Regular readers of my food blog know that my almost-four-year-old has been blessed with a, let’s say, discerning palate. (And by “discerning,” I mean that his list of Won’t Eats is approximately 638 times as long as the list of Will Eats.)

This has been going on for close to two years now: I cook something new and exciting and delicious, and Harry refuses to taste it. I’ve stopped letting him see my disappointment (at least I think I have), because I’ve learned that the more I show him how important this is to me, the more likely he is to assert what little control he has. I make dinner for me and my husband, and if Harry doesn’t like what we’re having he’s free to grab a yogurt or a cheese stick. Luckily his disdain doesn’t apply to fruit, so he’s getting all his nutrients. And for the most part I’m ok with all this.

But every so often, I try to casually encourage him to expand his culinary horizons. This week, that took the form of a brand-new cookbook by one of his heroes: Dora and Diego Let’s Cook. I figured, if his Diego t-shirt, his Diego sunglasses, and his Diego backpack could motivate him to get dressed, perhaps a Diego-endorsed recipe might work that same magic in the kitchen.

Shockingly enough, the first recipe Harry chose to try was Broccoli con Queso. Yup, broccoli.

Here’s how it went:

First, Wall-E had to help stir.


And Harry didn’t want Eve to feel left out.


Each diner got his or her own bowl. Wall-E and Eve both loved their food, said Harry.

As for Harry, eh, not so much.

Incredibly enough, Harry insisted it was the cheese sauce that was the problem. He actually ate an entire (admittedly tiny) broccoli floret, plain. This is earth-shaking news, people. Earth-shaking.

I’m pretty sure he won’t eat another for quite a while, but I’ll take what I can get.

So. Do you have a discerning eater? How have you handled it?