My best friend is From Romania. I met her at work in the breast pumping room. We were both so enamored with our babies we decided to share a play date. The boys became fast friends. As more children were born, the ties remained strong in friendship.
Romanian food is very meat-focused. I remember asking her if Romanians ever ate anything else besides pork? There were cutlets, chops, sausages, roast, even more perhaps? After that we would have Hawaiian pizza from Costco.
The boys spoke Romanian as their first language. We helped them practice their English with our friendship. The parents had flawless English. The grandparents spoke not a word of English, but we loved them and they loved us, since Italian and Romanian language is very close.
The baptism meal I went to was more meat than I could imagine. There were cold cuts and sausages of many kinds. I was a meat eater then, but I ate some tomatoes because all that meat was a little much for my system. The main course was pork cooked, too.
It makes sense that in countries with cold winter that is what you eat.
Well guess what? On the phone the other day, my best friend decided, based on studies, to eliminate all meat and dairy from the family diet!
We commiserated on how kids don't take easily to vegetarian foods. The bean and cheese burrito works in the lunch. And when I made vegetable soup I can throw just about anything into it, as long as I purée it and add a little cream. My kids do not enjoy nuts, or hummus, because it 'tastes like nuts'.
I am so happy for my friend! I never thought as a full-blooded Romanian she could pass on the pork products. But she is seeing the Light!
Now we can share 'what works' with our children and their school lunches. Mine go to a 'no sugar' school: the first five ingredients can't be a concentrated sweet. Fake sugar is 'okay' but I think it is not safe.
If anyone has ideas on what might work with vegan, vegetarian, and kid's nutrition , please share your comments below.
Namaste,
Reiki Doc