Thursday 17 April 2008

Just fo' the fun of it...

I'm sitting here waiting for the phone to ring. Husband has gone off for the weekend on a charity fancy dress car rally with my brother and a couple of his friends. He left at lunchtime today, telling us not to expect him back until Monday. However, my darling - but occassionally very slightly disorganised - brother is in charge, so when I got a call this evening telling me that the team's car had broken down around 25 miles from where they had met up, I must admit I was not surprised.

The AA are working on the car now. Heaven only knows what they thought when they turned up and were met on the hard shoulder of the M25 by a group of 4 rather middle class blokes dressed as mo'fo' pimps...


Whilst I wait, another gem from around our dinner table. The time: yesterday evening. The occasion: our first family dinner in a week. I had prepared a lovely meal of chicken (sorry to mention the Meat word, Pig in the Kitchen, but it's relevant) roasted in a mustard and marmalade marinade, with mashed potato, carrots, and broccoli. I was being hopeful with the broccoli, I know, but it gave me another bargaining chip in the compulsory negotation of what will and won't be eaten. On top of which, the green looked so pretty on the boy's plates... (And before you ask, the marinade was not my own idea, but it was a triumph).

Boy #2 did his normal party trick of getting stuck in and then spitting anything that required more than minimal chewing into his pelican bib. Lovely.

Boy #1 attacked the potato and carrots with gusto, completely ignoring the broccoli and the chicken. Well, the broccoli embargo I expected, but the chicken?

Me: "Boy #1 - can you try some chicken, please?"

Boy #1: "I don't like it..."

Me: "You haven't even tried it yet. How can you say you don't like it?"

Boy #1: "I just know I don't like it..."

Me: "Try some please, Boy #1. You know what always happens - you try some and then you say: 'Mama! I do like it!'"

Boy #1 regards me soulfully with his big eyes, clearly working out how far he is prepared to push it and at what stage I am - horrors - going to start including the broccoli in our discussion. He heaves a great sigh. "Oh, OK..."

He takes a bite, and chews thoughtfully, resembling nothing so much as one of the Masterchef judges at the semi-finals. Having considered his verdict, he leans toward his father. "Papa. I want to whisper something to you."

Husband turns towards him obligingly. "OK."

Boy #1 gets right up close to Husband's ear, probably spraying the inside liberally with the contents of his mouth, as he says in a loud stage whisper: "Papa. I do like it!"

7 comments:

  1. That is priceless. (And keep hoping he can keep admitting when he's got it wrong! - even if it means getting an ear full of sprayed food!)

    I'm still trying to get my head around the concept of a fancy dress car rally!

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  3. Oh the joys of trying to feed kids healthy nutritious food. I seem to be going in the opposite direction with my four year. From zero to two years old he would eat anything - tomatoes, thick homemade lentil soup, creamed spinach. Now he seems to be eliminating menu items on a daily basis. Still, his snack of choice is baby carrots, so I'm keeping a relaxed state of mind. After all, my 12 year old has only embraced the broc this year!!

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  4. Mustard and Marmalade - so sort of like Orange Chicken then? Sounds really Yummy! I might have whispered the same thing in your hubby's ear. :0)

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  5. Hi Tracey - don't bother trying to get your head around it. It doesn't make sense, however you spin it...

    Hi EPM, it's lovely, isn't it, having your hard-cooked food rejected out of hand. I have a plan that when the boys are all grown up and I visit them in their houses and they cook for me, I will return the favour. Two problems with this though; firstly, it may not be horrible and I may be cutting off my nose to spite my face, and secondly, by the time that happens I will probably be so old they will think I'm going doolally and get me committed...

    Hi Aims, it was yummy - courtesy of Jill Dupleix, and I can definitely recommend it. (Marinade of 3 tablespoons of bitter marmalade, 1 of dijon mustard mixed together, put in 8 chicken thighs, cover them in the marinade. Then put them in baking tray, add 2 quartered red onions, 1 quartered orange, the juice of another orange, and 2 tbsp virgin olive oil. Roast for 30 mins at 200 deg C. Delicious!)

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  6. ahhh, sweetheart! but i do have just a quick question, mustard and marmalade, REALLY? You got this from a book? there's hope for me yet!
    Pigx

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  7. Hi Pig, yes REALLY. And actually, it tasted pretty good...

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