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Like many four-year-olds, Abel has a very specific, limited diet. For example, he will eat “squiggle noodles” (rotini) with butter, but not ziti. He likes mac & cheese from a box (Annie’s, and occasionally the orange stuff) but not homemade. He will sometimes eat fake (read: vegetarian) meatballs, but hasn’t touched a real one since he was a year old. Occasionally we see additions to his diet (he now eats “real” hot dogs as well as fake) but they are often coupled with a subtraction somewhere else (he now refuses vanilla soy, a former mainstay).
The other day, out of the blue (although probably it was inspired by Curious George), he asked me to make him spaghetti and meatballs. I’d been trying to get him to eat something – anything – for lunch for the past hour, so I was delighted that he’d finally made a request I could actually fulfill. (No, you may not have a banana split for lunch). Here’s how it went from there.
Mom: Really? You want spaghetti and meatballs?
Abel: Yes.
Mom: Real spaghetti, not squiggle noodles?
Abel: ALL the noodles we have in the house.
Mom: (deciding to use the squiggly spaghetti Abel had picked out at the grocery store a few weeks back). Okay! Do you want sauce on it? Or pesto (his favorite)? Or butter?
Abel: Spaghetti and meatballs, that’s it!
Mom: Not even butter?
Abel: Yes butter.
Mom: Okay, it’s gonna take a little while. I have to cook the spaghetti.
(five minutes later)
Abel: Is it ready yet? (The water has yet to boil).
Mom: Sorry – it takes a while to make spaghetti.
Abel: Can I have more juice?
Mom: Yes, when the spaghetti is ready.
(five minutes later)
Abel: I want my spaghetti and meatballs!
Mom: I’m cooking it.
Abel: Can I have chocolate milk?
Mom: Maybe for dessert. Would you like an apple?
Abel: No. Just spaghetti and meatballs.
(two minutes later)
Abel: I. Want. My. Spaghetti. And. Meatballs.
Mom: Uh-huh.
(two minutes later)
Mom: (carrying a beautiful bowl full of squiggly spaghetti, buttered, salted & lightly peppered, with two vegetarian meatballs on top). Here it is!
Abel: Thanks, mom.
(two minutes and seven bites later)
Abel: Mom!
Mom: Yes?
Abel: I don’t like spaghetti and meatballs. Can I have some yogurt?
2 comments:
Too cute! E wanted a honey sandwich a couple of days ago, "Like George!" I don't have any honey, but we faked it. Apparently anything that's OK with George is OK with her!
Well, at least he tried it! I recently offered Lilah $20 to eat a single slice of pizza and she turned me down.
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