Originally Posted May 2009
If I had to do a rough estimate, I would say that my sons have eaten a few thousand of you. Considering the fact that you make up an overwhelming percentage of their diet, I thought we should become better acquainted. First, here’s a little about me.
I never wanted to be a chicken nugget mom. In fact, I was hoping to be more of a “get your five servings of organic fruits and veggies every day no matter what or heads will roll” kind of mom. Somewhere along the line, I got terribly lost. It might have had something to do with the fact that my oldest son refused to eat anything that wasn’t you during his toddler years. I mistakenly thought that he would grow out of this phase and eventually he’d try at least one of the dozens of foods I presented to him, but I foolishly underestimated your grasp over his taste buds. For that, I am truly sorry.
The mere mention of you brings great joy to my sons’ lives. We’re a Perdue family-- fresh, not frozen--and yes, the boys know the difference. To mix things up, sometimes we go to Wendy’s and dip you in a Frosty. Other times, if we’re on the road, we’ll pick you up at McDonalds, where we still love you in spite of your silly name and grayish hue. We will not, however, get you at Burger King because you are too spicy.
Truth be told, I’m in awe of your power. You clearly cannot be duplicated in a non-commercial setting. My attempts to make homemade versions of you have failed on grand levels. I’m at your mercy, and when you are on sale at Shop Rite, my cart overflows with vacuum-sealed packages of you. Your mechanically-separated beige innards and your crusty brown coating even inspired other nugget-esque foods when everyone knows that broccoli has no business being a nugget. Neither does tofu.
As someone who prides herself on her cooking skills, I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t just a little bit jealous that my kids choose to eat you day after day. Quite honestly, I’m looking forward to the day when my freezer is no longer stuffed with you. But until then, there’s no quitting you, so our love-hate affair lives on.
2 comments:
HAHAHAHA, awesome. Have you tried, this may sound ridiculous - breaded cauliflower - baked not fried - YUM.
I'm afraid I could write a very similar post about Mac & Cheese. The homemade stuff is "disgusting". The power of orange and white powder is unbeatable in my house. I'm going to keep trying, but I think it's a losing battle.
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