#11 Grandma's Cooking Class
My grandchild loves junk food so much that even when we all go out to eat at a conveyor belt sushi restaurant, they only order three plates of french fries!
However, since starting elementary school and having school lunches, it seems they eat everything, even asking for seconds.
Their picky eating at home remains the same, but it seems the number of things they can eat is increasing, such as rice with furikake, meat sauce pasta, and mapo tofu.
My son and daughter-in-law, who are the parents, have a stance of, "It's fine to eat what you want to eat; they will change on their own eventually."
As for me, the grandma, I am a foodie and believe nutrition is important. I have always been careful to ensure the children's meals are healthy and that they don't have likes or dislikes. Above all, I have wanted them to eat delicious food.
Having said that, I actually sometimes stress-eat junk food myself, and once I open a bag of potato chips, I can't stop. I find myself wishing someone would stop me. Even though I am particular about organic food, it is quite unbalanced... I wonder if this trait was inherited?
I have always wanted to provide some food education to my grandchildren, but I couldn't bring myself to say anything to my daughter-in-law, so I meekly did nothing, thinking it was difficult.
Even when everyone gathers at my house and I serve various menus and ask, "How about this?", they politely and flatly decline, as modern children do. My junk-food-loving grandchild is a tough nut to crack. Feeling sorry that they have nothing they want to eat, I made sure to always prepare one dish of homemade french fries.
One time, I tried serving lotus root chips along with them, and to my surprise, they were a huge hit!
Since then, my junk-food-loving grandchild has discovered a love for lotus root chips.
On top of that, they said something that made me happy: "The lotus root chips bought at the supermarket aren't good, Grandma's are delicious."
For some reason, all of my grandchildren say things that leave me bewildered, like "I want to go to Grandma's house," and when they leave, "When can I go to Grandma's house next?" It's not that I dislike children, but I'm not the kind of grandma who is obsessed with her grandchildren like others seem to be, so I wonder what they like about it? Still, I am grateful! It's a bit tiring, but I figure it's only while they are small.
That was when I came up with the idea of "Grandma's Cooking Class."
I decided to gather my four grandchildren and open a cooking class.
When I asked them to request what they wanted to make, they said they wanted to make lotus root chips, hand-rolled sushi, and oatmeal cookies.
I spent time thinking through the steps in my head and prepared by writing out recipes with illustrations.
For the first session, I was prepared for chaos since they are little ones, and the day itself was indeed quite a mess!
The little girl in kindergarten also wanted to hold a kitchen knife, saying, "I've done this before! I can do it!"
Sure enough, she curled her left hand into a "cat's paw." Oh, that's impressive. I let her take charge of cutting while keeping a close eye on her so she wouldn't cut herself.
My junk-food-loving grandchild, of course, made the lotus root chips.
They placed a tabletop induction stove on the table and spent time frying them. They couldn't wait and asked, "Can I eat it?", so I said, "Just two pieces," and they finished them while tasting.
Thanks to the little chefs, we managed to have a late lunch.
We were also able to eat oatmeal cookies for a snack.
My junk-food-loving grandchild now requests things I've never made, like Tarte Tatin. They say they want to try eating things they see in cooking videos on YouTube. Wow, so they are interested in food.
Because of that, I am aiming to hold the cooking class once a month.
I always include lotus root chips on the menu, and I have a rule that they must take at least one bite of a dish they don't like, and they follow it. It feels a bit forced, so I'm not sure if it's a good thing, but I hope they encounter something they find delicious someday.
When we meet every month, the grandchildren tell me all sorts of things. Even though they are small, they have life worries and frustrations with their parents. As we spend this time together, I, a grandma who is usually not very attached to her grandchildren, find my affection for them growing.
My only grandchild who is always surrounded by adults also seems to be having fun.
Above all, my son and daughter-in-law go on a date until the evening, leaving the grandchildren with me.
I chuckle to myself, thinking this is more than just killing two birds with one stone.
This year, we made miso together. I focused only on the preparation and giving instructions. We split into two teams and made miso with rice koji and barley koji. We decided to take breaks whenever we got tired, and it was a beautiful sight to see them cooperating, taking care of the little girl, and taking turns with the tasks they wanted to do. I wonder how the miso, infused with the touch of my grandchildren, will turn out?
I also made my own batch of miso, a blend of rice koji and barley koji, by myself.
I am looking forward to the results in the autumn.
I hope that "Grandma's Cooking Class," while cherishing the seasons and traditional events, will one day become a fond memory for my grandchildren.