Do you eat from the kids' menu sometimes?

[aephi alum]

Cheeseburgers, chicken fingers, pizza and mac 'n' cheese. They're staples on kids' menus at chain restaurants across the country. Oh, and did I mention fries? Most kids' menus offer little variety and plenty of calories, fat and sodium.

... And that's the problem I have with most kids' menus. Starting when I was 8 or 9, I rejected the kids' menu and asked for a "real" menu. If my parents are taking me to (say) an Indian restaurant or a tapas bar, why the hell would I want chicken fingers??! If I'd wanted chicken fingers, my parents would have taken me to Mickey D's. I was a weird kid, though - my parents introduced me to a lot of different cuisines, so I appreciated foods that most kids wouldn't touch with a barge pole. I can see where some kids would turn up their noses at chicken tikka masala and want their cheeseburgers.

One of my favorite restaurants was an Italian restaurant where you could order full or half portions of any pasta item they offered - no matter how old or young you were. Their full portions were ginormous, so I'd get half portions all the time. Sadly, they've closed.