The Stages of a Reuben

On Father's Day, Jared's dinner of choice was Reuben sandwiches. Those who are not familiar with a Reuben sandwich, here's how it goes: take the stinkiest foods you can think of, and then make a sandwich out of it. Seriously. Corned Beef, Swiss Cheese, Sauerkraut, Thousand Island Dressing, all between two slices of Rye Bread.

Now, we don't make a habit of eating things with fermented cabbage, or salad dressing with pickles in it, or even things that have been corned. So, this was a new experience for our kids. Sam ate his happily, I even heard him say "mmm" once. He's sort of like a goat in that way. Gracie on the other hand made quite another sound when she took her first bite...which then turned into a whole set of stages on her journey to the reality of the grossness of a Reuben sandwich.

1. Shock I mean, the Reuben sandwich does have the ability to take one by surprise if not prepared.

2. AngerShe was surprisingly angry over how sick she thought our dinner was.

G: "Ew! Why are we eating something so gross?!"
me: "Because it's daddy's day and he likes this kind of sandwich".
G: Stink eye in Jared' s general direction.

3. DenialThe rule in our house is that you are not allowed to spit out food because you think it's gross. (even though it sounds like it, we really don't eat that much gross food around here). So, she just held her bite in her mouth for like 3 minutes trying to wait it out until we said she could spit it. I'll let you guess who won.

4. Sadness

She actually cried because she hated it so much. Actual tears. Or maybe it was just the fumes off the sandwich making her eyes water. We may never know. She won't talk about it.