Forget the kid's menu

My boy is a bizarre alimentary wunderkind, but it's not all his doing. As a child, I was a picky eater who whined a lot. I didn't eat tomatoes, fish bones scared me, and I ironically dreaded cheese. I didn't want him to be like me.

So I encouraged him to try different flavors and foods. I never forced him.

He's partial to bold flavors and has always loved fish. These are my gourmand son's top 10 dishes.

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In defense of the fish

Italy is for the most part surrounded by sea, with the peninsula and its two large islands lapping up against various parts of the jagged Mediterranean. This makes most of us Italians very familiar with fish. Given such extended coastal real estate, it's hardly surprising that most Italians are raised catching, cooking and eating fish.

As a child I loved the act of fishing but hardly ever ate fish with bones. I was one of those kids parents dreaded, the ones too freaked out by le spine — bone or cartilage — to fully enjoy a meal of aquatic edibles. But mine wasn't a total embargo: I was simply more of a polipi kind of kid...

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Image courtesy of Massimo Capodanno

Healing with food, Italian style

Whether to treat minor issues like the colpo d'aria (stiffness or a cold from a draft, basically) or to attack more serious conditions, Italians have an entire protocol when it comes to eating the sickness away that goes way beyond the old maxim,"Feed a cold, starve a fever."

When you are sick in Italy there is never starvation involved but Italians are remarkable when it comes to what you should and should not eat when sick. While Americans just plow through ailments or hide in bed – and not eating if they don’t feel like it – in Italy not having at least a bowl of mamma’s chicken soup is punishable by a lengthy jail term, so imagine fasting. Heresy! Continue Reading ➔

Traveling with Kids

Unfamiliar timetables, jet lag disrupting a well-established routine, not to mention the stress of check-in lines, passport control queues and security checks: these are enough to break any seasoned traveler, even more so if with kids. Add a star if doing this as single parents.

Is there a secret for making travel with kids seamless or at least bearable? Maybe not, but I have accumulated enough mileage to share some helpful hints for parents traveling with tiny humans in their care.

The best thing to do when approaching extended travel in the company of your children is wise planning, keeping clutter to a minimum, and staying calm. Here are my tips for traveling with kids. Continue Reading →

Essential kitchen tools for cooking Italian food

Just like any cuisine uses its indigenous cookware – think anything from Asian stacked bamboo steamer baskets and woks, to Spanish paella pans and French crèpe skillets – Italian cookery also demands its own set of specific tools and implements.

Check out this list of 12 essential kitchen tools for cooking Italian food.  Continue Reading ☛