Domestic Delia

[pegkerr]

Delia has always been the much more domestic of our two girls. I mean, this is a girl who within one week of getting her iPod had discovered and downloaded all the Cook's Illustrated podcasts and soon was seriously discussing the relative merits of various brands of cookware. She loves to make cakes and bread (which reminds me: she's been complaining again that OMIGOD she is out of YEAST, which is a CATASTROPHE and if I know what's good for me I'll make sure we get that on the next grocery shopping list). She has been busily exploring all my various linens I got for my wedding and even the linens I inherited from my grandmother, and frequently over the past month I've come home to find that she has nicely set the table with a whole other set of place mats and matching napkins and plates that it hadn't occurred to me to use for ten years. Or she'll have the table set for tea, using my Nana's tea set.

She is sewing all sorts of things. She is making beautiful jewelry. She is knitting. One of her birthday presents for her sister was a knitted cell phone case which was just so cute I just about exploded.

Cooking, other than baking, is rather problematic. She is extremely interested in cooking, and goes through and marks up all sorts of cookbooks--but her tastes are whimsical when it comes right down to making things. One of the side effects of some medication she is taking, I think, is that things sometimes taste weird, and her appetite is unpredictable. She is, as we have previously noted, a supertaster, and she is also extremely sensitive to textures, and she'll reject something if it feels "weird" in her mouth.

She is leaning, again, to wanting to be a vegetarian. Her reasons are mostly philosophical (loves animals, doesn't want to eat them) and her revulsion for the texture of meat is growing. Except she still ALSO has revulsion for many cooked vegetables. We are having a great deal of trouble identifying protein sources which she will deign to eat, which has meant (esp. since she's as skinny as a rail) that she's been troubled a great deal by hypoglycemic incidents this spring, especially after intense karate classes.

Does any one know of a, say a cooking class locally (not too expensive) to suggest for say, parents of kids, when the kid wants to become a vegetarian? I know a lot, more than most parents about vegetarianism, but I must admit, I'm somewhat stymied by Delia's endlessly changing reactions to tastes and textures--trying to keep her nutrition adequate on a vegetarian diet that she will EAT is like trying to hit a swiftly moving target. Or does anyone know any skilled vegetarian cooks who might be willing to tutor an eager-to-learn kid who is, really, quite a good cook already, but just needs to be shown the ropes on vegetarian cooking?

I just found Compassionate Cooks podcast, a vegetarian podcast, and told her about it, and she's gone ahead and subscribed to it on iTunes. Other thoughts, anyone?

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Comments

[pegkerr.livejournal.com]

Haven't tried brewer's yeast yet.

We did try Boca burgers; she didn't like those much.

[naomikritzer]

If she dislikes the texture of meat, that doesn't surprise me. I like Boca because they do a truly amazing job at imitating the texture of a real hamburger. Maybe try the Morningstar veggie burgers instead?

[thomasyan.livejournal.com]

The first two or so brands of veggieburgers I tried were quite bad. Some I forced down by overseasoning them, others I just threw out in disgust. But Morning Star has a texture and taste very close to meat. Unfortunately, I think it has stuff on the list that Delia doesn't like, such as mushrooms and onions.

[pegkerr.livejournal.com]

Mushrooms and onions? Then forget it. She won't touch them.

[corinnethewise.livejournal.com]

Morningstar, Garden Burger, and Boca all have "chicken" and breakfast "meat" as well as just the burger stuff. I really prefer the Boca Chick'n patties and the Morningstar Meal starters (fake chicken strips and fake ground beef). Also, with the vegetables, try steaming them or cooking them in less water, so that they retain their crispness. In terms of protein, if she likes soy milk she can get a lot of protein from that. Also, tofu if she can stand the texture. Does she like beans? Beans can be prepared in so many different ways. I really like refried beans because they don't have the skins. Oh also the Fantastic brand has soy based things like chili and sloppy joes. The Fantastic Vegetarian Chili has soooooooooooooo much protein in it once you add the beans. Honestly, I just kind of want to come cook for Delia for a couple weeks and try to see what she likes. I used to be a super picky eater, but once I became I vegetarian I decided that I enjoyed eating, and that if I wanted to eat, I needed to try new things. Once I tried things enough without thinking I wouldn't like them, I started to like them. Except Mushrooms. I still don't like those.

[http://users.livejournal.com/anam_cara_/]

I haven't had much luck liking Boca or Morningstar burgers myself, however the stuff that is like ground beef is great, I sneak it into all kinds of stuff- taco salads, chili, etc. and greatly prefer it, as I'm not normally much of a ground beef fan.