Mumbai: Story-eating time for your kid with fruits and vegetables

Like the typical mother of a toddler, Mumbai-based Zari­ne Jalil Menon hit a roa­d­block when it came to co­a­x­ing her son into eating vegetables and fruits. And though she tr­­ied the food-laden-spoon-di­s­guised-as-a-plane bit, it fai­l­ed to stick. So, she came up with something more creative - using colourful fresh fruits and vegetables to form a picture with the ingredients, while weaving a story imagining the veggies as characters. And he took the bait. Menon extended this healthy practice to her son's classmates and requests from parents to conduct such workshops for kids poured in.

Zarine Jalil Menon

'Today, my inspiration eats everything,' reveals Menon, wh­o­se background in the creative side of programming on TV aided her quest. 'It's a great way to introduce colours, textures and a sense of ta­ste to kids. The trick is to do so in a non-forceful way. How the food item is presented is cr­­ucial. If done in a fun way, it is associated with good memories in the child's mind. So, the next time you offer it to them, they are open to eating it,' Menon explains.

She's kept one such wo­rkshop this Sunday for kids aged between four and eight, as it is bett­er if the child's development of pr­eference is done at a younger age, Menon opines. 'It's good to gi­ve the child a carrot or pepper to nibble on so they can acquire a taste for the raw version,' Menon explains.

The tales she narrates are nature-inspired stori­es, and she prefers to pl­onk herself down on a mat with her au­d­ie­n­ce and use pre-cut carrot, capsicum, str­awberries, corn, bro­c­coli or cucumber to co­n­coct a story. She also slips in how to clean vegetables. The catch is that the audience has to finish all the contents of the plate by end of the story.

On: January 20, 11 am
At: Harkat Studios, Bungalow 75, Andheri West.
Log on to: insider.in
Cost: Rs 500

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