"And their nanny, from Wisconsin, does not always know the difference between quinoa and couscous."
Pleased that you have a lifestyle that lets you afford a nanny, yet not satisfied that she (more than likely she) doesn't know how to cook with organic or local food? Don't worry: you can shell out $2,500 to teach your nanny, er, uh, have someone else teach your nanny how to cook the way you want your 5-year-old to eat.
The $2,500 doesn't cover how much it will take for the 5-year-old to eat what you want them to eat. Heck, for $75, you can find a college student to teach your nanny, from Wisconsin, the difference between quinoa and couscous.
The 5-year old in The New York Times story has a "comfort zone of roast chicken and rice and beans" that most parents would be thrilled to have.
"We were too basic with her food in the beginning, so we want marc&mark (the consultants) to help us explore more sophisticated food that has some diversity and flavor," she (the mother) said. "I don’t want her growing up not liking curry because she never had it."
Again, you could hire a college student, stay-at-home mom, or someone from India to cook a curry to give to a 5-year-old. You could even teach the nanny to order a take-away curry for the child to try, again for far less than $2,500.
Food education for children is valuable, whether they are latchkey children of working parents in TriBeCa or poor children in Colorado or Mississippi. Children should learn a world beyond chicken fingers and Honey Boo Boo spaghetti recipes.
Like learning a foreign language, getting your kid acclimated earlier is better, especially if they positively respond.
Even if your 5-year-old doesn't like curry the first time, you introduce the concept at a time where they do a lot of learning.
For $2,500, you can teach a lot of kids about the basics of good food and good nutrition. The kids can even teach their parents and older siblings what they learned in the classroom.
Most kids don't need to know the difference between quinoa and couscous to improve their food knowledge. And they can learn about other cultures through food. Don't just serve them curry; have them learn about India through curry.
Even if you believe in the food education process as described in The New York Times, spend that money on your child, not the nanny. Not that the nanny shouldn't improve her own food education, but the child should be the focus of this lavish education.
And even for $2,500, you might still get a child that struggles to like vegetables.
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