This past weekend beijingkids helped organize an event with Element Fresh at their Sanlitun location. By help, we mainly just did what we do best and brought the people, but due to it being a free cooking class, where they were explaining the TLC that goes into making their Cobb Salad, this event took little convincing. All we had to do is throw out the news that this was happening to two, maybe three WeChat groups and wait. Element Fresh provided all of the ingredients for a fun kid-friendly event that also promoted healthy nutritional habits.
It started with the kids gearing up in cute pink or blue aprons and cooking hats, so as not to make a mess on their weekend attire and then continued with a bilingual explanation of all of the components that make a perfect Cobb Salad. The laughter and playfulness of the children quickly took its course and very soon after there was a table of little people diligently preparing their meal.
It was interesting to check out how the recipe was slightly altered by each kid in attendance to best suit their tastes, with some of the final products essentially becoming cheese salads. Can you blame them though? Cheese is delicious!
Finally, the kids and parents were both able to enjoy the fruits of their labor, and an all out salad party quickly ensued. Every parent knows that it isn’t an easy task to get your kid to eat veggies, but maybe we are going about introducing kids to their greens in the wrong way. We watched pleased as everyone in attendance were not only enjoying their salad but leaving with the ability to build one of their own at home. It’s possible that if we just allow our kids to contribute to making supper, by putting them in charge of building a salad every evening, filled with things they like, then they will be more inclined to eat it without protest. Everyone wins!
Thank you Element Fresh for the enlightening experience, and we hope that there will be more opportunities for kids in the future to learn about whipping up easy but healthy things in the kitchen, as it is essential for these dining habits to be developed early on.
Photos: Nate Ren
