Coming Out Even

One of my all time favorite children's books is Bread and Jam for Frances written by Russell Hoban with pictures by Lillian Hoban.  I loved it when I was a child, and I have loved reading it to both of my children as they grew.  I have one picky eater, and one gastronome, one Frances, and one Gloria as it were.  When my eldest was little I read her this book hoping she would be inspired to eat more adventurously, she wasn't.  When my son came along seven years later he ate everything in sight, so we read this just for fun.

When I read this as a kid I liked all the foods served to Frances at home, and I loved the sound of the lunches packed for Albert and Frances to enjoy at school.  I usually packed my own lunch, or ate the dreaded hot lunch.  My mom was really busy.  A lunch complete with a doily and a vase of flowers was a fairytale as far as I was concerned.  The food sounded great, but what actually stuck with me, became a compulsion really, was the way they ate it.  

The simple act of eating your food so that it all comes out even...

I have done this with my meals for as long as I can remember.  It only dawned on me that it came from this book while I was reading it to my own kids.  I know it is a little odd, but it is very satisfying.  I hate it when you reach the last few bites and realize it isn't going to come out even.  I have been known to get second helpings of some foods before I finish my first because I need to even it out.  My husband thinks it is hilarious.  But I am not alone in the realm of compulsive eating quirks.

My hubby eats whatever he likes least first, and fast, so he can enjoy the rest of his dinner.  And I have one friend who takes apart her sandwiches, then rearranges the ingredients in the proper order.  She doesn't remove anything, she just likes it stacked a certain way.

Books with food were an obsession of mine as a kid, and this is the first of many posts about my favorites.  What kind of books did you favor as a kid?