>>Strangely, when she first started on solids, she's eat the leavings of our elder daughter (who was going through a fussy stage then), esp. the peas!
>
>It's really amazing how kids are so... individual in their picks of what they like and what they hate. Our daughters each had their time when they loved spinach (one still does), but regularly hate onions in anything. And onions are the primary ingredient in any decent dish across Balkans. So the onions would either have to be chopped beyond recognition, or left in large enough chunks to be easily extractable.

Something to do with being a "super taster" or not, or something like that. Onions are tthe main ingrediant in practically ANYTHING worth eating, aren't they?. My younger won't have them on her hamburger, in a stew, etc., whereas the elder eats raw chives! Go figure!

>
>Or, yeah, the peas. They all disliked them, but after a while they learned to love rizi-bizi (i.e. rice and peas). Go figure.

That sounds like the carribean "delicacy"?

>
>>How about roast potatoes? I never hear or see any American talk of eating them. The are the main-stay of the British Sunday Roast. On films and TV shows (esp. re: Thanksgiving) US families are always passing around a huge tureen of mashed potatoes, but never any roasties.
>
>I've seen huge specimens cooked in alumin(i)um foil, but I've really never seen them roasted in gravy, along with the turkey or other meat (what we call "baker's potatoes").

No, no, no. You chop the spuds to manageable sizes and roast them in the meat tray with the meat, in its juices, or with a little oil. You have to baste them periodically, and sprinkloing salt over them, towards the end, helps make them crispy on the outside, fluffy on the inside. They have to be par-boiled first of course. What you mentioned is "baked spuds" isn't it?

Try roasties, cooked with the fennel in which they were par-boiled. You'll praise my name. :-)

>
>>>Now, peas, on the other hand .... yuck!!! I just CAN'T eat those things! <g>
>>
>>It's easy - you squash them between the tines of the back of your fork! :-)
>
>Blyacchs... mashed peas are the only peas I dislike. You have to feel them burst in your mouth, that's the pleasure.

Agreed. Peas best brought to the boil, then switch off power and let them finish for c. 3 mins.

>
>Now I'll be hungry at least two hours ahead of my time...