Once in a while we hit a homerun with our mystery food challenge. And who would have thunk that it would be with a vegetable that I’ve never tried before. I’ve bought kohlrabi on occasion, only to let it wilt and die in the vegetable crisper – it’s one of those vegetables that sent me into a mild panic: do I eat it raw? Should it be cooked? But we’ve been eating these vegetables since as part of our regular rotation, and I hope that you let your kids give it a go as well.
ME: Guys. What is this called?
LAUREN: Cabbage.
ME: It actually looks like red cabbage, doesn’t it but it’s not. Do you want to feel it? Actually, you’ve been touching peanut butter. Don’t touch it. Do you want to feel it with like the side of your nose?
SAM: No.
LAUREN: Ooooh. It looks like –
ME: Yeah, with the side of your nose.
SAM: OK (feels it with his nose).
ME: Did it feel like cabbage from the side of your nose? Look, Lauren’s feeling it on her nose, too.
LAUREN: It’s a little rough; a little rough and smooth at the same time.
ME: Does it smell like anything?
LAUREN: Yummy. Is it a vegetable?
ME: It is a vegetable. Do you want to smell it Sam?
LAUREN: Was it in your CSA?
ME: No it wasn’t in my CSA. I bought it at the store. It’s called Kohlrabi. Isn’t that cool? Have you ever heard that before?
LAUREN: It’s called Kohlrabi?
SAM: It’s called Cool Rodney?
ME: What do you think it’s going to look like on the inside?
LAUREN: It’s going to be green.
ME: It is green on the inside. That’s right!
LAUREN: I saw you cutting it.
ME: Oh, you cheated then.
ME: Ok. So I’m cutting all this thick purple skin off and then what we can do is — you can eat the inside; you can eat it either raw or you can eat it cooked.
LAUREN: Raw please.
ME: So, we’re going to try it raw, because you guys seem to like our food better when it’s raw than cooked. Why is that?
ME: Ok, here it is. You want to take a bite?
LAUREN: Yummy.
ME: Yeah.
EMMA: Yummy. More please.
ME: Sam, you’ve got to try it. Everyone’s saying, ‘yummy, more please.’
LAUREN: Yummy, more please. Yummy, more please. [sing-song]
ME: Sam, everyone’s saying, ‘yummy, more please.’ Can you believe that?
LAUREN: More please.
EMMA: Yummy.
ME: Sam, want to try what everyone’s saying, ‘yummy, more please’ to?
LAUREN: More please.
[Sam tasting]
ME: Good, right? What do you think, Sam? Do you want more?
LAUREN: Yummy, more please.
SAM: Yeah.
ME: Do you agree, ‘yummy, more please’?
SAM: [nodding head]
ME: Yeah? There you go. He nodded. He said, ‘yes’!
SAM: Or ‘gross, garbage please.’
[everyone laughs]
ME: So what do you guys think? Do we get Kohlrabi again? It was kind of amazing, right?
LAUREN: More please.
ME: Sam, you want more too?
SAM: [nods head]
ME: Yeah? Emma, you want more too?
SAM: [nods head]
ME: Ok. Cool. That was a total success.
