SPAGHETTI & KIDS

What is it really about spaghetti that many kids are crazy about?

I. Appearance & color

Ellie Krieger, nutritionist and Healthy Appetite TV show host, once said that “we eat with our eyes.” I think this is true especially among children.

I believe the worm-like appearance of spaghetti noodles is one big appealing factor. Such can definitely intrigue curious little minds. Children love to invent. Their imagination is quite immense and the idea of “worm-eating” just so much charms them. To adults, the whole concept may be disgusting BUT not to kids with wild imagination. The entire experience of eating “wormy” spaghetti stirs and delights not only their taste buds but their minds as well.

Another thing that makes spaghetti tempting to little boys and girls is its attractive color ranging from light orange to extremely deep red-orange tones. Scientifically, it has been discovered that orange or any variations of it subliminally suggests “hunger.” This hints then that the orangy color of the sauce-coated spaghetti noodles stimulates craving for food. By mere sight of the scrumptious attractive noodles, kids become absolutely, in due time, famished.

II. Odd but fun

Kids are always fascinated by things new and unfamiliar—“odd” flavors included. The creamy, salty taste of cheese on spaghetti blends well with the meat and/or hotdogs that are usually mixed with the sauce. This strange yet tasty combination can actually entertain any child’s mouth.

The spaghetti sauce is in itself a taste to reckon with! The combination of flavors can surely challenge the taste of even the most picky of eaters. The tinge of chili spice perfectly jazzes up with the contrasting sweet and sour taste of the sauce. In its entirety, eating spaghetti becomes, to the child, a delightful, aromatic and tasty experience of the senses.

Apart from the above, I think to kids, eating spaghetti is fun. As it is normally eaten using fork, the experience is all-together an engaging activity. Children are always ready to take on new challenges including the motor skill test of curling spaghetti noodles up their forks. As they attempt and struggle to get a mouthful of spaghetti into their hungry stomachs, fun and learning occurs. It is definitely entertaining to spin the noodles up and observe how the strands go around in ringlets eventually wrapping up the fork. In the process, kids realize that the smooth and slippery texture of the noodles makes it difficult to roll up.

Dealing with the noodles not only stimulates children to think of more innovative ways to handle and use fork. The situation also encourages many to freely react to this learning process by instinct. They may resort to eating spaghetti using bare hands instead. Eventually, they will find out that the long thread-like noodles can be conveniently picked up by hands. Children will also realize in due course that tilting their heads up will make eating up and nibbling down the string-like food easy and fun. Of course, this is something that adults will find messy. However for the kids, that is where the ultimate fun is—to be grubby and messy! By this, eating spaghetti then becomes entertaining as well as educating.

III. How I prepare it

Spaghetti is easy and quick to make. There are many ways to prepare it but below is my own version.

One just needs to have the spaghetti noodles boiled until tender in a large pan with water that has been seasoned with oil and salt. My sauce is actually just a blend of any spaghetti sauce available in the market. Though there are many variations in the ingredients, cooking it basically just entail sautéing the onions and garlic along with the ground meat (lean beef or pork) and/or hotdog. When the meat is well-cooked, pour in the ready-made spaghetti sauce. Put in the right amount of cheese, butter and milk. Do not forget to season it with black pepper for a wonderful chili taste. Once these are all thoroughly mixed under medium heat, put off the stove. Combine the cooked noodles with the sauce. Put it in a big container and garnish it with generous amount of cheese. The result is... tan-ta-ta-tan-ta-tannnnn...