Eating Stories : I will not ever NEVER eat a tomato

I have this little sister Lola.
She is small and very funny.

Each time Sara picks up any of Lauren Child’s Charlie and Lola books it makes smile. There is something really adorable about the relation Charlie shares with his little sister, Lola. She of course is not an easy sibling to have and it is obvious that he loves her to the moon and back (or like Sara would say love you till Neptune, her favourite planet) which is why he is extremely patient with her and is always around to solve Lola’s dilemmas. She is a lucky sister, I hope she knows that :)

Coming to the book, I will not ever NEVER eat a tomato. Mum and dad are away and Charlie is struggling with feeding her sister Lola, a picky eater. The girl doesn't eat a thing! 

She says, “I do not eat peas or carrots or potatoes or mushrooms or spaghetti or eggs or sausages. I do not eat cauliflower or cabbage or baked beans or oranges. And I am not keen on apples or rice or cheese or fish fingers. And I absolutely will not ever never eat a tomato.”

Do you have someone tiny at home who tells you the same each time you put a dinner a plate in front of her/him? Then she/he has met her match and this book is just what she/he needs to read. Of course I can’t guarantee you that by the time you finish reading this book your child will start loving an avocado as much she likes her spaghetti. But I assure you she might just want to give everything you put on her plate at least one try. She might spit it out later though. Mine did. Mushrooms.

So Charlie needs to feed his sister Lola all that she dislikes and he decides to get really creative and renames them all in the hope that she will try at least some and may be even end up liking a vegetable or two.  Carrots become orange twiglets from Jupiter, peas become green drops from Greenland and potatoes become cloud fluff. She decides she likes these pretend names and agrees to give each of them a try and ends up liking them too. She is having such a good time playing this game that she asks Charlie to hand her over a red tomato calling it a moon squirter! Charlie ofcourse can’t believe his eyes.

Are the creative mommies & daddies, listening? If I told you that this book is what your kid needs to read then I need to apologize. It is actually a book that we as parents need to read. Show me a kid who doesn't want to eat clouds? My little girl loves ocean nibbles (fish fingers) for she wants to become a mermaid too and that is what mermaids eat. No debates on what the mermaids eat, OK?

If you like you can even plan some fun games it. 

• Ask your child what she/he likes and dislikes. 
• Prepare a tasting plate of some “new” foods for her and ask her to give them a try
• Ask her to come up with some imaginative names for the vegetables and fruits she likes and dislikes.

Before I end this post, let's hear what Sara thinks of Lola in this book. Picture this. 

• Lola says, "I will not ever never eat a tomato".
• Sara says, "I will always tomatoes. They are so squishy and juicy."
• Lola says, "But why are those carrots there Charlie?"
• Sara says, "What’s the matter with her? I always eat carrots. They are good for the eyes."
• Lola says, "I don’t eat peas. I don’t eat green things."
• Sara says, "So what if they are green, vegetables can be of any colour, it is their wish." 
• Lola says, "I am not keen on rice."
• Sara says, "How can someone not like rice? I love rice. I love plain rice too."
• Lola  says, "I do not eat mushrooms."
• Sara says, "I also do not eat mushrooms. They are yukh."

As you can see till the time Sara liked the veggies and fruits that Lola didn't like she had a great time giving a piece of her mind to Lola. But come, mushrooms they were best friends and were both right. Ha!

Here is something that I made for my Lola after we finished reading.

Lola sandwich and Lola’s favourite “pink milk” 

Lola sandwich
Ingredients

• Two slices of bread (I used brown)
• A filling of your choice (Mine was cream cheese, grated carrots & tomatoes)
• Cheese for the hair (I used cheddar)
• Flaked almonds and raisins for the eyes 
• Julienned carrots for the hair, nose and lips
• Flaked almonds and a hint of blue colour to make her clips

Instructions
1.Cut the bread into the shape of her face.
2.Make the sandwich with a choice of your filling
3. Assemble the rest of the features on her face. 
4. Put on her blue clips. I didn't have blue colour on hand so I took a blue M&M and with rubbed the wet flaked almond on it and the blue colour from the M&M transformed the almond into her blue clip.

Lola’ favourite drink, Pink Milk.
Ingredients

• A couple of fresh strawberries and raspberries, chopped
• Milk of your choice
• Sugar or honey if adding

Instructions
1. Blitz everything together in a mixer till it is all frothy and creamy.

I hope you relish reading this yummy book with your little chef. Oh and the illustrations like in all the other Charlie & Lola books are gorgeous and what I particularly liked was that the book has real pictures of food even though the names are all imaginary :)

Images : Personal Album. While you enjoy reading this post with visuals.Please do not use them without asking. They belong to Orange Kitchens unless otherwise stated.