Papaya

It's a whole new world of food for me since my 8 month old starting eating solids about two months ago.  Even though I'm not a big fan of vegetables, I'm determined to offer as many of them to Mateo as possible.  I'm also interested in giving him a taste of as many different types of fruits as I can find at my local Whole Foods Market.  (Fruits do not pose a personal challenge to me in the same way vegetables do, thankfully.)  Although I like just about every fruit out there, (excepting the "fruit" tomatos,) I hadn't ever bought a whole papaya before this week.  Am I the only out there who thinks that papaya seeds look like fish eggs?  When I sliced that sucker open I thought I had stumbled onto a free pot of caviar.  In other words: eww.  Seeds aside, Mateo took to papaya right away, particularly when added to his morning oatmeal. 

In addition to wanting to expand his tastebud horizons, I also hope to cultivate his social political consciousness.  (I know that sounds like a bit much, but it really is a function of being my parents' child; the very people who explained the Iran Contra scandal to 10 year old me using placemats and salt & pepper shakers to represent countries and arms).  So anyway, were Mateo able to understand me, this morning he would have learned that papayas are thought to have been originally cultivated in Mexico, particularly in Chiapas.  Which obviously brought me to an explanation of the Zapatistas' struggle for independence and a discussion of federalism.  Delicious and nutritious!