June 24, 1998: Peer Pressure on Kids, Education, and Main Meal of the Day

 ROSANNA’S NEWS AND VIEWS©

JUNE 24, 1998

The comments below caused us to do a good deal of thinking on the subject of Macrobiotic food for children.  We had the opportunity to talk with Rosanna’s daughter, Emilia, who is home from college (she will be a junior this year at NYU) and get her remembrance of her own childhood 10 years back, when Rosanna first became macro.

Hi Rosanna,I am pretty new to macrobiotics. I am a 30 year old mother of 4 and I have

a hard time getting my kids to eat macrobiotic foods so I hope you have some

good recipes that might win them over a little. I had cancer 7 years ago

and so far it has not come back. I feel my diet and lifestyle are very

important right now. I am really glad I found your newsletter! I am sure

it will help me. Thanks!

Adrienne
We conclude that the single most important factor affecting our children’s acceptance of the Macrobiotic diet is the peer pressure they will receive from their friends and classmates.  If the kids are not prepared to meet this challenge, it will prove difficult to keep them interested and satisfied.  This pressure is enormous and well documented.  If you permit your youngsters to spend hours a day in front of a television set, the chance of their overcoming this pressure is about zero, in our opinion.

It was interesting to hear Emilia describe the pressure she felt as a 10 year old, when Rosanna went macro to fight the epilepsy with which she was afflicted, complete with regular and frightening (for Rosanna AND her three kids) seizures.  Even so, no amount of persuading or logic about the benefits of the diet could offset her concern about the teasing and lack of acceptance she feared as the one with the strange food in her lunchbox.  The same was true of her brother and sister and they had many discussions about trying to put pressure on Mom to feed them regular food.  Rosanna, having discovered the health benefits of the macro diet and lifestyle wouldn’t yield and the result is that one of the three is conscious about food and the other two won’t hear of it (it may be coincidence that this one is on the dean’s list?).  We feel it is also most desirable if both parents (all adults in the household) enthusiastically endorse the change.  If there is disagreement between the guardians, the children will take sides and will usually go down the path of least resistance.

The Sufi Master, Inayat Khan, in his book, THE ART OF PERSONALITY has given suggestions for the rearing of independent and free thinking children.  We have taken an excerpt and you are invited to click the button and have a look at several chapters of this interesting book on the Sufi view of personality and the education of our children.  The book is comprised of transcripts of talks that Khan gave as he brought his unique and universal message early this century.

Apart from this advice we say smash the TV, get your kids involved in the shopping and the chopping and while you are working in this way, gradually bring them to the understanding for Macrobiotic principles and the way of balancing all that we take into our systems for nourishment.  This is admittedly a difficult job and Adrienne has her hands full and we hope we can help.  Our main meal for this issue is comprised of dishes Rosanna’s kids enjoyed when they were young.

THANKS! a million to all our subscribers who checked out our phone deal.  We’ve been thinking of ways to make this letter pay for itself and we appreciate those who signed up.  One subscriber, an engineer, has done an extensive survey and reports (thanks, John) we have the best deal going at the moment.  We don’t have any illusions about being the next AT&T, still the co-op is a good deal and signup on the web is just about painless.  It takes about a week or more for the switch to take effect, so please be patient.   Please click the annoying banner at the top of this page and give us your business if you live in the lower 48 of the continental USA.  We’ll think of something to sell our readers from other countries across the globe one day soon.  Balance, you know ;-)

MAIN MEAL

MISO SOUP

Ingredients

 

1 large Broccoli stalk, washed and cut into bite sized pieces

¼ cup Wakame, washed and chopped

½ cup Toasted Sesame Seeds

1 ¼ tbs. Barley Miso, diluted in warm water

7 Cups Spring water

Preparation

 

Bring water to boil and add Wakame, simmer for two minutes, then add Broccoli stems. Simmer until stems are soft. Thoroughly grind Sesame in a Japanese Suribachi (earthenware mortar and pestle) and add diluted Miso and puree. Add Broccoli florets to soup, simmer one minute, then add puree and simmer three minutes. Serve.

RICE WITH CORN

Ingredients

 

2 Ears, corn removed from cob.

2 Cups Medium Grain Brown Rice

3 Cups Spring Water

1 pinch of Sea Salt

Preparation

Wash Rice and rinse well with strainer.   Combine all ingredients in cast iron pot (or any heavy pot that you might have) and bring to a boil. Then reduce heat and simmer using flame deflector, covered, for 45 to 50 minutes. Serve.

CHICK PEAS (GARBANZO BEANS)

Ingredients

 

1 Cup Chick Peas, washed and soaked overnight

1 Onion, diced

2″ Piece of Kombu

1 Tbs. White Miso

1 Tsp. Fresh Ginger juice

Few sprigs of Parsley for garnish

Spring water

Preparation

 

Place Kombu in pressure cooker (some of Rosanna’s recipes require the use of a pressure cooker), add onions, beans and enough spring water to cover the mixture. Bring pot to pressure on medium flame, then reduce heat and cook for one hour. Release pressure (each pot has its instructions for this step…use caution) and remove most of the water, leaving just enough to cover the bottom of the pot. Save the remaining liquid for soup the following day. Add diluted White Miso, simmer for 10 minutes and mash some of the Chick Peas while stirring to make dish creamier and add Ginger juice.  Add garnish and serve.

VEGETABLE AND GRAIN CROQUETS WITH SAUCE

Ingredients

 

2 Carrots, grated

1 Small Onion, finely diced

1 Stalk Celery, diced very fine

1 Cup leftover grain (any cooked whole grain you have)

Whole Wheat flour as required

Cold pressed Sunflower Oil for frying

Pinch of Sea Salt

For Sauce

 

¼ Cup Soy Sauce

¼ Cup Water

½ Tbs. Fresh grated Ginger (pulp and juice)

Preparation

 

Combine all ingredients and mix well. Add enough Whole Wheat Flour to make mixture the right consistency so you can form little balls. Flatten balls into elliptical croquets and deep fry in Sunflower Oil, very hot. Drain on paper towels and serve hot.

SAUCE……..Mix ingredients together and serve in condiment bowls so each diner may dip croquets into sauce. Serve.

 

BLANCHED SALAD

Ingredients

2 quarts water

2 cups Cauliflower, broken into pieces

2 cups Broccoli, cut into 1 inch pieces

2 Carrots, cut in chunks

1 cup Butternut Squash, diced in 1 inch pieces

½ Lotus root, thinly sliced (like a cucumber)

2 cups Cabbage, torn in large pieces

For Sauce

1 tbs. Umeboshi Paste

Preparation

Bring water to a boil in large pot. Add Broccoli and cook until water returns to a boil. Remove with slotted spoon. Continue this procedure with each vegetable, cooking Squash last because it will discolor the water. When cool, combine ingredients in a bowl and add sauce (see below) and toss.  

Melt Umeboshi paste in a little warm water. Add heated oil and mix.

APPLE CRISP

4-5 Apples, peeled, cored and cubed

2 cups Rolled Oats

½ cup chopped Walnuts

½ cup Rice Syrup

1 Tsp. Cinnamon

1 Tsp. Vanilla extract

½ cup Apple Juice

1 Tbs. Kuzu

Preparation

 

Simmer Apples and Juice in covered pot until they are soft, then add Vanilla and Cinnamon. Dilute Kuzu in a little water and add to mixture, stirring constantly until mixture thickens, then pour in a baking dish (Rosanna uses one of stainless steel). In an iron skillet over high heat, roast the walnuts for a few minutes then place in mixing bowl. In same pot, roast oats until a good aroma is released then put in mixing bowl with nuts and add Rice Syrup; mix well. Pour on top of apple mixture evenly to cover and bake at 350 F for 25 minutes.

Buon appetito!

Rosanna and James

Ingredients

 

Sauce

½ cup warm water

1 ½ tbs. Toasted sesame oil, heated in small pot

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