It’s a well-known and much made fun of fact amongst my friends that I am a very picky eater. Although I have expanded my menu somewhat since childhood (I no longer order chicken fingers in every restaurant situation), I am still notably and, I’ll admit it, sometimes slightly irrationally picky. I don’t like berries. Or 90% of vegetables. Or fish, except for salmon teriyaki.
So I’ve always had a special affinity for characters that take an emphatic stance about certain foods. I read BREAD AND JAM FOR FRANCES by Russell & Lillian Hoban, and I think “yes, when you’ve got a good thing, you stick with it!” Likewise, I’ve always cheered for Sam in Dr. Seuss’ GREEN EGGS AND HAM.
My only complaint towards the genre is that in the end the character always tries whatever it is and discovers that they like it. Whereas in my experience, I’m generally quite happy just not eating it if I don’t want to. And when I’ve been pressured, coerced, or otherwise made to try something I didn’t want to try, I usually don’t like it. Besides which, if you take a stand like Sam’s, and go to the trouble of listing all those places where you will not eat the green eggs and ham, you stick with it! What kind of lesson does it teach our children about standing firm and sticking to your principles when he just suddenly caves right in? Talk about a flip-flopper. Let’s have a children’s book where the moral of the story is “if you don’t like it, or if no, you’ve never tried it so on some theoretical level perhaps you do not know and might like it, but frankly it just sounds yucky, (like, say green eggs)…well then don’t eat it.”
eeeewww
-->Feed me text
January 30, 2009 at 10:06 am
I hadn’t thought of this before, but doesn’t it seem like there are very few morals in general that encourage children to learn to listen to their own bodies, or to take their own advice? In general, I think we’re too often encouraged to seek the advice of “experts,” be those parents, doctors, teachers, or whatever. In fact, Sam does indeed have very good reason to suppose that ham that is green is probably not wise to eat.
Though, I’m not convinced that this offers much excuse for your dislike of berries, Em.
September 17, 2009 at 1:10 pm
I agree that children should not be forced to eat something if they truly do not like it, but my parents always required me to try different things. These types of books always teach the same lessons as my parents tried to teach me, though–that sometimes, when you try new things, you may be pleasantly surprised to find that you like them. This lesson is applicable in many different parts of life, not just food. The fear of trying something new often keeps us from finding something that we truly enjoy, that we would otherwise have missed out on. For example, I have always loved to paint. I had an art teacher who always allowed me to stick to my comfort zone. But I had a new teacher who pushed try things that were way beyond what I thought I would enjoy or be capable of. If my fear of trying out new mediums and art subjects had continued to limit me, I would have never learned the types of things that i truly enjoy in art.
September 17, 2009 at 1:11 pm
I personally believe that these stories have a great lesson to teach children: not to be afraid of trying new things. This is a lesson they can carry with them throughout their lives!