I think about food a lot. Not just because I love it, but because it interests me. I watch the way that people eat. The foods that they choose to eat. And why they choose to eat the things that they eat the way in which they eat them.

That was a mouthful.

Food has a certain nostalgia that comes along with it.  Movies depict this best, you hear people talk about their grandmothers chicken soup. They drift back to childhood thinking of their mothers pot roast. A simple dish can in a sense “bring you back” to that moment.

My generation is a little different. Our food memories are a little different. I remember my dad pulling up to McDonalds and buying me a happy meal “only if I was happy.” I remember my mom taking me to Dairy Queen where we would share M&M blizzards and sometimes chocolate dip cones. I remember hanging out at pizza hut after football games with my friends. All of my food memories. All of that nostalgia. All of it is fast food, frozen food, or processed food.

Yummy.

This never even occurred to me until I started blogging. Until I got a chance to watch the way people lived. The way that people lived so. very. differently.

I visited Jessica Gottlieb once and we were sitting at her counter chatting away as her children ran inside from soccer practice. As you can imagine they were STARVING! I watched in dis-belief as Jessica sliced up oranges and cucumbers. She pulled out a pineapple and searched the cupboards for some more natural treats. I sat there thinking there is NO way that these children are going to eat this stuff and be satisfied. Soon enough they were hovered over the counter. Smiling faces and sticky fingered. They were asking for some more orange slices and a few more pieces of cucumber. I couldn’t believe it.

We assume that children don’t like fruit and vegetables. We assume they crave fast food and the only way to make them happy is through happy meals. I bet that assumption makes fast food companies very happy. And very profitable.

I see Sara Sophia sharing pictures of picnics on their front lawn. I have spotted her sporting a bowl of homemade sweet potatoes chips. I have watched her turn a normal family dinner into a party filled with hats, tea cups, and organic foods.

These children that are placed in to our care are going to have memories. Some may have memories of delicious fruit after a soccer game. Some will have memories of grocery shopping with their mother and learning how to choose the perfect eggs. Some are going to remember the joy of cooking and picnics. How much fun came with meals. How choosing your food really matters. And some? Are going to remember the drive thru.

What are your children going to remember? What is my child going to remember?

Trust me, I get it. I am not saying we never go to McDonalds. I am not saying we never grace the booth of a Pizza Hut. As soon as we see those golden arches on the side of the road my son is yelling out pleas for Chicken Nuggets. It is hard to say no. It is hard to choose the good stuff. It is hard because many of us never learned how to do it.

But I am trying. I am trying to find a balance. I want him to remember the good stuff. I want him to think back to baking cookies together. I want him to remember fresh veggies and fruit. I want him to know that choosing what you eat matters. I don’t want his memories to be owned by the fast food industry.