I always knew it would be a priority to initiate my son to the pleasures of the palate, that his “education of taste”, as we call it in French (éducation du goût), was something dear to my heart. For many reasons. Because we just love good food so much. Because it’s the way I was raised. Because it’s good for his health. Because it’s a big part of his French culture.
As I started on this journey and writing this blog, I realized that it went beyond that. Food and everything about it (cooking it, growing it, shopping for it, eating it, learning from it, approaching it from the five senses, among many other things) have become a golden learning opportunity. For me and for him. I have talked about how food can be a bias to practice patience and anticipation. And learning to be in the moment. And appreciating the process. And experiencing human connection, friendship.
As I started on this journey and writing this blog, I realized that it went beyond that. Food and everything about it (cooking it, growing it, shopping for it, eating it, learning from it, approaching it from the five senses, among many other things) have become a golden learning opportunity. For me and for him. I have talked about how food can be a bias to practice patience and anticipation. And learning to be in the moment. And appreciating the process. And experiencing human connection, friendship.
It’s also a way to experience beauty.
Our society tends to have a very limited, narrow-minded vision of what beauty is nowadays. Yet, here’s what Merriam-Webster has to say about it:
beauty - the quality or aggregate of qualities in a person or thing that gives pleasure to the senses or pleasurably exalts the mind or spirit
Beauty is in the soul and mind, the wide-open mind, of the beholder.
In this sense, young children know how to see beauty, almost everywhere. Their mind is completely open to things of amazement and interest, unspoiled by expectations, preconceived notions, prejudice, judgment. To Pablo, a garbage truck is a thing of beauty. Or a worker painting a window. Or ducks and squirrels. Or the ocean. The snow. A guitar. A voice.
Or an artichoke, a carrot, a gratin hot out of the oven. A colorful salad.
Knowing how to see beauty around us, sometimes having to pry our grown-up minds open to do so, our senses on alert, fully connected to our world body and mind: now there’s something worth living for.
And very dear to me is the desire to preserve and nurture my son’s open mind, share with him how rich life is when we can see beauty. When we see it a lot, every day, particularly in the little things. That’s where it’s the juiciest and most delicate. In the little things.
We expect children to get excited about garbage trucks and ducks on a pond. Grown-ups, myself included, tend to pump them up about such things, anticipating their thrill.
And perhaps the best tip to parents out there wanting their children to enjoy eating well, the best “education of taste” tip I have, is to apply that same excitement to food. I get excited about food because it is a thing of beauty. And that excitement is contagious. And I am happy to report that after 21 months of lots of food-related excitement, Pablo gets it.
The definition above could very well be the definition of good cuisine. Eating and sharing a delicious food is experiencing beauty with body and mind.
Food is a rich way to experience beauty from a very young age. With all five senses.
See the beauty of an endive, for example. Oblong and smooth, pale nuances of green and yellow. Its smell fresh, almost like rain. When you squeeze it, you hear it crack a little. After you feel it crunchy on your teeth, you taste its light bitterness.
Yes, an endive is a thing of beauty.
(This, by the way, is an “exercise” of sorts I like to do with Pablo and will be doing a lot more.)
Now. Let's travel together.
I have been in love with Japanese cuisine and culture for many years. I was lucky enough to visit Japan
Subtlety – or the ability to see the value in the little things – is embraced. The sushi chef, like a painter adding touches of paint and brushstrokes of color to his work, adds a pinch of special sea salt on a scallop, a leaf of shiso, a dash of pickled plum, a few seeds of sesame over rice that is in itself a work of art, just the right texture, just the right temperature. Those things make a difference. Their sum is the experience of beauty at every bite.
I am no expert at Japanese cuisine. I know I love it. (I have learned so much about it thanks to the wonderful Nami at Just One Cookbook, I highly recommend her easy and delightful recipes.)
So I just improvised this ridiculously simple Japanese salad just combining different ingredients I like. It’s a nice little “visit to Japan
A lot of Occidentals have issues with the textures of raw fish and seafood, but toddlers can be very open-minded on this front as well. Pablo adores raw oysters, fish, clam, urchin and salmon roe. Perhaps your child, or yourself, will see the beauty of it too?
Japanese tofu seaweed salad
Makes 2 servings
Juice of one lemon (omit the lemon if you have Ajipon)
Assorted pickled vegetables - eggplant, daikon radish, plum.
Cut up the tofu in bite-size pieces. Dispose in each plate or bowl. Drizzle half the Ajipon over it (or the soy sauce and lemon whisked together).
If you are using yamaimo: cut a thick slice. Peel it quickly and run it under cold water, chop finely and as quickly as possible so it doesn't get too slimy. (Yes, I know, it sounds gross, but it adds a nice crunch to this salad. For more information on yamaimo, go here. Some people with sensitive skin get itchy after manipulating yamaimo, so if you are, you might want to wear gloves to cut it up, or wash your hands well right after.)
Add the chopped yamaimo over the tofu (if you were hardcore enough to give it a try!), and the seaweed salad on top.
Chop the shiso leaves and sprinkle over the salad.
Spoon the salmon roe over the top of the seaweed salad, and finally a couple of pieces of sea urchin.
Sprinkle with sesame seeds. Drizzle the rest of the Ajipon and serve with some pickled vegetables on the side.