Tuesday, March 11, 2008

Could you please pass the humility?

Rob and I, we like to cook.

I have always liked to think of us as foodies, in fact, and if that label sounds just a little bit smug then...well...guilty as charged.

From the time he was about six months of age I have watched Graham with no small amount of pride, imagining he was following in our footsteps as he gobbled down every gourmet morsel I set in front of him.

Sea bass? Check. Wilted spinach? Check. Sweet potatoes roasted in duck fat? Check.

Then a few months ago Graham made a discovery that changed everything.

And now it seems my pride, along with everything that passes his lips, has been quite completely and thoroughly doused with gobs and gobs and gobs of cheap, mass-produced ketchup.

At least I can stop worrying about saving tuition for the Cordon Bleu.

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68 comments:

Brittany said...

Why do they always love ketchup?!!?! Adam loves "gourmet" foods, too... And he loves his ketchup, as well. I'll never understand.

Anonymous said...

I am hysterical because my son also uses ketchup with almost everything.. LOL

Love the photo.

Amy said...

you mean ketchup is not gourmet? lol

Life As I Know It said...

Isn't ketchup a vegetable?!?

I used to love to cook. Before I had kids. Who both turned picky around age 2.

Janice @ Mom On The Run said...

My kid won't eat ketchup (or anything else for that matter). I love your tag: Maybe He Can work At McDonald's too funny!

flutter said...

oh no no, love I too, am a foodie and believe me this too shall pass.

Just ask my mom, who for my entire childhood, had stock in Heinz.

KathyLikesPink said...

Oh my gosh, isn't that always the way, kids choosing the opposite of parents. You've reminded me that it does start early!

This Too Shall Pass...when they're about 23!

Suburban Correspondent said...

Make sure to put it on his cauliflower!

Children are very humbling.

Rachel said...

Ha Ha HA! Hi darling one.
I blame McDonald's. :-)
Okay, not really. I actually blame the kids' godmother for this one. I. don't. eat. ketchup. Except for Whatburger's because oh my holy hell, it's the best stuff on earth with their fantabulous fries.
But it does suck when they take your hard work, your labor of love, and douse it in sugar stewed, vinegar doused tomato by product. ugh. :-)

MommyTime said...

Ah yes, Ketchup. Or Ranch dressing. It's hard to know which we love more in our house. -sigh- Other sauces, not so much. Except cheese, which can be used for dipping even green beans, I learned last week. I think it's both the taste and the fun of dipping. If you really want to wean him off the red stuff, you could try offering other dipping sauces too. Just a thought...

krissy said...

I love ketchup too! I can't lie!

Is your hubby doing better??? I'm sure hoping so!!!

Your little guy is so handsome...good luck with that when he is 18! :-)

~*Jobthingy*~ said...

my Speedy went thru a ketchup faze. then she got bored of it..

on to addiction number 2..... ranch dressing :|

now we are back to ketchup, with a side of Ranch :S

tommie said...

I could have written this post! We have never made kiddie food, the kids eat whatever we eat. But yes, we are in a ranch/ketchup faze now!

Melisa Wells said...

I agree with jobthingy...they move from addiction to addiction. In our house, after ketchup, they started putting shredded cheddar cheese on EVERYTHING possible. Annoying. (and fattening! YIKES!)

Run ANC said...

Is he actually going to eat those vegetables? You've done better than I have.

Awesome Mom said...

My husband loves to dump stuff on his food and the boys are picking up on that too. *sigh*

dawn klinge said...

I worked at a child care center when I was in college during lunch hour, and it seemed that my only job during that time was to stand by with the ketchup bottle and squirt more ketchup on the little munchkins plates every few minutes. They sure love that stuff!

Corey~living and loving said...

excellent post. My girl will even dip grapes in ketchup. LOL

Barrie said...

"Ketcup" was on my 6th grader's spelling list last week. And they had to spell it "catsup." He was not impressed!

kat said...

LOL Ketchup, useless with spinach :)

Anonymous said...

Too funny....Maddy is the same way. We go through gobs of ketchup a week. It's the only way I can get her to eat anything....

At least he eats, ketchup or not and Kelly, he is just so adorable!

Hope your hubby is feeling better!

Wendy

OHmommy said...

A condiment lover? This is great newa!

It can lead to...

preparing fine sauces to accompany the main dishes. I mean what is a gourmet dihs without the sauce drizzled gently across for presentation and taste? Nothing!

Still in the running for Cordon Bleu. And so handsome too!

Heather said...

At our house it's ranch dressing. If you can't dip it in ranch, it can't possibly be good. At least carrots go good with Ranch.

tracey.becker1@gmail.com said...

Hey, at least it's still getting into his body. ANY WAY IT GETS THERE IS GOOD.

Kyla said...

Some days all KayTar eats is a finger full of ketchup (or mustard), so if he's eating it ON food...I call that a win! ;)

RiverPoet said...

Love the tag "Maybe he can work at McDonalds." Why do we use ketchup for everything?

I remember reading an interview with the young Olga Korbut after her Olympic wins. The interviewer asked her if she liked ketchup. She said, "Nyet!"

Funny the cultural differences. Maybe things have changed now with "globalization" (read McDonalds exportation).

Peace - D

LoriD said...

The do love their ketchup. My guys just put it on the regular stuff (eggs, mac & cheese, fries), but my friend's little guys puts it on everything, including PIZZA! Ew.

María said...

Maybe he'll discover amazing ways to integrate it into fancy gourmet fare! :)

Abbie said...

Oh how I feel your pain my friend. As far as Liv is concerned, it's pretty much a staple with every meal. *sigh*

John-Michael said...

I just had a wonderful flash-back to a scene in "Camelot" where King Arthur and lady Gwen (no, I won't even attempt the spelling) were spending a moment of frustrating boredom in their chambers. They sang a playful and enchanting song back and forth between them "What do the SIMPLE Folk do?" as they tried to understand how the 'commoners' could POSSIBLY be happy. Your photo answers the question for them. [big smile]

Mighty Morphin' Mama said...

Yum! I found that most of my kids really liked strong flavours, loved Thai and Indian, lots of spice, so I guess ketchup has a pretty strong flavour too?!

Are You Serious! said...

♥ My kids dig the ketchup too!

Sarah said...

My son LOOOOOOOOVES ketchup. He wants it for everything, and we have to tell him no when we don't think it "goes" with what we are eating. He even wants ketchup on his sandwiches! Yep - a regular deli meat sandwich must have miracle whip (or mayo), ketchup AND mustard along with the meat and cheese. Ugh. But he eats EVERY. SINGLE. CRUMB.

Laura said...

Funny how they all like the red-dip!

I always ask, "would you like some fries with that ketchup?"

thanks for sharing - what a cute photo!

Angie @ KEEP BELIEVING said...

That puddle of ketchup could feed a small village somewhere.

KEEP BELIEVING

painted maypole said...

i was "thrilled" when the neighbors introduced MQ to the idea of ketchup on eggs. and now she eats hotdog buns with ketchup. no hotdog, just the bun and ketchup

Melissa said...

Well, then you need to kick it up a knotch and make some Dijon Ketcup. Then atleast it will seem soooo classy :) Do you have any Gray Pupon & Dijon ketchup?

SaraLynn said...

Haven't they made ketchup a food group yet?

He is too cute!

AutoSysGene said...

Be warned, ranch dressing is next..;)

Joanna said...

Melissa is right - ranch dressing is the next flava.
Just stick to brand names and be a ketchup snob... then a ranch snob. Makes me feel a little better.

Anonymous said...

Oh, my favorite pregnancy food.

Nowheymama said...

Oh yes, our Eli asks for "sauce" (ketchup) on everything. This too shall pass.

Anonymous said...

Oh man I hear ya! I call my 5 year old daughter the Condiment Queen :-) Ketchup, BBQ sauce, Sour Cream (Oh she LOVES sour cream), mustard - you name it, she loves it!

Jenifer said...

Ketchup counts as a serving of fruits and vegetables according to my eldest.

Jennifer @ Fruit of My Hands said...

I think its something to do with dipping, but my kids love it too.

Kat said...

Add that as another serving in his daily veggies category!
But look at all that fabulous healthy food on his plate! Yeah!

Karen said...

Ketchup is a rite of passage for kids. Hopefully he'll outgrow it. But all that other stuff he's eating? Amazing. Good for you guys!

caramama said...

Maybe you can start making gourmet ketchup? That pic is so cute!

Shannon said...

My three year old is addicted to the stuff!! Funny post...
:)

Aunt Becky said...

I think I may have developed a crush on you now. How is it that I have never found YOU?

Beck said...

My kids are virulently against ketchup, but they are - on the whole - airitarians. So at least he EATS.

Unknown said...

That is hilarious. I was a ketchup fiend as a kid. Everything, including bacon. Ugh. Today I don't put it on anything. But then again, I don't eat meat so that kind of messes with the possibilities.

Mamarazzi said...

my nephews are EXACTLY the same, must be a boy thing. we bought them adorable ketchup colored tee shirts with the words "i put ketchup on my ketchup" (or something along those lines) printed on them...because they would surely DIE without the bright red too much sugar condiment.

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Anonymous said...

Yep, CJ is exactly the same way!! She will actually eat Ketchup ALONE - blech!

Tania said...

We've actually moved on to cheap, mass-produced mustard. Is that an improvement?

Anonymous said...

Samantha's just discovered ketchup as well, it does count as a vegetable right??? Only she licks it off the food, never takes a bite.

Gabriella

ConverseMomma said...

kids and ketchup just go together. I bet even Rachel Ray dumped it on everything when she was a kid.

Laski said...

Apparently, ketchup is a staple of most kids' diets. So, you aren't alone. That's it. I'm banning ketchup from our . . . wait, I love ketchup. I'm doomed.

But wait, I'm with Kelly! I don't know of many kids who DIDN'T douse everything with ketchup. I've sorta graduated to A1. I'm still doomed.

Shan said...

My youngest would be happy if I started serving ketchup as the main course.

Someone Being Me said...

I feel the same way about Ranch.

Mr Lady said...

I am so totally completely right there with you. It happens to the best of us.

emily said...

Ahhhh, I love that moment. The moment of DIP discovery. We don't cook 2 meals at our - you eat what we put down. But once ketchup was discovered - at Nana's house of course... a whole new world.

blog author said...

i remember putting ketchup on cantaloupe and green beans

Damselfly said...

Or maybe like a blue period, this is his ketchup period...experimenting with sauces, you know.... ;)

Unknown said...

Yes, my daughters have already found the heaven which in this house, is called, chupups. *sigh*

newduck said...

Great. Now I'm craving ketchup and I'm not even pregnant anymore.

I've missed your blog... glad to be back.

Anonymous said...

Same here. I make yummy sauces with wine and stock, but what does the four year old want? Ketchup. *sigh*

Zoe said...

i have one who literally eats nothing without ketchup. it even goes on pancakes and mac n cheese. i ga every time. ick!