New Frontiers

Ever since Michael would consistently turn his head when offered certain foods as an infant (e.g., mashed potatoes to this day), we knew something was up. He has been a very picky eater since the first time one of those rubber-coated spoons passed his gums. Well, that's changing. I don't know exactly when it happened, but we first found out about it earlier this summer at the Gorham Taste Walk. You know, when all the local restaurants give out a sample and you walk around town sampling the samples. Well, we have a Thai restaurant in town and they had pad thai, egg rolls, and fried rice available as their sample dish. To ease Michael's anxiety, I told him to just take a plate and I'd eat his and we'd go to the Pizza joint next to get something he could eat. While sitting there watching us eat, he started eyeing the pad thai. He saw the noodles, which are one of the 3 food groups - you know: Pizza, Pasta, and Burgers. So he asked if it was spicy and I told him it was, but just a little. Much to our surprise he stuffed a forkful in his mouth. His face lit up and he proceeded to wolf down his entire portion and started in on the egg roll. Of all the foods that we've been waiting for Michael to start eating (peanut butter and jelly, any kind of vegetable besides corn, pizza with a topping), Thai food was the last thing on Earth I would expect him to try. He loved it. He has since asked for it specifically. We've also gone out for Chinese; he loves Lo Mein, and even ate orange chicken and General Tso's chicken. The pièce de résistance was the Pu Pu Platter, which besides the flames, gave them an excuse to say "Poo Poo" in public.

Maybe it's the new school and hanging around with older kids; maybe the stubborn independent streak is wearing off, or maybe things just taste and smell differently (as I've experienced several times in my life), but Michael's diet is definitely changing - at long last. Now we have to start working on the green vegetable thing...