Monday, March 1, 2010

Eating Rice and Beans


So we decided to join in the Eat Beans and Rice for a Month challenge, and tonight was the first night. Having 4 children makes it a bit more complicated in the taste bud arena. I'll get to that in a moment.

We are joining for several reasons,

1. We support in prayer the Schilperoorts (sp?). We have a passion for Africa and for the work they are doing there.


2. We want to educate our children about other countries and cultures and expose them to different ways of life.

3.We want to join our brothers and sisters in Jesus and eat like them for a month.

4. It'll save a lot of money and we want to donate it to Lahash International.

You can view the main blog at http://www.eatriceandbeans.com/

Everyone did better than expected. We started out by showing the kids a map of Africa and then showed them several other countries where rice and beans are a main staple. I asked them what animals are found in Africa. I got everything from giraffes, to bulls, to scorpions, to lions and so on. I was surprised at what they acctually knew.

Then I dropped "the bomb." "They even eat it for breakfast, lunch and dinner!" Jaws dropped, and the look of incredulation was hilarious. You'd have thought I'd told them they eat slugs 3 times a day.

I was proud of them though. Everyone but Good Lookin' ate everything in their bowl. Nater Mater of course liked it. He loves rice and beans. Then again, he'll eat just about anything...including bugs off the floor.

I also served cheese quesedillas with their meal (except Mr. Smiley who can't have cheese. He ate a half a pbj). I figured they couldn't go completely hungry and the only rule was they had to take at least one bite. A rule at our house is, "try it before you don't like it." What got Precious Jewel and Mr. Smiley to eat all theirs was a promise of a piece of Valentine's candy after their meal. A little bribery goes a long way.
It will be interesting to see how the rest of the month goes.
















8 comments:

erin said...

Thanks for sharing how day 1 went! Would you be up for us reposting your entry on eatingriceandbeans.blogspot.com?

Feel free to drop me a line at info(at)eatriceandbean(dot)com.

Thanks!

Erin

Soaring High said...

yes, you can repost it. My kid's reactions should provide some entertainment.

Soaring High said...

Day 2 brought more complaints. Dear Precious Jewel asked if God could make everyone else in the world rich like us so that we could stop having to know what it was like for them. I told her that God doesnt' work that way. He gives us opportunities to share in each other's suffering. Eating rice and beans for supper for a month isnt true suffering. But on her little scale, it's apperently intense suffering. I promised they could each make a sandwich if they ate what what in their bowl.

Wendy said...

Wow-- that's great, and very inspiring. What a walk-in-their-shoes way to teach. It's one thing to show a picture and then move on with the day...it's quite another to live a piece of someone's life. A lesson not easily forgotten.

Suzanne said...

My kids like the black beans with just a little salt. And we have rice pudding a lot for breakfast and dessert. Good luck. If I did this for a month, Allen would either be eating out of I'd be cooking 2 meals. He will do beans and rice but there has be to promise of meat in the near future. :) Of course our meat is deer.

Soaring High said...

haha! Luke was home for the first time last night to join us. I liked last nights recipe--Cajun Skillet Beans. This time Nathaniel and Benjamin liked it but not Abigail and Timothy. Once again, bribery with candy worked for Abigail but not Timothy. He was content to go to bed hungry. It's made for really interesting conversations at the dinner table. Suzanne, Luke is not picky. I am lucky he'll eat just about anything.

erin said...

Thanks for letting me repost! It will go live tomorrow at eatingriceandbeans.blogspot.com.

Erin

the schilps said...

thanks for posting about this, melinda! it has been so encouraging to see so many people "taking up the challenge." this evening's thought process for me was about the life of convenience we so easily take for granted. as we heated up our leftovers of rice and beans in the microwave for dinner, i started thinking about the kids that don't have microwaves, don't even have leftovers. just another reason this month is going to be so good for me.

so, two of my favorite quotes from asher over the course of the week: "eat solidarity, dad. eat it!!" and, "this food is kinda weird." he has done amazing. he took a break for the weekend, and, tootsie rolls have made quite the appearance after dinner, but, still. such a good experience for our family.

thanks again. i look forward to hearing more from your little famly.
loves
abbe

ps. you totally spelled it right :)