100 new foods

Asian pear

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There may or may not have been talk about Asian pear tasting like raw potatoes. But strangely enough it wasn’t a deal breaker. Personally Asian pears aren’t my favorite variety. They’re a little hard, a little woody. Like biting into a birch tree. I like my pears to be on the softer side, the kind of fruit that gives with gentle pressure like a perfect summer peach. But despite my own leanings, the kids loved it.

ME: Guys, the mystery food that we’re doing today is called….

EMMA: What’s that mommy?

ME: This is our mystery food.

EMMA: Yew, I don’t like that.

LAUREN: Emma, don’t say that.

ME: Called….

LAUREN: Pear?

ME: Yeah, what kind of pear?

SAM: A leech pear!

ME: What?

SAM: A leech pear!

ME: A leech pear? No. It’s called an Asian pear. It’s from Asia. Kind of like persimmon but different. Let’s smell it first. Let’s see if it smells like a regular pear. What do you think?

SAM: No. It smells like flowers.

ME: Flowers?

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100 new foods

Persimmon

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I love persimmon. It borders on obsession. Apparently they eat these things like pears in Japan, they’re everywhere. For whatever reason they haven’t taken off in North America, but it’s not because of the taste, have you tried one before?

My favorite are the hard round Fuyu, although I’ll sometimes go for the bigger, softer Hachiya and eat the pulp with a spoon. Stir it into yogurt or spread it on toast like jam. It has a faint cinnamon flavor that I just can’t get enough of. I have no idea why the kids didn’t like persimmon – possibly because I admitted that it smells like skin. Which it does. Lesson learned – don’t tell your kids that something smells like skin and expect them to eat it. But despite it’s odd smell, the flavor of persimmon will keep you coming back for more.

ME: OK guys, I have a special fruit for us. What is this?

LAUREN: A tomato.

EMMA: It looks like Christmas.

ME: Yeah it does, it looks kind of festive, doesn’t it.

EMMA: I want to try it.

LAUREN: Me first. It’s cold. It’s smooth. It doesn’t make a sound when you shake it.

ME: Those are all good descriptions. Can Emma touch it?

EMMA: It’s scratchy.

ME: Yeah, those leaves are a little scratchy aren’t they?

ME: Do you want to smell it?

EMMA: No smell.

ME: Yeah, it doesn’t really have a smell does it?

ME: Sam, what do you think?

SAM: (Whining, clearly not in the mood for this today)

ME: What’s it going to look like on the inside? And it’s called a persimmon by the way.

SAM: I don’t want to see it.

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100 new foods

Pomegranate

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We’re heading into December, and for me that means a lot of things – baking (fruitcake, don’t knock it), the holiday ham and boatloads of mandarin oranges. But there’s another supporting cast member that gets its fair share of attention: pomegranates. Who can resist? The gemlike seeds are so pretty, they make every dish a celebration. Thankfully pomegranate was a hit with the kids, so we’ll see much more of it this year.

ME: Who’s ready for this one?

EMMA: Me!

ME: What is this?

LAUREN: I forgot.

ME: Emma?

EMMA: Um, a Jessica!

ME: Silly girl. Who wants to hold one of the seeds in their hand? It’s beautiful right? It’s like a jeweled fruit. See? You can just open it like this.

LAUREN: Can I try?

ME: Yeah, I’ll give you a whole cluster to work on. What do they look like, these little seeds?

SAM: Doesn’t it look like a jewel?

ME: Yeah, what kind of jewel is red?

LAUREN: A gem?

LAUREN: A diamond?

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100 new foods

Guava

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For some reason it feels weird to be eating guava at this time of year. It seems like summer food, more appropriate for the warmer months; maybe even December or March when people start to jet off to the Caribbean and I need to quell my seething jealousy. But we spied a guava at the grocery store and thought why not. Live dangerously. 

ME: What is this called?

LAUREN: A lemon?

ME: No, not a lemon. What does it feel like?

SAM: It feels like a disgusting banana.

ME: OK, somebody’s a comedian today. What does it feel like?

LAUREN: Well it feels like….

SAM: A banana! (laughing)

LAUREN: It feels kind of rough….and kind of smooth.

EMMA: A banana!

ME: Did you smell it yet?

LAUREN: It smells like salad. Well actually it smells like salad dressing.

ME: Emma wants to smell it.

EMMA: Smells like banana!

ME: What do you think it’s going to look like on the inside?

LAUREN: Well, I think it’s going to look pinkish yellow.

ME: Did you see it?

LAUREN: No!

ME: Well you guessed it!

LAUREN: Whoa!

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100 new foods

Dried apricots

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We got a little off topic this week. What started out as an exploration of dried apricots turned to “holy crap, raisins are really grapes?” I don’t know if this fact makes raisins more appealing or less appealing to them. On the one hand, grapes are one of the kids’ favorite fruits, but on the other, raisins are a dried and shriveled version of their former selves. So we haven’t really gotten into raisins as a family.

But in any case, apricots have potential. Which is fantastic because you can keep them in your cupboards for months on end. They also travel well, no smushing, no bruising. And they’re fabulous in Moroccan food, which one day I’ll get my kids into…Dare to dream, dare to dream…

ME: What is this called?

LAUREN: I forgot what it’s called.

ME: OK, anyone else? Emma’s already eating it!

ME: These are called dried….dried what? Dried apricots right?

ME: What do they feel like in your hand?

LAUREN: Dry and rough.

ME: What about the inside, what does it look like?

SAM: Orange!

ME: And smell it, what does it smell like?

EMMA: I’m going to smell it too.

LAUREN: It smells like salad.

ME: You can’t say that, you say that about everything these days. Give me a good description.

SAM: I don’t like mine.

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