Do your kids love sushi, tacos, naan, hot chilies, seafood chowder? Do they love squid? As global travelers and parents, our kids get LOTS of international food opportunities, whether at home or while traveling. If you can't travel as much as you'd like, or want to introduce more international foods to your family, I've got the site for you! Created by Kristen J. Gough, our Global Cuisines and Kids Editor, My Kids Eat Squid is a fabulous resource for recipes, inspiration, and more. Take a look at the Turkey Picadillo, or the Harry Potter's Polyjuice Potion. It's ALL GOOD and DELICIOUS.

We sat down to chat with Kristen, about My Kids Eat Squid, international food, recipes, and more. Here's what she had to say...

WE: Please tell us about your site, My Kids Eat Squid...

KJG: For me, food is a fun, fascinating exploration. And it’s a natural way to tap into my kids’ sense of adventure right through their taste buds. At our table, meals are more than nourishment. I’ve seen gastronomical experimentation salvage a bad day, make a moment a memory and really help us bond as a family. My mantra is “open mouth, open minds.” Of course, not every meal at our house is worthy of that description—we’ve got our cold cereal dinner days just like everyone else—but we do try to eat adventurously as often as we can. We only have one table rule: try it. By just taking a sample, even if they don’t like it, my kids have been exposed to and gained a love of new cultures and ideas. To me, that exposure is the essence of a good adventure and the goal of My Kids Eat Squid.

WE: What was the genesis of My Kids Eat Squid?

KG: Tacos. Let me explain. My husband and I both lived in foreign countries during part of our college years—he was in Mexico, I was in Austria. When we started having kids we both had this sense that we wanted them to have a broader view of the world, to know not everyone shares the same beliefs, values, language, or love of French fries. Food seemed the natural way to expose them to other cultures. So we try to find authentic food experiences wherever we go. My husband introduced us to tacquerias (Mexican taco shops) where I discovered I love/addiction to tacos al pastor, which are made with marinated pork that’s cooked on a spit and then topped with pineapple and served on fresh, warm white corn tortillas. So different from a crispy American taco that’s filled with ground beef and loaded with cheddar cheese. Then we had to try making fresh tortillas at home, which led to a trip to a Mexican grocers for a tortilla press and we picked up a molcajete (mortar and pestle made out of volcanic rock) to make guacamole… and so it goes.

When I went looking online for others who might be carting their kids along to have these types of food adventures, I just didn’t find anything so I decided to start sharing our family’s experiences. So sometimes I pass along recipes, sometimes it’s one of our food finds, but I hope to be a voice supporting parents to encourage their kids to try new flavors.

WE: Why is providing an international food palate important for kids and families?

KJG: Kids are explorers. They’re wired to learn by experimentation so trying out new foods can literally fuel that sense of exploration. It’s an entry point for learning and understanding. Awhile back we happened on this hole-in-the-wall Polish restaurant that specialized in pierogies. As we were driving home after we finished we couldn’t help but notice how filling the potato and cheese stuffed dumplings had been. That led into a basic conversation about why pierogies might be a traditional meal in Poland. My youngest piped up about people needing energy for work. Well, what kind of work do you think? My husband asked. Then we had a whole discussion about how pierogies would be good if you were a farmer, they were easy to carry, maybe Poland was colder because eating them made you feel warm inside. Kids might not begin to understand a discussion of commerce or a country’s form of government, but through sampling food they can get a few insights into another culture that’s memorable. They also begin to see that there are so many cultures that make up our country; you don’t have to get on a plane or have a passport to experience another culture in a very first-hand way.

Beyond expanding kids’ palate, trying new foods together makes us feel closer as a family. How can you not bond while trying your first spicy eel roll? Or even white hot chocolate for that matter...

WE: What's it like, cooking with your kids?

KJG: I’d love to be able to say that they’re always interested in helping me out and the first to offer to stir batter or grate the cheese. But that’s just not how it goes. Sure, my three kids never turn down helping make a batch of cookies (or decorating them) but more often I’ve got to put on some patience along with my apron. If my kids do lose interest as we’re prepping a recipe, I don’t try to force them to keep at it.

I’ve had the most success getting them involved in adventurous preparation. It might be hard getting them to whisk a béchamel, but they jump at the chance to clean a squid or play with sticky spring roll wrappers.

And my oldest daughter, who’s now a teenager, likes to cook on her own versus making something with me. She’s come up with some cool eats, from banana wraps—pita bread smeared with peanut butter, raspberry jam and a banana rolled inside to insisting on making her own grilled cheese; she likes to mix up the cheeses and always sprinkles garlic powder on the outside.

WE: What has been your biggest food challenge with your kids - and the most rewarding experience?

KJG: Probably letting go of my own food hang-ups. I grew up in the West, where eating fish just wasn’t as common as beef or chicken. I never ate it so in my mind I figured, ‘I don’t like it.’ I wouldn’t try it. But I can’t try to teach my kids to sample everything if I don’t do it myself. So I’ve learned as an adult to like shrimp, scallops, even squid. But it’s not just more unusual ingredients, I’ve found that I like Brussels sprouts, arugula, portobello mushrooms, Gruyere cheese all through being willing to give it a taste. And not just once. I’ve learned that just like it may take several tries before my kids like something, the same goes for my taste buds.

WE: How do you inspire your kids to learn about other cultures?

KJG: Dessert, anyone? Seriously it doesn’t take much to get a conversation going or coax your child into trying something new, when you’re taking about something sweet—and eating it. We will often look up ethnic grocery stores online and then visit them with our kids. We let them pick out something on their own for all of us to try. Inevitably, they pick sweets. We’re working our way around the world through treats—Pocky sticks from Japan, Nutella from Italy, hazelnut wafers from Germany, moon cakes from China, coconut ice cream from Thailand. Just visiting these grocery stories is a peek into another culture, another view of the world. 

WE: How do you suggest travelers dig deep into a culture, when they are visiting?

KJG: Eat what the people eat, where they’re eating it. I remember years ago interviewing Tom Kime, who’s travelled the world and eaten everything he could find along the way (he authored a book about it called Street Food). He said with everything he’d eaten the only time he got sick was when he ate at hotel that served ‘Western fare.’ The cooks there just didn’t know how to prepare that type of cuisine. His secret, and it’s one I’ve used, is to eat at the place that has the longest line, because people are coming back day after day.

When we traveled as a family to Mexico that’s exactly what we did. First, my kids were used to the cuisine because we’d visited authentic Mexican eateries in the U.S. They knew they liked carne asada or milanesa. Having that as a frame of reference made it so much easier to enjoy to the experience—we’d stumble in to street festivals, just wonder around, sampling as we go. We found that while our kids couldn’t speak the language, they could feel a connection to the people when it came to food.

Before you visit, look up some of the local dishes and maybe even try a few in your own home. My daughter was so excited to go to Puebla because that’s where mole originated (there are various versions, but the well-known red mole sauce includes roasted chiles, dozens of spices and chocolate often served over enchiladas). Then when you visit a place you can strike up a conversation, whether it’s in the language or through hand gestures, about how the person makes the dish.

WE: Is there anything else you'd like to share with us?

KJG: I just wanted to thank you for these insightful questions. And I know the focus here has been on more international foods but I wanted to point out that there are so many ways to raise adventurous eaters. You don’t have to be a ‘foodie’ to instill in your kids a willing to try new foods. Some of my favorite ways to play with foods are to find them in different colors, yes I’m the one oohing and aahing about purple cauliflower in the produce section; to make them into miniatures, baby broccoli and meatloaf cupcakes come to mind; and to put them on a stick, I find my kids will try just about anything if they can dip it in something.

WE: Thanks so very much, Kristen - and welcome to Wandering Educators! We'll look forward to your contributions to our site, and of COURSE highly recommend My Kids Eat Squid to our Wandering Educators!

Start eating! 

All photos courtesy and copyright My Kids Eat Squid