“As a child my family’s menu consisted of two choices: take it or leave it”. (Buddy Hackett)

How often have you heard little children whining, “I don’t like “bits” in orange juice”, or “I don’t like cabbage/onions/ blueberries” etc. etc? Fill in the blanks. Ad infinitum. I know one person who apparently ate only Heinz Cheese Savory for the first three years of his life and now has children who have noticed the power fussy eating gives them.

As someone who was very young during the Second World War, and for whom spotting an actual banana (that wasn’t a picture in a book) was a memorable event, watching modern parents indulging the whims of children is an excruciating experience. Epicurus might have agreed that a small subset of children have genuine allergies from certain foods that make them sick. But he would also have pointed out that food and eating are the only means by which little humsn beings can manipulate their parents. The concern on Mum’s face when little Jimmy won’t eat his greens doesn’t take a genius to spot. Don’t think that because they are small they don’t have the instinct to control and be the centre of attention. And just because their command of language is slight does not mean they misunderstand the meaning of Grandma tut-tutting in the background.

Yes, take it or leave it! They won’t die!