the condiments, salads and oh yes please, garlic bread, anyone?
This appreciation for food has clearly rubbed off on my offspring. My youngest interest in food is quite adorable, actually. He always loves the preparation as well as the end result. The other day I tried a new recipe for chicken and to accompany the meal I made some veggies on the side including pumpkin. His commentary was priceless. My little chef: “What’s this new recipe mom?” Me: “It’s lemon chicken, baby” My little chef: “And what’s this with it” Me: “Oh, that’s oven roasted pumpkin, why?” My little chef: “Well, the chicken is very tasty but the balance of flavours doesn’t work for me, the pumpkin is too sweet and the chicken is quite lemony? I’m really not sure of the balance of flavours, I think I’ll just have the chicken” he says. 😮 In my head, I’m like well it’s lemon and herb chicken, right, it’s supposed to be lemony child? And what, pray tell, do you know about balance of flavours, do you even know what that means … but eish let me taste this, does he actually have a point! This could have been his genius way of getting out of eating his vegetables? My response was somewhat hesitant and all I managed to say was “Please, eat your vegetables…”, let’s just say, I really found myself questioning my menu choices that day 😛
On another day while he was helping me chop some green beans for dinner he says, “I’m such a good helper, hey Mom.” I respond “Yes, baby you are! You’re doing a great job”. ⭐ He says, “I like cooking with you and now I’m big enough to use the knife and get closer to the stove!” Then he shouts to his brother “Hey bro, look I’m using a real knife to help Mom!” Yes, on occasion they call each other Bro 😀 These days he is old enough to do more things, like help measure out spices and wash and cut vegetables, obviously with supervision. As the conversation continues I ask “Do you want to be a chef one day when you grow up?” He says, “I just want to be like you, Mom.” ❤ ❤ ❤
Heart melting mommy moments. I love finding out new things about them. This parenting thing ain’t so bad sometimes. We get to see their personalities and interests develop from scratch and only we can connect the dots. One day if he does become a chef, I will show him this and he will know how it all started. If he doesn’t become a chef he will see a side of himself he may have forgotten was there? Either way, its precious memories for our family memory box.
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BlurReeMom 