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Cultivating a Love of… Ethnic Foods
Patience and a Little Fun Help Encourage Children to Taste Traditional Dishes from Around the World.

by Kelly Z. Conrad + photo by Jason Turner

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“Some parents try to force their kids to try different foods, and that’s really the worst thing you can do. Give the child some freedom of choice and make it fun.” — Registered Dietitian Cindy Held, proprietor of Nutrition a la Smart in Hagerstown

For some parents, mealtime means a battle with children who are picky eaters, even when familiar fare is on the menu. Imagine getting your kids to try unfamiliar, ethnic foods from different countries. “It’s often a power struggle between parents and children,” says Cindy Held, a registered dietician with a Hagerstown-based private practice, Nutrition a la Smart. “Some parents are reluctant to give their child a choice of what they want to eat. But if a healthy variety of food is offered, then the child will end up getting a well-balanced diet in the long run, without the battle.”

Cindy urges parents not give up after the first try. “Many parents will offer a child an unfamiliar dish just once, and if the child refuses, they won’t offer it again,” she says. “But research has shown that kids will sometimes refuse a new dish up to 20 times before deciding to try it. So it’s important to offer it again and again.” In addition to giving children some autonomy of choice, Cindy recommends involving children in the process of food planning and preparation. “Let children help pick out recipes and shop for ingredients, or grow different herbs, for example, so they have some ownership in the process. Try to cultivate their natural curiosity.”

Clyde Ford of Gerrardstown, W.Va., has taken his three daughters —Victoria, 11, Claire, 8, and Gwen, 5 — to a regional Persian restaurant with positive results. “They really liked the kabobs. The dish was just beef and rice, which they’ve had before. They see that people across the planet eat basically the same foods, just with different seasonings and different preparation,” Clyde says. His daughters particularly enjoy eating at the hibachi table of Japanese restaurants. “My girls still talk about when the chef tossed a shrimp at me and I caught it in my mouth — and I don’t even like shrimp!” The Fords aren’t alone in enjoying the hibachi table. “Kids like the volcanoes the chef creates and then sets on fire,” says David Sung, owner of Nikko Japanese Steak and Seafood restaurant in Hagerstown. “The kids love the fire! And they like to talk to the chef.”

Keeping the experience fun is key to expanding a child’s palate to include more ethnic dishes. “Families could pick a country and cook a dish from that country at home, just to experience some diversity of culture,” Cindy says. “Or they could celebrate their own heritage by cooking a dish with grandmother. It’s important to make the experience fun for kids.”