Every time my child brings up his estranged father, I take him to McDonald’s to distract him. Am I a horrible person?
— FAST FOOD FRANKIE
Well, I can’t say I know much about parenting (apparently no one wants to marry a food magazine columnist … who knew!), but I think that if I were your child, I would grow up to hate you. Not because you hide important information, but because you choose to placate your kid with something like McDonald’s. If this situation comes up again, I recommend giving your child something more appetizing, like grilled ricotta salmon with a side of asparagus salad (check p. 45 for the recipe!). You could even hide a cheap plastic toy in the salad to replicate the joy of finding the one in a Happy Meal. Your kid may not remember his father when he grows up, but he’ll never forget this delicious dish.
