“Mee goreng taknak sayur.”

“Nasi lemak, ikan bilis dengan kacang saja. Yang lain taknak.”

“Snack plate, but can I replace the coleslaw with another whipped potato?”

“Vegetarian lasagna without the vetegables, please.”

Ok the last one was a joke.

But seriously, when you hear all these requests, you would turn around expecting a little child. But no, it’s just me, guys. A 27-year old adult who till this day, scrunches up her face at the mention of vegetables. Wow, it seems even worse reading that sentence even though I already know it.

Growing up, my parents forced all sorts of vegetable down my throat. But I was always naughty and somehow sneakily wriggled my way out of it. I remember, in a Chinese restaurant once when I was six. My dad would put a broccoli on my plate in front of everyone and gave me a You-better-eat-that look. When he wasn’t looking, I would quickly shove the broccoli under the table leaving it to drop on the floor. My dad was so happy to see me finish it, that he would put another on the plate. When he didn’t look, I dropped it again. We left that restaurant that night and till this day, I feel like apologizing to the waiter who had to pick up my seven broccolis on the floor. If I had money then, I would probably tip him my school pocket money.

My parents tried all sorts of ways to get me to eat vegetable but I had somehow already set in my mind NO. They even resorted to bribing motivating me with things like shoes and handbags. Being the ahem good negotiator I am (got it from my dadda!), I managed to walk out of that day without even touching my vegetables and with brand new items in my closet. How I did it? Even I myself don’t know how I managed to do that, let alone my parents!

Why I don’t like vege? I have no idea! I’m just not used to it, and I’ve lived my life so easy and simple without it all these years without having severe skin problems or bowel complications. I don’t like the texture, I don’t like the taste, I just don’t like how it changes how my food tastes. I tried eating it in my adult years, but my body just rejects it because I just puke them all out immediately.

At least now I take vege in the form of cold-pressed juice so that Baby M at least gets some form of goodness! I hold my breath each time, constantly reminding myself no one has ever died from eating vegetables. Juice, I find, is not so bad. But chewing the actual spinach etc, ohhhh… I cringe.

You know how you hate when you parents say “Wait till you have your own kids, then you’ll know how hard it is!”?

Well, karma’s a pain in the butt because it’s so so true.

Daniel’s refusing to eat anything new and I can assure you anything green or foreign will just land on my forehead. He feeds on potatoes, rice and fish, but even then he much prefers his milk to proper solid food. It wasn’t like that before, but now that he’s almost 1 and a half, he’s got a mind of his own and with it also, an eating habit of his own. Little green peas are like torture balls, and fruits are enemies.

Stop being like Mommyyyyy, I would beg him at the dining table. Please eat your peas and carrots, please Daniel. They’re really yummy, I would add slightly ashamed that I myself don’t believe that sentence.

Begging, scolding, forcing, airplane movements with spoons, everything I’ve tried.

Knowing that it’s still not too late, I need to change Daniel’s eating habit NOW before he gets even more stubborn like me. So I’m in the midst of reading this book now.

In the hope of not only changing Daniel’s eating habit, but also mine. Hoping this book will open my eyes and my mouth too.

Wish me luck!