LZ: What was the moment when it struck you to write a book
about your history of being a picky eater?
SL: It wasn’t so much my moment as it was my husband’s. We were
eating at one of our favorite neighborhood restaurants (NOPA in San Francisco),
and I commented that, since there was a time I despised cooked vegetables, I
couldn’t believe I was getting so much pure joy and comfort out of the amazing
brothy vegetable soup I ordered. “Let’s talk seriously about you writing a
book,” was Mark’s response.
LZ: Are there still foods you steer clear of?
SL: Most certainly, and here’s my list from the book: succotash,
raisins, bananas, oatmeal, cream of wheat, grits, polenta, the skin of
tomatoes, caviar, offal, innards, feet, ears, flan, tofu, red peppers, yellow
peppers, cooked green peppers, string beans, some fish, figs, dates, most
melon, stews, braises, gelatinous desserts, things with heads, rabbit, veal,
dill, black licorice, tarragon, lemongrass, coleslaw, mozzarella cheese,
mayonnaise, rice pudding, some leafy greens, cooked cherries, and more.
If I had to, I’d be able to eat those foods. I just prefer
not to.
LZ: As a past picky eating child, and now a mother, do you
push your son to eat a wide range of foods?
SL: I don’t push him, but I introduce him to foods. If he’s not
interested, fine. I try very hard not to make it an issue, but I also don’t
decide to never offer that food again. It will show up on another day. I’ll
usually fill his plate with 3-4 things, one of which I know he’ll like, the
others being more of a crapshoot.
But with kids, it’s so up and down. For instance, just last
night he finished his entire serving of roasted broccoli (the recipe is in the book). What you should know is that I’ve made this for him
multiple times, and he’s taken one bite, two bites, and left the rest. He’s
also had nights where he hasn’t taken any bites. For him to finish every last
smoked paprika-drenched floret on his plate was unprecedented and I was
thrilled. However, I know there will still be nights when he doesn’t do that. Kids
have moods and they’re largely not in control of choosing what they get to eat.
LZ: In the book we learn of several possible reasons for
children (and adults) picky-ness, and you say at the end that you don't know
why you were picky. Now that you've had some distance from writing the book, do
you have any further thoughts on your picky eating provenance?
SL: I really don’t. As I said in the book, I know that my picky
eating came from a variety of factors and that there wasn’t just once source
alone. I do think my dislike of vegetables was heavily influenced by eating
mostly frozen vegetables. However, frozen vegetables are what was available
back then and no amount of butter or salt can mask that blandness. I firmly
believe that having access and knowing the best ways to cook fresh, in-season
vegetables has made a huge difference in my life.
I remember the one time my mother was able to coax a few
tomatoes out of our Minnesota garden. I ate them sliced with salt and though I
thought I hated tomatoes, those straight-from-the-garden specimens were the
best things I ever tasted.
LZ: Now that your picky eating secret is out, do your friends
treat you differently at dinner parties?
SL: Some have teased me about serving a raisin-filled dinner and
needing to check their bookshelves after I leave.
LZ: Have you heard from any famous picky eaters?
SL: Gosh, I can’t even think of any famous picky eaters except
Anderson Cooper, though I’m sure they’re out there! But no, I haven’t heard
from Anderson Cooper directly, though I did make an appeal to him in a column I wrote for CNN where I told him I could help him rewire his neural pathways
which could help him like more vegetables.
I also heard through
the San Francisco foodie grapevine that Dave Eggers is known to be a picky
eater, but he hasn’t come to me with any secret confessions.
LZ: What are you working on now?
SL: Preparing my son for pre-school and enjoying the hell out of
not having a looming 60,000-word deadline!
Q & A originally published on The Inquisitive Eater.
Q & A originally published on The Inquisitive Eater.
No comments:
Post a Comment