for the kids

One of the most difficult tasks of any mum is to ...make their children eat a lot and in a healthy way. However, some 'treats' are healthy, especially chocolate! Funnily enough, chocolate has a lot of concentration calories and calories in general. It is suggested to university students, that after a long night of revising before the actual exam, they should eat a bar of chocolate to actually 'wake up' and energise their minds, although tired, to perform well in the exam.

As children are energetic and go to school too, a bar of chocolate won't harm them. Of course not every day but it is not as bad as mums and dads think.

Also, the taste buds of an adult are different than those of children. Adults who don't drink prefer less fat in their eating habits. However, people who drink prefer a fatty breakfast or a late night fatty snack. The way we eat is judged by our family background, personal preference and money, but also the media. In UK and all over the West there have been massive media and marketing efforts to 'eat our veggies' or 'eat healthily'. Also, Jamie Oliver, a very funky chef, has introduced 'healthy eating' in schools, by managing the same budget available to them too.

An amateur chef like me, also working with my Little Cook too, my 5 year old, I have introduced the spirit of 'cooking' in my household. Let's face it, instead of staring at the telly or..the wall, preparing a meal is an art but also a game, and also a sociable aim too. In my daughters school, they have an hour of cooking class which is optional, and in fact my background, makes me feel so surprised that lots of little boys join, and more surprised that their mums and dads approve of that too.

I feel through my 'very special recipies' I can influence the 'international' idea for cooking in my daughters class too (obviously adjusted by me and in the end the teachers , so that the kids can understand the main idea).Also the aim is to understand that food is an interaction of culture and different countries, but share a similar idea : sitting around a table and eat with our family and friends.

Not to condemn telly or ds games, but today we have less and less communication in our lifes, relationships are based on materialism and self or social power. Through the love of cooking and eating together in our home, the reaction of seeking communication and love would probably warm us up later in life.