Mom marketing for picky eaters

five more than I would eat

I was that kid. The one sitting at the dining room table for hours. It was me versus four lima beans, I think, and I didn't budge. I like to think I won that round. Some might argue that's three hours of my life I'll never get back, but when you're a kid, you've got time.

Now I've got no time plus kids of my own, and can't imagine using the "sit there until you eat it" strategy. We've got places to be. This is the season for mom marketing. Four tips:

Tip #1-Rebranding, Part One: Concept Dining

Potato-cheddar soup sounds boring and torturous. Everyone talking like pirates and eating Golden Treasure Soup? Shiver me timbers.

Tip #2-Secret Recipe

When making individual portions of something (a burger, for example), let the kids sniff their way through the herbs and spices. Each child can then season his or her own (but careful with the cayenne pepper!).

Tip #3-Rebranding, Part Two: Gross? Cool

(A couple of friends of mine reminded me of this one yesterday, and inspired this post.)
Raising a little thrill-seeker? Come up with something awful to call the food you set before him or her. Alien eyeballs with a side of monkey brains, anyone?

Tip #4-The Magic of Bacon

This one's courtesy of my mom and dad. Well, probably just my dad. When I would refuse to try something, he'd tell me it was like bacon, or a different form of bacon. I believe he used the line with both sweet potatoes and mushrooms. Note: I'm guessing this strategy evolved after the lima bean incident.

How do you market food to your kids?