Why toddlers make the best food critics

They tell you the truth

Toddlers are brutally honest, and they do not care whether it hurts. I remember the first tofu scramble I made Oliver, feeling quite pleased with myself, and watching him spit it out and say "yucky". So I took the note. I adjusted it until I had a scramble he actually eats. No adult has ever given me feedback that useful that fast.

They know how to savour something

He is no fan of mushrooms. He will not be talked into them. But when he finds something he likes, he gives it his whole attention. The way he works through a bowl of lentil soup, including the ones I overcooked into mush, is genuinely a thing of beauty. I should probably be taking notes.

They stop when they are full

Oliver cannot count to ten, but he knows exactly when he has had enough, and he is not shy about it. I once made him an enormous plate of vegan mac and cheese, expecting it to disappear the way it usually does. Four bites in he looked up and said "all done". So he was done. I did not make him finish it, because he was reading a signal I stopped being able to hear somewhere around age nine.

They notice the small things

He will never care about technique. He does know when something tastes good. Take avocado, which he will eat mashed, sliced or in any other configuration, as long as it is present. That first bite, the one where his eyes go wide, almost makes up for every time he has thrown food on the floor.

They see food completely differently

To Oliver, a smoothie is not a drink. It is a work of art, and he wants me to look at it. He takes a sip, then grins at me like he has worked out the meaning of life. And honestly, I am starting to come around to his way of seeing it, because when you are trying to feed a toddler, every win counts as a win.

So there you have it. Five reasons kids make the best food critics, from a mom just trying to make it out here. Now if you will excuse me, I have to go make Oliver a tofu scramble. Fingers crossed for "delicious" this time.