I don't like soup.

When my kids put up the hand like the school traffic patrol, denying passage of certain foods, I remain unconvinced.

I can hear one son say: "I don't like soup," as an umbrella response to any and all soups, regardless of color, texture, ingredients and the like. Certainly, I would agree, you don't like SOME soups; but I bet you like SOME soups? No soup at all? Are you sure?

If my child says "I don't like this food"; my response is "we'll see." I view blanket denials of food as a challenge to find an exception to their full-out denial.

You don' t like green beans? Well, you don't like them boiled or canned. But how about steamed or sauteed with bits of bacon? You don't like brussel sprouts? Me neither, but then I roasted them until crisp and sprinkled them with salt and now I love them... that way anyway. You don' t like tomatoes? But you like ketchup. Ketchup has tomatoes. You don't like soup? How about pureed carrot curry or tortilla soup? Lentil, sausage, clam chowder or simple macaroni soup? They are all so different, certainly you like SOME soups?

If your child, like mine, decides they don't like a food: congratulate their intuitive palate and move onto other variations of that said food. Broccoli can be raw or cooked, cheeses are flavored from mild to sweet to sharp; lettuce can be mild or spicy, crunchy or tangy. I tell my boys: think of it as a taste test, a treasure hunt to find your favorite---or acceptable---version(s) of a food.

And from me to you: good luck with the soup!