Pickles and Ice Cream

The minute I revealed that there was bun in my oven, people started asking about my cravings.  Friends, family and strangers alike all wanted to know what foods I suddenly and absolutely needed.  It's one of the most talked about symptoms of pregnancy - food cravings.  It's some sort of phenomenon that pregnant women have cravings for foods that they have never craved before (or even liked before).  And, better yet, pregnant women crave unique combinations of food.

Remember Lady and the Tramp?  Of course you do.  It's aptly described on IMDB as the "romantic tale of a sheltered uptown Cocker Spaniel dog and a streetwise downtown mutt".

This is from 1955, seriously.

Do you remember the scene when the voice of the pregnant wife asks the husband to go out in the blizzard to get her some watermelon and chop suey?  That is how most people imagine pregnancy cravings.  Watermelon and chop suey.  Or, the classic, pickles and ice cream.  I was constantly asked whether I craved pickles or ice cream or the combination.  Much like Snooki, I happen to love pickles, and much like everyone, I happen to love ice cream.  So, my answer was always "Yes, I have been craving both pickles and ice cream...as much as I did before my pregnancy, which was a lot."

What I find especially interesting about the association between pregnancy and food cravings is that it's a farce.  Sort of.  I didn't have cravings when pregnant, not really.  There was never a moment when I absolutely needed a particular food.  There was never a moment when I demanded my husband run to the corner store for pickles or ice cream or anything else.  Most of my mom friends report the same.

This is a real maternity clothing store, check it out here.

I did, however, find myself eating a lot of tomato soup.  I'm a bagged lunch type of lady, yet I would randomly find myself in line at Hale and Hearty, waiting to pay for a cup of Tomato Basil with Rice soup.  Sometimes once a week.  But, I'm not sure I considered this a craving because I didn't suddenly and urgently need tomato soup at 2 a.m. one morning, I just sort of ate it often.  That and apple juice, but I think the apple juice was more about consuming something that was easy on my stomach and energy producing.

Has anyone ever actually craved pickles and ice cream while pregnant?  Has anyone (pregnant or not) ever tried pickles and ice cream together?  I wonder if it would be surprisingly good with the sweet and salty combo?  I do love chocolate covered pretzels.

What did you crave when you were pregnant?  

I Saw A Baby...In A Bar

This past Saturday night, I had a lovely dinner with six of my favorite friends.  Our reservation was for 8 p.m. and we managed to arrive right on time, a rarity.  We started the night with some champagne (it was a special occasion) and ordered a bunch of appetizers about a half hour later.  By 9 p.m. we were munching on edamame and finishing our second bottle of champagne.  By 9:30 p.m. we had finished the yuba dumplings, spicy tuna and...you guessed it...our third bottle of champagne.  We were gossiping and giggling and having a grand old time when unexpectedly, from the bar, a baby started screaming.  It was sudden and loud, in the range of blood curdling.  I nearly dropped my salmon and avocado roll.

This image of a salmon and avocado roll
made me realize why sushi is served
in dimly lit restaurants.
Sushi isn't all that attractive. (image here)  

I think most will agree that the sound of a screaming baby is a less pleasant sound.  On the scale of 1 to 10, definitely below a 5.  Even when it's your baby, you can't tell me that the screaming is cute.  You just can't.  The cooing is cute.  The screaming is not cute.  And when the baby isn't your baby, it's especially not cute.  And when it's at a restaurant and interrupts your champagne toasting, it's the worst.

Back in July, I wrote about an airline that was considering banning babies from certain first class flights (here).  I bring this up not because I want restaurants to ban babies, but because on Saturday night I really did wish that the parents had left their little screamer at home.  It didn't ruin the night, not by a mile.  But, the group collectively thought - party foul.

How do you feel about babies in restaurants?  Does the kind of restaurant matter (swanky and high priced versus casual and economic)?  Does the hour matter (early bird special versus late night apps)?

Mommy's Favorite is Your Favorite, Or Else

I don't know much about stage moms.  I hear that the show Toddlers & Tiaras would be a good learning tool on this front, but I'm far too scared to watch.  A 3-year-old wearing foundation, blush and false eye lashes is simply not natural.  I'm getting the heebie jeebies just thinking about it.

Eden Wood from Toddlers & Tiaras
Don't look directly into her eyes...

I can, however, understand the desire for your children to like the same things that you like.  For example, I love the beach, just love it.  The ocean, the sand, the unobstructed sunshine - it's all perfect.  If I someday have a child who despises the feel of sand between her toes, I would probably be devastated.  I would be heartbroken if my 4-year-old son told me that An American Tale was a stupid movie.  Or, what if I have a daughter who hates shoes?!  GASP.

Of course there's no point worrying about it, mostly because I don't have kids and less so because it would be out of my control even if I did.  That's what I thought until I recently listened to a news story on NPR.org entitled Baby's Palate and Food Memories Shaped Before Birth.  This article doesn't explain how to force your child to love An American Tale, but it does have some advice on how to guide your baby's food preferences.  Here's a quick summary: Everything that a pregnant woman eats affects the smell and flavor of the amniotic fluid only a couple hours after consumption.  The more often a pregnant woman eats certain foods the more exposed the unborn baby is to such foods.  When a baby begins to eat food (other than breast milk or formula), he or she is more likely to enjoy foods that are familiar based on experiences in the womb.  If mom eats broccoli every day twice a day during pregnancy, baby is more likely to enjoy eating broccoli when it comes time for solid foods.

I will be eating a ton of drunken noodle and ice cream during pregnancy.  I could probably forgive my child's rejection of The Cutting Edge (an amazing work of cinematic genius), but I don't think I could survive without sharing family meals of Thai food and ice cream sundaes. 

"Toe Pick!"