The Finer Things

My 10-year old has a knack for appreciating the finer things when it comes to food.

Sometimes, though, I wish he’d be like every other kid.

I recently returned from a business trip to Rio. I didn’t want to go crazy with the souvenirs, but I did pick up a few things: Brazilian coffee, a popular brand of flip-flops, and rocks from southern Brazil that supposedly have the power to help children study.

I also bought chocolate.

A popular Brazilian confectioner, Kopenhagen, makes delicious chocolate. I picked up a box that was high quality and somewhat expensive. If I offered it to the kids, I figured they might view it like a truffle. If they didn’t like the taste, then my wife and I would be happy to finish it off. Or we might save it for later. The pieces were so big that eating one at a single sitting amounts to a calorie bomb that would make Krispy Kreme look light by comparison.

On my first night home, Saturday, I pulled out one of the large chocolate treats, telling my 10-year old that he and I could split it as we watched our family night movie. He took one bite and then had trouble sharing it after that. I told him that he must have liked it.

He said it was “okay.”

I should have listened to my instincts. On Sunday night, we found him with chocolate wrappers in hand, remnants of the chocolate treat dotting his fingers as most of the treat was already on the way to his stomach.

He’d finished the box.

I’d like to say that this was the first time something like this had happened, but we’ve seen it before. Four years ago we took a trip to Japan to visit family and friends. While sightseeing on the northern coast, we found an upscale sushi restaurant. My wife figured that we could get the kids soup and rice, a typical Japanese staple that they ate often, and that she and I would enjoy sushi.

And then my son asked, “Mom, what’s that pink stuff?”

“It’s raw fish,” she answered, hoping that would be enough to kill any interest.

“Can I try it?” he asked.

Leave it to my younger son to discover that he likes sushi in an expensive restaurant.

It’ll likely be a long time before I have a chance to return to Brazil. However, when I go, I’ll be sure to pick up some more chocolate.

Thankfully, neither my wife nor I eat caviar.