Fake Vegetables, November 12, 2008

About a year ago, when Diego was still learning to eat vegetables, broccoli was one of his favorites (corn on the cob was the other).  He wasn't too keen on trying other vegetables.  One day I decided to let him try 'cousin' cauliflower.  He took one look at it and said, "fake broccowi?  No, thanks!"

Now, however,  Diego is the first to ask for vegetables.  He looks for the peppers and carrots in kaldereta, and the green peas and potatoes in igado.  If the dish isn't a stew, he is happy with blanched green beans or munching lettuce on the side.  He even eats sitsaro, which I only started to like when I was already in my teens!

So, I guess I was to blame when a couple of days ago I served him pork adobo and didn't serve any veggies.  In the middle of lunch he asked for "more vegetables, please!"  I apologized for not having any vegetables.  But he said. "Menon (meron)!  There!"   I tried to discern what he was pointing at in the monochrome of that comfort food and gravely realized what he wanted.  "Diego,"  I carefully pointed out, "hindi yan vegetable, taba yan!" *

From now on I'm putting potatoes in the adobo.

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* "That's not a vegetable, that's fat!"