Will Mikey Eat It?

Nutrition is in the eye of the beholder. Every time Fiorella turns around, an old villain has been redeemed and a former hero discredited. Thus red wine is in now, red meat is out.

Philosophies of ingestion have flip-flopped again recently and our daily bread is now being analyzed, evaluated and regulated more even than when Fio was growing up, when conscientious mothers carefully balanced all meals according to the food pyramid of the time. In between, when Fio's children were growing up, the idea was that children, if left to themselves, would balance out their own diets so Fio didn't carp at Daughter's about her all-french fry meals.

It sort of worked. Daughter is now an exercise-and-lettuce health nut, stocky son is still stocky, and skinny son, who Fio thought would never gain an ounce, is scheduled for a gastric by-pass in March.

And, left on her own, Fio has developed a taste for fish, something that never figured in her mother's meal plans. Who knew?