Role Models

When asked how to help kids eat healthy and be active, one of the first recommendations is usually for adults to be role models. But sometimes the tables are turned and the children become role models for their parents. Here are two stories from western North Carolina.

Last fall, I joined a group of K-2 students on a farm field trip organized by Appalachian Sustainable Agriculture Project (ASAP). The kids spent the morning at Flying Cloud Farm in Fairview – where they got to see, touch, taste, and smell as many things as possible. They munched on fresh greens, fennel, and peppers. They picked okra off the plant and ate it raw – something that the adults were even slow to try.

Then in the afternoon, they went down the road to Spring House Meats to learn about raising grass-fed, free range cows, chickens, lamb and pigs. They sat in a cow pasture to write in their journals and draw pictures.

The next day, the class visited Laurey’s Catering, where Chef Laurey Masterton helped the kids cook all the things they had picked and tasted the day before. They made individual pizzas on homemade crust, topped with fresh basil and peppers. They made apple turnovers. But the surprise hit turned out to be the okra. The kids ate it pickled and fried and even went back for seconds until all the okra was gone.

One girl was so taken by the whole okra experience, that she went home and begged her mother to make okra. The mother wrote a letter to Chef Laurey about the experience. She bought okra for the family and they tried it baked, fried and boiled…all because this one young girl had a great experience eating okra in the field and at the restaurant. The child became a role model for her family.

Similarly, another elementary school group went to visit Spinning Spider Creamery in Madison County. They make goat cheese, so this was a chance for the class to learn about goats and cheese making. Of course, they also got to sample some of Spinning Spider’s delicious creations. (The Rosemary Fig is one of my favorites.)

Last week I heard Chris Owen, the owner of Spinning Spider, describe what happened when a boy from the class was at a farmer’s market with his mother. Chris said she saw the boy pulling his mother toward her stand, saying “This is the cheese!” He begged her to buy some, saying that it was so good, he had tried it on the farm and liked it. It seems that his mother didn’t believe him or wasn’t interested in goat cheese. She resisted his pleas for a while, but finally gave in and got some. This boy became a role model for his family too.

A co-worker told me the other day, that’s it’s really not rocket science. And it's not. Getting kids to eat better can start with helping kids have great experiences with food. And then they can be the role models for their families – and what a great role for them to play.