Clean Your Plate

I remember as a child my folks made me drink my milk with my meal, particularly my supper meal. Back then, drinking it was like choking down chalk. Now, I have no problem with it and I could drink milk with every meal if I wanted to. I also remember having to clean off my plate before I was dismissed from the table. Before the meal, my ritual consisted of washing my hands prior to eating.

Twenty some odd years later, some people apparently have added another step to the routine. Do any of you have a camera? One on your phone? A small digital one in your purse or front pocket? Do you take that camera out and take a picture of your food BEFORE you eat it? This is the new step that I have not incorporated into my routine and I am not thinking about it either.

Did you know there are people out there that take a picture of every meal they eat during the day? Breakfast, dinner, lunch, supper and any snacks in between. WHAT? WHY? I have heard of some dieters writing down every bite they have had to eat during the day, but to take pictures and then post it all day, everyday? That takes committment and also lands on my "Yes-that-is-unusual-But-really?" meter.

This is an example of my attempt: Here is a photo of my cereal. Quick, before it turns soggy and my two-year old decides that my breakfast looks better than his; though, his IS the exact same thing. You want to see what my PB&J looks like? Okay, but I cut it into a shape of a dinosaur in case my boys decide they want to eat it before I do and they don't eat the crust.

I am sure that there are beautiful dishes out there to photograph--especially if there are a lot of bright vegetables in the dish or how the chef plates it too. Cooking shows have made us aware that food not only should taste good, but it should look good too.

Yet,I don't think that I will be jumping on that bandwagon any too soon. I would run out of things to photograph. Seriously, I would. Eating out very often is not something we do a lot and my children do not have the sophisticated palate their mother has. Translation: we recycle the menu quite often at our house because my kids are picky. Gasp! Their idea of a good meal is having Mom or Dad forget about the vegetables and/or fruit. My idea of a good meal is covering all the food groups and making sure that the kids have had at least one bite of everything on their plate. Also, the meal is a success if we can get through without a "Disgusting" or "Gross!" or any gagging noises. My monkey's must also wash their hands prior to eating and clean their plate if they want something sweet afterwards, otherwise, they don't get to satisfy their sweet tooth.

Saying "Cheese" is something my kids will be saying, followed by "Please" because they are asking for it instead of taking out their camera to take a picture of it.