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Liberal_in_LA

(44,397 posts)
Sun Feb 15, 2015, 07:03 PM Feb 2015

over 30? you grew up eating what adults ate. now kids eat chickn fingers. pizza. mac n cheese [View all]

Death to the chicken finger

Cut up a fresh, bone-in chicken breast and you’ll notice that it naturally separates into two distinct parts: a larger, teardrop-shaped lobe of flesh — the piece of meat that you probably think of when someone says “chicken breast” — and a more narrow piece sometimes referred to as a “tender.” The chicken finger originated in the need to find something to do with that tender, explains food historian Gary Allen in a short history of the convenience food published online five years ago. Chicken fingers, Allen says, were seldom seen before 1990 or so, but by the end of the 1980s, fear of saturated fats turned many North Americans away from beef and toward chicken. Increased demand meant billions of additional chicken breasts were processed — but what was the industry to do with the tenders? The answer is on children’s plates. We can look at Allen’s mini-history of a mini-food as a metaphor for how cuisine has come to be divided in contemporary North America: The prime cuts go to the adults while the less healthy morsels — dressed up in extra salt, fat and sugar and processed almost beyond recognition — end up on the kids’ menu, both in the family restaurants that traffic in such fare, and at home. -

For a generation, many North American parents have indulged children’s picky eating tendencies by sticking them in an endlessly repeating loop of chicken fingers, burgers, pizza, plain pasta, mac and cheese, and grilled cheese sandwiches. Anyone who has sat down for a meal with youngsters over the past 25 years will recognize this list of typical “kids’ foods.” Pushed out of the picture, to varying degrees for different children, are fruits and vegetables and anything else that might challenge them, from spicy delicacies to unfamiliar proteins. To picture what this might look like to a visitor from almost anywhere else in the world, imagine we just mashed up some bread and cheese and mechanically separated chicken flesh together, called it Kiddy Chow, and bought it by the bag to rip open to feed the tots.

Mealtimes for children were quite different just a few decades ago. Over the past few months, I’ve spoken casually and in formal interviews with dozens of people about food and childhood. As a general rule, people who grew up in North America and are now over the age of 30 recall that when they were children, kids ate what the adults ate. Families usually dined together at the table. There might have been foods you didn’t like; depending on the rules of the house you might have been expected to try them or even finish them. Or you might have been free not to, as long as there weren’t too many foods you were refusing. Either way, it wouldn’t have occurred to you that an adult was going jump up from the table to prepare you something precisely to your liking. And if you didn’t eat, you might have to wait quite a while for the next opportunity: Studies show that North American kids snack more often and consume more calories than they did in the 1970s.
- See more at: http://news.nationalpost.com/the-kids-menu/#sthash.yrdDg2TK.dpuf

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We had 4 food groups, now there's only 3 - salt, sugar, and fat undeterred Feb 2015 #1
and white flour Liberal_in_LA Feb 2015 #2
Beer is a food group Man from Pickens Feb 2015 #3
And The Downside is? ProfessorGAC Feb 2015 #61
My 4yo eats what we eat. She's loved sushi since she was tiny NightWatcher Feb 2015 #4
Yep, we ate what the adults ate Habibi Feb 2015 #5
picking up pizza, Chinese food, burgers wasnt common when i was a kid Liberal_in_LA Feb 2015 #9
Ha, Sloppy Joe's and pizza-burgers were my Dad's. WorseBeforeBetter Feb 2015 #21
Hmmm, my 10 year old eats everything, my 12 year old is a little more picky but wont touch fast food dilby Feb 2015 #6
My nearly 4yo doesn't really like meat mrs_p Feb 2015 #7
and it is a trap. Liberal_in_LA Feb 2015 #10
My daughter has never eaten meat either. Arugula Latte Feb 2015 #18
This book was extremely helpful for a friend whose son would only eat white rice BrotherIvan Feb 2015 #35
I would call that a parenting problem Egnever Feb 2015 #8
Get off my lawn! nt TBF Feb 2015 #11
I'm 33, almost 34 Terra Alta Feb 2015 #12
Some kids still eat what their parents eat. winter is coming Feb 2015 #13
My nephews eat what the parents eat. tammywammy Feb 2015 #15
I have a friend who's son is like that tammywammy Feb 2015 #14
I have to ask... MrMickeysMom Feb 2015 #73
No, he's not unhealthy. tammywammy Feb 2015 #82
... or your parents fed you spaghetti-os ... surrealAmerican Feb 2015 #16
spaghettios was themeal we fixed for ourselves Liberal_in_LA Feb 2015 #64
my kids eat what we eat... or they don't eat. ProdigalJunkMail Feb 2015 #17
Overstated. A lot of kids eat MineralMan Feb 2015 #19
My kids ate what we ate. Of course, I like bologna sandwhiches Shrike47 Feb 2015 #20
that is nothing new, it is pushed by watching too much television. hollysmom Feb 2015 #22
"Eat your vegetables." Brigid Feb 2015 #23
Same thing for us in the 50s and 60s csziggy Feb 2015 #87
I only ate raw veggies as a kid HockeyMom Feb 2015 #103
We still eat dinner at the dining table with no MissB Feb 2015 #24
What is most diabolical is the brand awareness. betsuni Feb 2015 #25
I agree, and brand name awareness has got way worse in the last few years. Initech Feb 2015 #34
A lot of people never learn how to cook either. Manifestor_of_Light Feb 2015 #26
Raised my Kids in the 60"s and 70's dem in texas Feb 2015 #27
I grew up in the 60s and 70s and was not Jenoch Feb 2015 #68
So this is about parents feeding their kids shit, is it? flvegan Feb 2015 #28
yes Liberal_in_LA Feb 2015 #63
Exactly. sundevil2000 Feb 2015 #70
No, the author of the article is lazy snooper2 Feb 2015 #72
okay sundevil2000 Feb 2015 #84
Back in my day...Kids today....etc. Bettie Feb 2015 #29
This message was self-deleted by its author Warren DeMontague Feb 2015 #30
I agree and disagree laundry_queen Feb 2015 #36
This message was self-deleted by its author Warren DeMontague Feb 2015 #37
Great observations! Populist_Prole Feb 2015 #88
TV dinners with blue sauce, frozen sticks made from a fish like substance, ... Major Nikon Feb 2015 #43
Building strong bodies 12 ways IDemo Feb 2015 #45
I hated that shit so bad I almost thought I didn't like cheese TheKentuckian Feb 2015 #66
salad was.iceberg lettuce, tomatoes, and french dressing. now we eat spinach. kale Liberal_in_LA Feb 2015 #65
Took me a while to switch out the iceberg for spinach exboyfil Feb 2015 #81
My brother ate mustard sandwiches ProudToBeBlueInRhody Feb 2015 #75
Yes! Mustard Sandwiches on Mrs. Baird's Bread dem in texas Feb 2015 #83
About a month ago... 3catwoman3 Feb 2015 #31
I had to laugh! Populist_Prole Feb 2015 #86
There are times... 3catwoman3 Feb 2015 #91
This message was self-deleted by its author Warren DeMontague Feb 2015 #32
You're not that far off. ProudToBeBlueInRhody Feb 2015 #78
Why does it matter if he has children or not? sundevil2000 Feb 2015 #85
This message was self-deleted by its author Warren DeMontague Feb 2015 #94
I totally disagree. sundevil2000 Feb 2015 #97
This message was self-deleted by its author Warren DeMontague Feb 2015 #104
Why else would a parent choose to feed their children this type of food sundevil2000 Feb 2015 #106
This message was self-deleted by its author Warren DeMontague Feb 2015 #108
I'm sure that the author of this article wasn't writing sundevil2000 Feb 2015 #111
This message was self-deleted by its author Warren DeMontague Feb 2015 #112
See my post #90 Arugula Latte Feb 2015 #107
This message was self-deleted by its author Warren DeMontague Feb 2015 #109
Growing up in the early 70's wasn't much different than now bhikkhu Feb 2015 #33
Interesting. "Chicken tender" is the pectoralis minor muscle mainer Feb 2015 #38
Portion control is the biggest problem. Ykcutnek Feb 2015 #39
. MannyGoldstein Feb 2015 #40
Make vegetables taste good marions ghost Feb 2015 #41
yes shanti Feb 2015 #50
It does marions ghost Feb 2015 #105
And hot dogs Renew Deal Feb 2015 #42
Book rec: Salt Sugar Fat eppur_se_muova Feb 2015 #44
My 11 year old has the same diet I did in college Capt. Obvious Feb 2015 #46
I still like Ramen Major Nikon Feb 2015 #47
salty diet Liberal_in_LA Feb 2015 #62
Yes, I grew up eating the mac-n-cheese, chicken tenders and pizza they ate. jeff47 Feb 2015 #48
i was born in the 50's shanti Feb 2015 #49
Went vegan after reading John Robbin's expose book and so did my hubby and son. Then he got to libdem4life Feb 2015 #51
What Neverneverland did you people grow up in? theboss Feb 2015 #52
My dad and his fried bologna sandwiches, white bread and mayo. TwilightGardener Feb 2015 #55
I grew up on a small family farm (1980-1998) where we grew or raised much of our food NickB79 Feb 2015 #60
I'm 45, I grew up eating McDonald's, Kentucky Fried Chicken, Pizza Hut as TwilightGardener Feb 2015 #53
And people wonder why pipi_k Feb 2015 #54
I didn't learn to cook until I was older tabbycat31 Feb 2015 #56
food historian Allen d_r Feb 2015 #57
Neither of my parents drink V8, but I do Jamaal510 Feb 2015 #58
My 4-yr old eats what I eat, or she doesn't eat NickB79 Feb 2015 #59
A chicken tender is the same white meat as the rest of the breast GreatGazoo Feb 2015 #67
My wife orders by kids apples on the rare occasions we get Happy Meals for them theboss Feb 2015 #69
My kids are in their early twenties and they ate what we ate Marrah_G Feb 2015 #71
I'm almost 40 and ate what my parents ate, for the most part, however.... ProudToBeBlueInRhody Feb 2015 #74
One of my Mom's best meals was meat loaf and Mac and cheese Calista241 Feb 2015 #76
mmm, pizza KG Feb 2015 #77
We never fixed special meals for the kids liberal N proud Feb 2015 #79
Really? abelenkpe Feb 2015 #80
First of all, when did chicken tenders become "kid's food"? Arkana Feb 2015 #89
The GOOD kind - 8 bucks. Erose999 Feb 2015 #93
I was judgmental about this stuff until I had my second baby. Arugula Latte Feb 2015 #90
My son was quite a challenge. AtomicKitten Feb 2015 #92
There is a mac and cheese restaurant in Oakland. KamaAina Feb 2015 #95
Gross. Quantess Feb 2015 #96
I am well over 30. LWolf Feb 2015 #98
I'm 45 and grew up almost exclusively on PB&J gollygee Feb 2015 #99
ha ha ! I love these threads Baclava Feb 2015 #100
I thank my lucky stars that for the last couple decades F4lconF16 Feb 2015 #101
I broke up with a woman because she fed her kid (and herself) crap at every meal. tridim Feb 2015 #102
I should note my mom was a terrible, terrible cook. dilby Feb 2015 #110
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