The Kitchen Parsons Green

Has anyone read Bee Wilson’s article today in The Telegraph online? It’s all about the children activity packs given out to kids to keep them entertained whilst eating out in restaurants. If you haven’t I suggest you do and ask yourself, what is it with us today that we keep disengaging our kids away from food? What has happened to the love of food and good conversation? Why do we need to have ‘activity’ packs to keep our kids from running riot whilst enjoying a treat of having a meal out?

If I think back to when I was a child – meal times could be dull at times, but I do remember the food we ate and the places we ate out. Nothing appears to be about the food anymore especially when it comes to kids – kids crappy menus riddled with cheap fried foods and now activity packs. The most significant part of this article is at the end where Bee Wilson says: “There was something to be said for the old days, when children in restaurants were simply offered smaller portions from the adult menu. You were allowed to taste the same flavours as the grown-ups and the food itself provided the entertainment. There were hours of fun to be had from chewing bread sticks and sucking sugar lumps.” Hear, hear Bee

Natalie