is occasionally cook for my neices and nephews. One of the things I have always told them when they were little as I dished up was, "Eat it and shut up," followed by a lecture on the starving kids in Asia.
Now that my neice has children that are of eating at the table age, I cook the same way I did for their parents and when I dish up I still tell growl at them to "Eat it and shut up," but now the lecture is different. I lecture them on the starving kids in Africa.

About the only change I have made over the years in my cooking style for the youngsters is I do not serve carrots in any form only because the little one is genuinely allergic to them.

I suppose if I live to be 85 or 90 and wind up cooking for another generation I'll say the same thing as I dish up. Likely it will be for the starving kids down the street if the government doesn't get its act together and create a business friendly country.

One thing, though. I do not know why this is but when I served my niece and nephew as kids they atewhatever I conjured up like they hadn't sseen a decent meal in a week. The same holds true for their kids.

The other thing that is odd is that when I serve something their mother couldn't get them to eat they still ate it. I attribute this to my cooking it a different way or hiding it with some spice or another.

Still, growling 'Eat it and shut up" likely helped.

Eat it and shut up didn't originate from me, I picked it up from my dad that used to tell my brother and sisters the same thing. He didn't have to tell me that because there was not a whole lot of stuff I wouldn't wolf down. I'm not a picky eater.

Come mealtime he would simply put a plate down in front of me and say, "Here," knowing whatever on the plate would vanish like I was a magician.

Still, it was the general attitude I grew up with as far as food goes. My parents didn't cook special meals for any of us, which is no wonder when you consider they raised 5 kids under the same roof.

I wonder if being raised with 4 siblings didn't contribute greatly to things later on in life. I have lived in more barracks type situations than I can shake a stick at and seem to fit right in. I haven't had anyone complain about me simply because I learned to ghost in and out.

Back on topic. My niece's kids seem to be pretty good eaters as far as shoveling down what I put in front of them but they are going through the stage where they are either starving wolves of they are just plain not hungry and stop after three or four bites. I suppose they'll out grow that phase shortly.

It's OK cooking for them and I hope I get to again soon because it is just a plain hoot. Maybe by then they will have outgrown the phase and they will turn into wolves and when they do it will be a true joy to watch them eat.



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