Marina Ribas: "I am a supporter of inviting to taste but never of forcing to eat"

The other day my son asked me if I knew that in some parts of the world people ate dogs and what I thought about it. It is very interesting when they ask you these kinds of questions because they confront you with yourself, with your beliefs. And what did you reply to him?

— So we had an interesting conversation about the different gastronomic cultures of various places in the world and why we eat animals. In the end, it's not so much about giving an answer as it is about reviewing one's own beliefs. This infinite curiosity is something that fascinates me about childhood.

Curiosity also in the kitchen...

— With my son we cook together since he was very small. At fourteen months I bought him one of these table-chairs and a set of knives and other utensils for children. I would put him next to me while I cooked and he would do the same as I did. He, sometimes, makes himself a boiled egg, cuts potatoes, puts herbs on a fish. Cooking together is a very important moment of connection. I find it harder to sit together and play a game of Parcheesi or cards.

What do you like to do?

— He really likes broth. His favorite is the classic, chicken broth. Especially if there are some delicious pieces of meat left afterwards and, of course, with the typical star-shaped pasta, which is also a dish from my childhood. The way I raise my children is very similar to how I was raised: in a small village in Ibiza in a house, with parents and grandparents present, the whole family spent a lot of time together... A place where a little girl could go out on the street alone and ride her bike everywhere.

Should children eat everything?

— I am in favor of inviting to taste but never forcing to eat. Why should I force him to eat something that I wouldn't like to be forced to eat? I also have my preferences. For example, I'm not passionate about broccoli. And if for me eating it represents an effort, well I'll have to understand that my son doesn't find it a very pleasant meal either.

With this logic, the children will end up deciding the menu.

— It can be negotiated, even if it's something that gets very tiring, because as parents, we often feel that raising children is a constant negotiation. It's an endless job of setting limits and there's always someone who will try to push a little further. Now, for example, if we involve our children in the process of buying and preparing food, we are already laying the groundwork for them to have a good relationship with food.

Does your son eat everything?

— Yes, he is a child who eats everything. Since he was very young, perhaps, he has had a tendency towards flavors that are not considered to be to children's taste. He greatly enjoys all spoon dishes, all legume dishes, stews and braises. Now, in the summer, for example, any given night he might say to me: "Mom, what do you think if we have a little salad for dinner tonight?".

What does it mean to be the mother of a seven-year-old boy?

— It means a constant update with all sorts of things, like hearing people say bro, six-seven and similar things. I thought all this would come more towards adolescence. We tend to consider that children and adolescents are a nuisance with all the nonsense they carry, but in my case I admit that I find it very funny.

And why don't you find it so funny?

— The aspect that has me most bothered is... In fact, I don't tend to get too bothered about much. One thing that worries me is managing household chores and everything related to order, cleanliness, and aspects of coexistence.

Does cooking make us free?

— Cooking at home, making a broth, for example, is an act of resistance, it makes us able to say: "I want to do this myself". Cooking is loving, one more way of loving among many others. Cooking is like a language of love, within all the languages of love that exist. Cooking is loving and having someone cook for me I interpret as a show of love.

Tell me a special moment.

— Now that it's vacation, it makes me happy when I see him get up in the morning and the first thing he wants to do is go see if there are eggs in the chickens or if the corn or tomatoes are ready to go pick them.