Saturday, January 7, 2012

Bichos

These beautiful, peach-colored creatures are known in the English speaking world as Prawns. When I first was introduced to them, O told me they were called Bichos (Spanish for critters). At the time, I physically could not bring myself to eat them. They simply terrified me.
Tonight E made an entire plate full for me. Embarrassed, I asked her to show me how to eat them.
First, you cut off the head, then the tail.
 After both ends are removed, you chop off the legs and peal the exoskeleton.
And that black stringy thing that hangs out where the head was, don't think about that it is probably the digestive tract.
Eat the pink meat happily.

As I was eating my pink creatures, E was struggling to get M to eat her own fishy friends. Which E had even beheaded for her. Every meal with this child is a fight to get her to eat what is on her plate or in her bowl. I am amazed to see this kind of parent and child interaction taking place. I can see that E is embarrassed to have me seeing it, and that M is in many ways just seeking attention. But I know nothing about child rearing. And so I sit anxiously by, unsure what I should do that will not make the situation escalate.
And now I hide in my room, as M remains at the table, yelling "Creo que no puedo comerlo!" "I don't think that I can eat this!"

Ah, the wonders of parent-hood. My dear reader, I do hope you are blessed with the wisdom to never put something a child dislikes onto her plate and then tell her she cannot get up until it is gone. And, I hope that I am not blessed with children for several more years.

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