Further evidence my children are freaks...

It's an ongoing (OK, recurring) element of discussion among our circle of friends that my children are ... unusual ... in their food habits. For whatever reason -- they hardly ever had cormmercially prepared baby food, I refused to be a short-order cook or eat chicken fingers for 876 straight days -- they'll pretty much eat anything that will work its way onto a plate. Every now and then, the 5-year-old will try to sneak something in and decree that she doesn't actually like it, but she's quickly called on her mini-power play and eats what's dished up.

Summer means a lot of salads at our house. That means an array of leaf lettuces washed, chopped and always available in a big Tupperware container for whoever wants to grab a quick salad.

Anyway, last night had salad as the main event. A little turkey, some boiled eggs, cheese, olives -- good stuff. I tell the children to pick out some dressing, to which the 8-year-old replies, with one shake of his head: "Nah. It gets in the way of the lettuce."

Not since the night he objected to my putting a cheese sauce on his steamed cauliflower have I been so floored. I mean, who eats a salad DRY?!?!

Turns out, a co-worker has a daughter about the same age who has started eating her salads plain in the last six months.

Be afraid. Be very afraid.