“Would you like the crayons with that?” The question I’ve been asked practically every time I go out to eat for as long as I can remember. Getting strange looks from those around me, I accept the reality of being a seventeen-year-old girl who is physically incapable of ordering anything, not on the kid's menu.
Chicken Nuggets shaped like dinosaurs, Macaroni and Cheese (Kraft™ brand of course), and Grilled-Cheese with the crusts cut off are just a few on the top of my list. These reassuring foods make the treacherous task of placing an order at a restaurant a bit less terrifying. And don’t even get me started on going on a date. Why am I so picky? What drives me to ask for a kids menu? Is it the abundance of coloring options and tic-tac-toe games on the menu? Certainly not. I have just been unfortunately cursed with taste buds that have not matured since kindergarten.
Date: September 14th, 2015. Location: Somewhere in Annapolis in a bright café we found one afternoon. Sitting beside me is my cousin, eager to tell me about fourth grade. As much as I would love to listen, I can barely hear her speak over the grumbling of my stomach. So, I take it upon myself to order the chicken tenders from the kid's menu. A safe option, I know. My cousin, hungrier than I am, orders a burger off the main menu.
We continue to talk until the waiter arrives with our food. Here comes the dilemma. The waitress hands to me, my meal graciously sided with animal crackers and an apple juice box, smaller than my palm. My cousin, on the other hand, is served her meal with the biggest order of fries and a soda that her energy levels certainly did not need. I remind you, she is half my size and half my age.
Some people assume this would be embarrassing enough for me to change my ways entirely. Well no, it did not and to this day, more often than not, I still order from the short and sweet menu. I do on occasion though, explore further options.
There is a running joke in my family that I will often read over the entire menu from front to back, left to right, and top to bottom. I am caught making remarks such as “Wow that looks so good!” or “Hm what are you guys going to get?” My natural born acting talents really shine through when I am often able to convince my family, that I may try a new food. However, the grin shines through when I order my beloved Mac and Cheese every time.
While one might read this, and think I am just a seventeen-year-old girl, who has been fortunate enough to always have the blessings of plenty of food to eat, and a lack of life experiences, ordering off the kid's menu has actually shaped me to be who I am. While the kid's menu is a safe haven for me, whenever I feel like the other options are too perilous to explore, I remember life goes on beyond my safety zone. Not only with food, but with most life experiences there is usually a choice to take the safe and secure route that will never take you beyond your security.
However looking past that road, there is the option to take a risk. While this is hard for me, it is a goal I have set for myself that I look to further in my time in college and beyond. I am trying new things and while some are leading me to the path of success, others are not and that is okay.
In the end, when there are intimidating challenges I cannot reach, I can take a step back and always be assured that the kids menu, so dear to my heart, will still be there. And who knows? Maybe after my first semester of college, I’ll be taking my family out for sushi.
