I need three more nigiris...now!
My two-year old daughter tried sushi for the first time when she was one. These days, she gets exited every time we order sushi to take home. Quite satisfying for her sushi-addicted parents, of course!
A few days ago, she was sick and had to stay home from kindergarden. She'd hardly been eating for three days, and despite all our efforts and proposals she didn't want any food. No bread, no musli, no meat, no fish, no greens, no fruit, no yoghurt... I guess most parents would try almost anything at such stage, just to make the child eat something. But she didn't even want chocolate. Or cake. Or ice cream.
Since we also have a baby boy, I (being the kitchen chef of the house) decided to go for a quick-fix dinner, i.e. order sushi. We didn't think our daughter would eat much considering her condition, but we crossed our fingers that she would have a piece or two.
My husband went to pick it up, and when he got home we told her we were having sushi for dinner. Immediately, she got thrilled and exited: "Sushi, sushi! I want to sit in my chair!" Off she ran to the kitchen table, eager to get up into her toddler's chair.
Her appetite was truly back on track - she even tried new pieces of sushi that she'd never had before. She was particularly keen on the sushi caviar and called them "space ships"... We let her have all the "space ships" and she wasn't too happy when they were all gone...
You think she was just getting better and craving for food again? Well, she didn't want much for her following evening meal, and the next day her appetite was equally poor.
I made all the baby food from scratch when she was a baby. I introduced her to all kinds of food to "encourage" her taste buds, only putting limits to salt and sugar intake. I guess it has paid off. She's always keen to try new ingredients, unless she's sick and doesn't fancy anything - apart from sushi, that is... Watching her growing interest for sushi at her young age is fun and rewarding.
Our baby boy tasted sashimi for the first time as well quite recently. He was then six months and twenty-two days old(!) He's tried it several times since, being really keen every time.
I think we are experiencing that true sushi love may start at any age. Sushi beats chocolate, guys!
Seven months old & already fond of sashimi
